The world in 1800
In 1800, the timeline shows 248 states, empires and colonies and 90 peoples across 12 regions. The most significant include Holy Roman Empire, Ethiopian Empire (Solomonic dynasty), Ottoman Empire, Portuguese Empire, Kingdom of Kongo, Mughal Empire, Portuguese Brazil and New Spain.
See 1800 on the interactive chart
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What was happening around 1800
- Declaration of Independence, North America. The Continental Congress declares the Thirteen Colonies independent of Britain. The war ends with British recognition in 1783.
- Cook reaches Hawaii, Oceania. James Cook's ships become the first recorded Europeans to reach Hawaii. Cook returns late that year and is killed at Kealakekua Bay in February 1779.
- Peak of the Atlantic slave trade, North and West Africa. The Atlantic slave trade peaks in the last two decades of the 18th century, fed in part by the wars of expanding states such as Dahomey, Oyo and Ashanti. In all about 12.75 million Africans were shipped.
- Rebellion of Tupac Amaru II, South America. The kuraka José Gabriel Condorcanqui leads the largest revolt in the Americas before the wars of independence. He is executed in Cusco in 1781, and by 1783 an estimated 100,000 Indigenous people have died.
- United States Constitution drafted, North America. The Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia completes a new framework of government on 17 September 1787, separating power among Congress, the president and the courts. It supersedes the Articles of Confederation on 4 March 1789.
- First Fleet lands at Sydney Cove, Oceania. Eleven British ships carrying over 1,400 convicts, marines, sailors and officials arrive at Port Jackson, beginning British colonisation of Australia.
- French Revolution, Europe. The storming of the Bastille on 14 July begins the revolution that abolishes feudal privileges and, in 1792, the monarchy.
- Haitian Revolution begins, Mesoamerica and Caribbean. Enslaved people in northern Saint-Domingue rise up in August 1791. France abolishes slavery in its colonies in 1794, and after years of war Dessalines declares Haiti independent on 1 January 1804.
- Napoleon invades Egypt, North and West Africa. Napoleon defeats the ruling Mamluks at the Battle of the Pyramids and takes Cairo. The French occupation lasts until 1801, and the Rosetta Stone found during it later allows hieroglyphs to be read.
- Louisiana Purchase, North America. The United States buys Louisiana, a nominal 2.1 million square km west of the Mississippi, from France for 15 million dollars, nearly doubling its size. Most of the land was held by Native nations.
- Usman dan Fodio's jihad, North and West Africa. The Fula scholar Usman dan Fodio declares a holy war against the Hausa king of Gobir, founding the Sokoto Caliphate within a few years.
- Portuguese court arrives in Rio, South America. Fleeing Napoleon, the Portuguese royal family moves to Rio de Janeiro, making it the capital of a European empire.
- Grito de Dolores, Mesoamerica and Caribbean. The priest Miguel Hidalgo calls for revolt against Spanish rule, starting the Mexican War of Independence, won in 1821.
- Battle of Waterloo, Europe. A British-led allied army under Wellington and Blucher's Prussians defeat Napoleon near Waterloo, in present-day Belgium, on 18 June. It is his last battle.
- Congress of Vienna, Europe. Chaired by Metternich, representatives of the European powers meet from September 1814 to June 1815 to settle Europe's order after Napoleon's downfall. The Final Act is signed on 9 June, nine days before Waterloo.
- Eruption of Tambora, Southeast Asia. Mount Tambora on Sumbawa produces the most powerful eruption in recorded history, killing at least 71,000 people by one estimate and causing the Year Without a Summer in 1816.
- Shaka becomes Zulu king, Central and Southern Africa. Shaka becomes king of the Zulu. His reign coincides with the start of the Mfecane or Difaqane, decades of war and migration in which the Ndebele, Gaza, Basotho and Swazi states took shape. His role in it is debated.
- Greek War of Independence, Europe. Greek revolutionaries rise against Ottoman rule. After Britain, France and Russia intervene and destroy the Ottoman and Egyptian fleet at Navarino in 1827, Greece is recognized as independent by the London Protocol of 1830.
