Spain Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands
The land of today's Spain appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 25 different states, among them Spain, Roman Empire, Castile, Castile, Emirate of Córdoba.
SpainExplore the history of Spain in the interactive map
Compare 1000 with today · Spain as a state on the map
Who ruled the land of Spain, map by map
Share of sample points inside today's borders held by each state on each map. Areas with no organised state on the map are left out.
| Map | Main states on this land |
|---|---|
| 500 BC | Carthaginian Empire 23% |
| 400 BC | Carthaginian Empire 19% |
| 323 BC | Carthaginian Empire 35% |
| 300 BC | Carthaginian Empire 35% |
| 200 BC | Rome 33% |
| 100 BC | Roman Republic 75% |
| 1 BC | Roman Empire 98% |
| AD 100 | Roman Empire 98% |
| AD 200 | Roman Empire 98% |
| AD 400 | Western Roman Empire 98% |
| AD 500 | Visigoths 73% · Suebi 15% · Basques 10% |
| AD 600 | Visigothic Kingdom 77% · Eastern Roman Empire 19% · Vasconia 2% |
| AD 700 | Umayyad Caliphate 90% · Visigothic Kingdom 6% · Vasconia 2% |
| AD 800 | Emirate of Córdoba 75% · Asturias 23% |
| AD 900 | Emirate of Córdoba 75% · Asturias 23% |
| 1000 | Caliphate of Córdoba 63% · León 21% · Castile 8% |
| 1100 | Almoravid dynasty 63% · León 21% · Castile 8% |
| 1200 | Almohad Caliphate 65% · León 19% · Castile 8% |
| 1300 | Castile 79% · Aragón 10% · Granada 8% |
| 1400 | Castile 79% · Aragón 10% · Granada 8% |
| 1492 | Castile 88% · Aragón 10% |
| 1500 | Castile 88% · Aragón 10% |
| 1600 | Spain 98% |
| 1650 | Spain 98% |
| 1700 | Spain 98% |
| 1783 | Spain 98% |
| 1800 | Spain 98% |
| 1815 | Spain 98% |
| 1880 | Spain 100% |
| 1900 | Spain 100% |
| 1914 | Spain 100% |
| 1920 | Spain 100% |
| 1930 | Spain 100% |
| 1938 | Spain 100% |
| 1945 | Spain 100% |
| 1960 | Spain 100% |
| 1994 | Spain 100% |
| 2010 | Spain 100% |
Historic cities in Spain
Famous people of Spain
| Lived | Person | |
|---|---|---|
| c. 1043 – 1099 | El Cid | Castilian knight |
| 1126 – 1198 | Averroes (Ibn Rushd) | Philosopher |
| 1138 – 1204 | Maimonides | Jewish philosopher and physician |
| 1451 – 1506 | Christopher Columbus | Navigator |
| c. 1478 – 1541 | Francisco Pizarro | Spanish conquistador |
| c. 1480 – 1521 | Ferdinand Magellan | Navigator |
| 1485 – 1547 | Hernán Cortés | Spanish conquistador |
| 1500 – 1558 | Charles V | Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain |
| 1527 – 1598 | Philip II | King of Spain |
| 1547 – 1616 | Miguel de Cervantes | Writer |
Battles and historic sites
| Year | Battle or site |
|---|---|
| 1212 | Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa |
Landmarks
Mosque–Cathedral of CórdobaStanding · AD 785
AlhambraStanding · 1238
Aqueduct of SegoviaStanding · AD 100
Santiago de Compostela CathedralStanding · 1211
Questions
Which empires and states ruled the territory of Spain?
On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern Spain belonged to Spain, Roman Empire, Castile, Castile, Emirate of Córdoba, Carthaginian Empire, along with 19 other states.
What was Spain part of in 1000?
On the border map for 1000, most of the territory of today's Spain lay within Caliphate of Córdoba.
What was Spain part of in 1500?
On the border map for 1500, most of the territory of today's Spain lay within Castile.
What was Spain part of in 1900?
On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's Spain lay within Spain.
Further reading
Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.