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 |
| 301 |
San Marino |
S: Roman Empire |
| 843 |
France |
D: Frankish Kingdom |
| 848 |
Scotland |
M: Dalriada and the Pictish kingdom |
| 9th century |
Bohemia |
M: Slavic tribes |
| 9th century |
Ukraine as Kyivan Rus |
M: East slavic tribes |
| 9th century |
Serbia as Rascia |
M: State of the Serbs
|
| 966 |
Poland |
M: State of the Polans and surrounding lands |
| 10th century |
Denmark |
M |
| 10th century |
Sweden |
M |
| 10th century |
England |
M |
| 1001 |
Hungary |
M: St. Stephen unifies country |
| 1143 |
Portugal |
S: Kingdom of Leon |
| 1278 |
Andorra |
S: France |
| 1297 |
Monaco |
S: Genoa |
| 13th century |
Russia |
| 1512 |
Spain |
M: Castile and Aragon |
| 1581 |
Netherlands |
S: Spain |
| 1648 |
Switzerland |
S: Holy Roman Empire |
| 1707 |
Kingdom of Great Britain |
M: England, Scotland |
| 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: Modena and Reggio, Parma, Sardinia, Tuscany, Two Sicilies |
| 1871 |
Germany |
M: German Confederation member countries except for Austria, Liechtenstein, Limburg, and Luxembourg |
| 1878 |
Bulgaria |
S: Ottoman Empire |
| 1878 |
Romania |
S: Ottoman Empire |
| 1905 |
Norway |
S: Sweden |
| 1912 |
Albania |
S: Ottoman Empire |
| 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 |
Estonia |
S: Russia |
| 1918 |
Iceland |
S: Denmark (until 1944 under Danish protectorate) |
| 1918 |
Latvia |
S: Russia |
| 1918 |
Lithuania |
S: Russia |
| 1918 |
Poland |
S: Austria-Hungary, Germany and Russia |
| 1918 |
Georgia |
D: Russia |
| 1918 |
Armenia |
D: Russia |
| 1918 |
Ukraine |
D: Russia |
| 1920 |
Republic of Ireland |
S: United Kingdom |
| 1922 |
Soviet Union |
Russia |
| 1929 |
Vatican State |
S: Italy |
| 1944 |
Iceland |
S: Denmark |
| 1949 |
Federal Republic of Germany |
S: Occupied Nazi Germany (reunified with East Germany through annexation in 1990) |
| 1990 |
Lithuania |
S: Soviet Union |
| 1990 |
Latvia |
S: Soviet Union |
| 1990 |
Estonia |
S: Soviet Union |
| 1991 |
Armenia |
D: Soviet Union |
| 1991 |
Azerbaijan |
D: Soviet Union |
| 1991 |
Belarus |
D: Soviet Union |
| 1991 |
Croatia |
S: Yugoslavia |
| 1991 |
FYR Macedonia |
S: Yugoslavia |
| 1991 |
Georgia |
D: Soviet Union |
| 1991 |
Moldova |
D: Soviet Union |
| 1991 |
Ukraine |
D: Soviet Union |
| 1991 |
Russia |
D: Soviet Union |
| 1991 |
Slovenia |
S: Yugoslavia |
| 1992 |
Bosnia-Hercegovina |
S: Yugoslavia |
| 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.