- Monroe Doctrine, North America. President James Monroe tells Congress on 2 December that the New World and Old World are to remain separate spheres of influence, and that further European efforts to control states in the region would be viewed as a threat to US security.
- Anglo-Dutch Treaty, Southeast Asia. Britain and the Netherlands divide the Malay world along the Strait of Malacca, roughly fixing the later border between Malaysia and Indonesia.
- Battle of Ayacucho, South America. Antonio José de Sucre defeats the royalist army and its commanders capitulate, securing Peru's independence. Fighting goes on in Upper Peru until 1825 and at Callao and Chiloé until 1826.
Central and Southern Africa
- Kingdom of Kongo
- Central African forest foragers
- San hunter-gatherers
- Khoekhoe herders
- Kingdom of Buganda
- Portuguese Mozambique
- Portuguese Angola
- Bunyoro-Kitara
- Luba Empire
- Kingdom of Imerina
- Lunda Empire
- Rozvi Empire
- Omani East Africa
- Dutch Cape Colony
- East African hunter-gatherers
- Kikuyu people
- Tio Kingdom (Anziku)
- Sotho-Tswana chiefdoms
- Nguni chiefdoms
- Kingdom of Nkore (Ankole)
- Portuguese São Tomé and Príncipe
- Xhosa chiefdoms
- Kingdom of Rwanda
- Maravi Confederacy
- Herero pastoralists
- Kingdom of Karagwe
- Maasai pastoralists
- Comorian sultanates
- Antemoro kingdom
- Kingdom of Loango
- Ovambo kingdoms
- Lozi Kingdom (Barotseland)
- Kingdom of Kasanje
- Kingdom of Burundi
- Kuba Kingdom
- Sakalava kingdoms
- Pedi Kingdom
- Ovimbundu kingdoms
- Spanish Guinea
- Kingdom of Kazembe
- Swazi Kingdom
- Betsimisaraka Confederation
- Isle de France (French Mauritius)
North and West Africa
- Ethiopian Empire (Solomonic dynasty)
- Kingdom of Benin
- Oyo Empire
- Bornu Empire
- Funj Sultanate of Sennar
- Regency of Algiers
- Alaouite Sultanate of Morocco
- Ashanti Empire
- Medjay, Blemmyes and Beja nomads
- Cushitic-speaking peoples
- Sahelian cereal farmers
- West African yam and oil palm farmers
- Amazigh (Berber) tribes
- Coptic Christians
- Saharan camel nomads (Sanhaja and Tuareg)
- Chadic-speaking farmers
- Kingdom of Nri
- Arab tribes of Sudan
- Hausa city-states
- Kwararafa
- Mossi kingdoms
- Hadiya
- Kingdom of Bamum
- Portuguese Cape Verde
- Oromo Gadaa confederations
- Sultanate of Agadez
- Kingdom of Dagbon
- Sultanate of Bagirmi
- Shilluk Kingdom
- Sultanate of Darfur
- Ottoman Tripolitania
- Ottoman Egypt
- Kingdom of Gonja
- Kingdom of Cayor
- Kaabu
- Dendi Kingdom
- Regency of Tunis
- Kingdom of Dahomey
- French Senegal
- Wadai Sultanate
- Aro Confederacy
- Dutch Gold Coast
- Pashalik of Timbuktu
- Emirate of Harar
- Geledi Sultanate
- Sultanate of Aussa
- Fante Confederacy
- Kong Empire
- Majeerteen Sultanate
- Imamate of Futa Jallon
- Bambara Empire of Ségou
- Kingdom of Jimma
- Isaaq Sultanate
- Imamate of Futa Toro
- French occupation of Egypt
Europe
- Holy Roman Empire
- Ottoman Empire
- Portuguese Empire
- Habsburg Monarchy
- Russian Empire
- Papal States
- Kingdom of Portugal
- Kingdom of Bohemia
- Kingdom of Naples
- Kingdom of Sweden
- Denmark-Norway
- Kingdom of Prussia
- Kingdom of Sardinia (Piedmont-Sardinia)
- Bourbon Spain
- Kingdom of Great Britain
- First French Republic
