Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index

Date of independence of European countries

This is a list of all present countries of Europe, sorted by their date of independence or creation.

Note: List is still incomplete and needs a proof-reading

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Date of Independence Country Mode of creation and predecessors
843 France D: Frankish Kingdom
9th century Russia as Kievan Rus ?
10th century Poland ?
10th century Denmark ?
1143 Portugal S: Kingdom of Leon
1512 Spain M: (list to be added)
1523 Sweden S: Denmark
1603 Kingdom of Great Britain M: England, Scotland
1648 Netherlands S: Spain
1648 Switzerland S: Holy Roman Empire
1801 United Kingdom M: Kingdom of Great Britain, Kingdom of Ireland
1806 Austria-Hungary / Austria D: Holy Roman Empire
1806 Liechtenstein D: Holy Roman Empire
1806 Luxembourg D: Holy Roman Empire
1806 Prussia D: Holy Roman Empire
1817 Serbia S: Ottoman Empire
1828 Greece S: Ottoman Empire
1830 Belgium S: Netherlands
1861 Italy M: (list to be added)
1871 Germany many
1878 Bulgaria S: Ottoman Empire
1878 Romania S: Ottoman Empire
1905 Norway S: Sweden
1913 Albania S: Ottoman Empire
1917 Soviet Union Russia
1917 Finland S: Russia
1918 Yugoslavia S: Austria-Hungary; M: Serbia, Montenegro
1918 Czechoslovakia S: Austria-Hungary
1918 Hungary S: Austria-Hungary
1918 Austria S: Austria-Hungary
1918 Iceland S: Denmark
1918 Poland S: Austria-Hungary, Germany, Russia
1920 Republic of Ireland S: United Kingdom
1949 Federal Republic of Germany S: Occupied Nazi Germany (reunified with East Germany through annexation in 1990)
1990 Bosnia-Hercegovina S: Yugoslavia
1990 Croatia S: Yugoslavia
1991 Estonia S: Soviet Union
1990 Latvia S: Soviet Union
1990 Lithuania S: Soviet Union
1990 FYR Macedonia S: Yugoslavia
1990 Slovenia S: Yugoslavia
1991 Belarus D: Soviet Union
1991 Moldova D: Soviet Union
1991 Ukraine D: Soviet Union
1991 Russia D: Soviet Union
1993 Czech Republic D: Czechoslovakia
1993 Slovakia D: Czechoslovakia

Explanations

A country can come into existence either by splitting off from one existing country (marked by S in the table), or through the merging of several existing countries (M). A special case of a split-off is when a federal country dissolves by dividing up into its constituent states (D). The date of independence of a country is often arguable; independence cannot be defined precisely. Also, whether something is a newly founded country, or whether it is the same as a previously existing one, is often arguable. In general, if a new political entity has mostly the same area as one of its predecessors, it will be considered as the same country as the predecessor.

Times of temporary dependence may present problems. If the dependence on another country is short and the country survives it without major changes in its area and constitution, such as a period of occupation during a war, it will be ignored. Otherwise, the country will be considered a new creation.

This list presents an attempt to give a simple view of a certain aspect of European history. Oversimplifications are unavoidable.