Middle Ages
Papal States
- Period
- AD 755 – AD 1870
- Duration
- approx. 1,115 years
- Greatest extent
- around AD 1600
- Area (max.)
- approx. 43,000 km²
Period and duration
Papal States — according to the map data from AD 755 to AD 1870, roughly 1,115 years. The dates refer to the time the empire is drawn as its own territory on the world map; historians sometimes date its founding and end differently.
Greatest extent
Papal States — greatest extent around AD 1600: the mapped borders then cover about 43,000 km², roughly 0.1% of Earth's land area. The area is calculated from the border lines of the map and is therefore an approximation.
Predecessors and successors
States that ruled the same territory directly before and after:
Before (AD 754)
- Kingdom of Italy
- Duchy of Spoleto
- Byzantine Empire
After
Neighbours around AD 1600
The largest states in the region at the same time:
- Ottoman Empire
- Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
- Iberian Union
- Habsburg Monarchy
- Holy Roman Empire Minor States
- Republic of Venice
- House of Savoy
- Swiss Confederation
Learn more
- Open the world map in AD 1600 — tap the empire for a detailed description
- Papal States on Wikipedia
- All 371 empires at a glance
Borders and dates: Cliopatria / Seshat Global History Databank (CC BY 4.0). Coastlines: Natural Earth. Text: Centaurian.