- Sami people
- Basques
- San Marino
- Andorra
- Bavaria (Wittelsbach)
- Monaco
- Kingdom of Sicily (island)
- Wallachia
- Moldavia
- Republic of Ragusa
- Montenegro (Prince-Bishopric to Kingdom)
- Duchy and Grand Duchy of Tuscany
- British Gibraltar
- Liechtenstein
- Kingdom of Ireland
- British Malta
- Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria
- Batavian Republic
Middle East
- Ottoman Empire
- Zaydi Imamate of Yemen
- Ottoman Syria and Palestine
- Ottoman Iraq
- Qajar dynasty
- Emirate of Diriyah
- Arab Bedouin tribes
- Kurdish tribes and emirates
- Sharifate of Mecca
- Kingdom of Imereti
- Mahra Sultanate
- Ottoman Hejaz and Yemen
- Emirate of Mount Lebanon
- Sheikhdom of Kuwait
- Bahrain under the Al Khalifa
- Mamluk dynasty of Iraq
- Omani Empire (Al Bu Said)
- Erivan Khanate
- Baku Khanate
- Ganja Khanate
- Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti
South Asia
- Mughal Empire
- Ahom Kingdom
- Kingdom of Mysore
- Kingdom of Kandy
- Kingdom of Nepal
- Hyderabad State
- Maratha Confederacy
- Company rule in India
- Durrani Empire
- Sikh Empire
- Munda-speaking peoples
- Tibeto-Burman hill peoples
- Vedda people
- Kingdom of Mewar
- Pashtun tribes
- Kingdom of Manipur
- Sultanate of the Maldive Islands
- Kingdom of Marwar
- Dimasa Kachari Kingdom
- Twipra Kingdom
- Portuguese Goa
- Koch dynasty and Cooch Behar
- Kingdom of Sikkim
- Bhutan under the Zhabdrung
- French India
- Bhopal State
- Baroda State
- Jaipur State
- Travancore
- Gwalior State
- Bahawalpur State
- Thanjavur Maratha kingdom
- Carnatic Sultanate
- British Ceylon
- Awadh
- Talpur dynasty
Central and North Asia
- Kazakh Khanate
- Russian Siberia
- Qing rule in Mongolia
- Qing Xinjiang
- Yukaghir peoples
- Chukchi, Koryak and Itelmen peoples
- Evenki and Even reindeer herders
- Khanty, Mansi and Samoyedic peoples
- Buryats
- Turkmen tribes
- Sakha (Yakuts)
- Khanate of Khiva
- Russian Far East and Yakutia
- Kumul Khanate
- Khanate of Kokand
- Emirate of Bukhara
East Asia
- Qing dynasty
- Joseon
- Ganden Phodrang (Dalai Lama government)
- Edo period (Tokugawa shogunate)
- Formosan Austronesian peoples
- Qiang peoples
- Ainu
- Ryukyu Kingdom
- Portuguese Macau
- Manchuria under the Qing
Southeast Asia
- Dutch East Indies
- Champa
- Bruneian Sultanate
- Sultanate of Sulu
- Aceh Sultanate
- Spanish Philippines
- Johor Sultanate
- Rattanakosin Kingdom (Siam)
- Konbaung dynasty
- Philippine Negrito foragers
- Orang Asli (Semang and Senoi)
- Dayak peoples of Borneo
- Shan States
- Balinese kingdoms
- Pattani Sultanate
- Pagaruyung Kingdom
- Post-Angkor Cambodia
- Ternate and Tidore sultanates
- Sultanate of Maguindanao
- Banten Sultanate
- Portuguese Timor
- Surakarta and Yogyakarta
- Kingdom of Champasak
- Kingdom of Luang Phrabang
- Dutch Malacca
- Kingdom of Vientiane
- Lanfang Republic
- Tay Son dynasty
North America
- United States
- Pacific Northwest peoples
- Pueblo peoples (Hopi, Zuni, Rio Grande)
- Iroquois Confederacy (Haudenosaunee)
- Navajo (Diné)
- Inuit peoples
- Lakota (Teton Sioux)
- Rupert's Land (Hudson's Bay Company)
- Comanche empire (Comancheria)
- British North America
- Russian America
- Unangan (Aleut) peoples
- Dene (Northern Athabaskan) peoples
- Chumash
- California peoples (Ohlone, Miwok, Pomo, Tongva)
- Caddo confederacies
- Cree peoples
- Numic peoples (Shoshone, Paiute, Ute)
- Apache peoples
- Wichita peoples (Quivira)
- O'odham peoples
- Mandan and Hidatsa villages
- Blackfoot Confederacy
- Beothuk
- Danish Greenland
- Spanish Florida
- Santa Fe de Nuevo México
- Muscogee (Creek) Confederacy
- Spanish Texas
- Cherokee Nation
- Alta California
- Upper Canada
- Lower Canada
- Spanish Louisiana
Mesoamerica and Caribbean
- New Spain
- Spanish Cuba
- British West Indies
- Captaincy General of Santo Domingo
- Colony of Jamaica
- Captaincy General of Guatemala
- Saint-Domingue
- Island Caribs (Kalinago)
- Zapotec, Mixtec and Mixe peoples
- Maya peoples (colonial and modern)
- Yaqui, Mayo and Raramuri peoples
- Dutch Caribbean
- Spanish Puerto Rico
- Spanish Panama (Castilla de Oro)
- French Antilles
- Nueva Vizcaya
- Mosquito Kingdom
- Danish West Indies
- Baymen settlement of Belize
South America
- Portuguese Brazil
- Viceroyalty of Peru
- Tupi-Guarani peoples
- Mapuche
- Viceroyalty of New Granada
- Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata
- Fuegian canoe peoples (Yaghan, Kawésqar)
- Jê peoples
- Patagonian peoples (Tehuelche, Selk'nam)
- Arawakan peoples of the Amazon
- Carib peoples of the Guianas
- Guaraní
- Charrúa
- Quechua and Aymara peoples
- French Guiana
- Dutch Suriname
- Araucanía (independent Mapuche lands)
- Captaincy General of Chile
- Charcas (Upper Peru)
- Real Audiencia of Quito
- State of Maranhão and Grão-Pará
- Dutch Essequibo, Berbice and Demerara
- Captaincy General of Venezuela
- Spanish Malvinas (Puerto Soledad)
Oceania
- Aboriginal Australian peoples
- Māori iwi
- Papuan farmers and foragers
- Kuk Swamp agriculture
- Tu'i Tonga Empire
- Colony of New South Wales
- Kingdom of Hawaii
- Tasmanian Aboriginal peoples
- Torres Strait Islanders
- Island Melanesian societies
- Fijian chiefdoms
- Eastern Micronesian islanders
- Samoan chiefdoms
- Rapa Nui society
- Moriori
- Nahnmwarki chiefdoms of Pohnpei
- Spanish Marianas
- Macassan trepangers
- Kingdom of Tahiti
Questions
What countries existed in 1800?
The timeline shows 248 states, empires and colonies alive in 1800. Among the most significant: Holy Roman Empire, Ethiopian Empire (Solomonic dynasty), Ottoman Empire, Portuguese Empire, Kingdom of Kongo, Mughal Empire, Portuguese Brazil and New Spain. The full list by region is on this page.
What was happening in the world in 1800?
Within 25 years of 1800, the timeline records Declaration of Independence (1776), Cook reaches Hawaii (1778), Peak of the Atlantic slave trade (1780), Rebellion of Tupac Amaru II (1780), United States Constitution drafted (1787) and First Fleet lands at Sydney Cove (1788).
Which empires existed in 1800?
Holy Roman Empire, Ethiopian Empire (Solomonic dynasty), Ottoman Empire, Portuguese Empire, Mughal Empire, Habsburg Monarchy, Qing dynasty, Russian Empire, Tu'i Tonga Empire and Oyo Empire.
Where do these dates come from?
Each row's dates were checked against the sources listed on that row's own page, mostly English Wikipedia articles, which cite the underlying scholarship. Dates that are uncertain are marked c.