List of historical national capitals
Throughout the world there are many cities that were once national capitals but no longer have that status because the country ceased to exist, the capital was moved, or the capital city was renamed. This is a list of such cities, sorted by country and then by date.
| Former capital city | Country, empire | Since | Until | Change, reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kandahar | Afghanistan | 1748 | 1772 | moved to Kabul |
| Vlorë | Albania | 1912 | 1920 | moved to Tirana |
| Paraná | Argentine Confederation | 1853 | 1861 | moved to Buenos Aires |
| Melbourne | Australia | 1901 | 1927 | moved to Canberra - interim capital only while Canberra developed |
| Vienna | Holy Roman Empire | 1558 | 1806 | became capital in Austrian Empire |
| Vienna | Austrian Empire | 1806 | 1867 | became capital in Austro-Hungarian Empire |
| Vienna | Austro-Hungarian Empire | 1867 | 1918 | became capital in Republic of Austria |
| Karlsruhe | Baden | 1771 | 1918 | Baden became part of the German Empire in 1871, and lost sovereignty fully in 1918. Karlsruhe remained the capital of the German state of Baden until 1945. |
| Munich | Bavaria | 14th century | 1918 | Bavaria became part of the German Empire in 1871, and lost sovereignty fully in 1918. Munich remains the capital of the German state of Bavaria. |
| St. George | Bermuda | 1612 | 1815 | moved to Hamilton |
| Salvador da Bahia | Brazil | 1549 | 1763 | moved to Rio de Janeiro |
| Rio de Janeiro | Brazil | 1763 | 1960 | moved to Brasília |
| Belize City | British Honduras | 1638 | 1970 | moved to Belmopan |
| Pliska | Bulgaria (Old Great Bulgaria | 681 | 893 | moved to Preslav |
| Preslav | Bulgaria (First Bulgarian Empire) | 893 | 972 | moved to Ohrid |
| Ohrid | Bulgaria (First Bulgarian Empire) | 990 | 1015 | Empire ceases to exist after the Byzantine conquest |
| Veliko Tarnovo | Bulgaria (Second Bulgarian Empire) | 1185 | 1396 | Empire ceases to exist after the Ottoman conquest |
| Plovdiv | Eastern Rumelia | 1878 | 1885 | annexed as part of the Unification of Bulgaria |
| Kingston | Canada | 1841 | 1843 | moved to Montreal |
| Montreal | Canada | 1843 | 1849 | moved to Toronto |
| Toronto | Canada | 1849 | 1859 | moved to Quebec City |
| Quebec City | Canada | 1859 | 1865 | moved to Ottawa |
| Chan Santa Cruz | Chan Santa Cruz | c.1852 | 1901 | became part of Mexico |
| Anyang | China (Shang Dynasty) | c.1600 BC | c.1046 BC | moved to Chang'an - end of Shang Dynasty |
| Chang'an | China (Zhou Dynasty) | c.1046 BC | 722 BC | moved to Luoyang |
| Luoyang | China (Zhou Dynasty) | 772 BC | 221 BC | moved to Xianyang - fall of Zhou Dynasty |
| Xianyang | China (Qin Dynasty) | 221 BC | 206 BC | moved back to Chang'an - fall of Qin Dynasty |
| Chang'an | China (Han Dynasty) | 206 BC | 25 | moved back to Luoyang |
| Luoyang | China (Han Dynasty) | 25 | 220 | fall of the Han Dynasty marking the beginning of the Six Dynasties period |
| Chang'an | China (Tang Dynasty) | 618 | 907 | fall of the Tang Dynasty marking the beginning of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period |
| Kaifeng | China (Song Dynasty) | 960 | 1127 | moved to Hangzhou |
| Hangzhou | China (Song Dynasty) | 1127 | 1279 | Kublai Khan integrates China into the Mongol Empire |
| Nanjing | China (Ming Dynasty) | 1368 | 1421 | moved to Beijing |
| Beijing | China | 1421 | 1928 | moved back to Nanjing |
| Nanjing | China | 1928 | 1937 | moved to Chongqing |
| Chongqing | China | 1937 | 1945 | moved back to Nanjing |
| Nanjing | China | 1945 | 1949 | moved to Beijing - After the proclamation of the People's Republic of China The Republic of China government flees to Taiwan and made Taipei the provisional capital. However, Nanjing remains the official capital. |
| Montgomery | Confederate States of America | February 4, 1861 | May 29, 1861 | Moved to Richmond |
| Richmond | Confederate States of America | May 29, 1861 | April 3, 1865 | Moved to Danville |
| Danville | Confederate States of America | April 3, 1865 | April 10, 1865 | Confederate States forced to rejoin the United States following the surrender of General Lee's Army of Northern Virginia in Appomattox, Virginia |
| Léopoldville | Congo, Democratic Republic of the | 1960 | 1966 | renamed Kinshasa |
| Cartago | Costa Rica | 1562 | 1823 | moved to San José |
| Grand Bassam | Côte d'Ivoire | 1893 | 1900 | moved to Bingerville |
| Bingerville | Côte d'Ivoire | 1900 | 1933 | moved to Abidjan |
| Abidjan | Côte d'Ivoire | 1933 | 1983 | moved to Yamoussoukro |
| Varaždin | Croatia | 1756 | 1776 | Moved back to Zagreb,when a fire destroyed most of the city. |
| Santiago de Cuba | Cuba | 1522 | 1589 | moved (after 1607 in Havana) |
| Prague | Czechoslovakia | 1918 | 1993 | became capital in Czech Republic |
| Roskilde | Denmark | c.1020 | 1443 | moved to Copenhagen |
| Winchester | Wessex/Kingdom of England | 519 | 1066 | moved to London |
| Åbo | Finland, Grand Duchy of | 1809 | 1812 | moved to Helsinki |
| Vaasa | Finland | January 29, 1918 | May 3, 1918 | moved by White Guards from Helsinki because of Finnish Civil War |
| Al-Fustat | Egypt | 905 | 969 | moved to Cairo (see also: Capital of Egypt) |
| Levuka | Fiji | 1874 | 1877 | moved to Suva |
| Vichy | France | 1940 | 1944 | capital of Vichy France régime |
| Berlin | German Empire | 1871 | 1945 | Separation of Germany to occupation zones for the Allied powers |
| Otjimbingwe | German South-West Africa | 1886 | 1892 | moved to Windhoek |
| East Berlin | Germany, East | 1949 | 1990 | Berlin, country ceased to exist after re-unification of Germany |
| Bonn | Germany, West | 1949 | 1990 | moved to Berlin after re-unification of Germany |
| Cape Coast | Ghana (Gold Coast) | 1664 | 1877 | moved to Accra |
| Granada | Granada, Kingdom of | 1250 | 1492 | Kingdom ceases to exist after the Reconquista and incorporated into Castile |
| Nafplion | Greece | 1821 | 1836 | moved to Athens |
| Bolama | Guinea-Bissau | 1879 | 1941 | moved to Bissau |
| Boe | Guinea-Bissau | 1973 | 1974 | moved back to Bissau |
| Lahaina | Hawaiʻi, Kingdom of | 1820 | 1845 | moved to Honolulu |
| Honolulu | Hawaiʻi, Kingdom of | 1845 | 1893 | became seat of Provisional Government of Hawaiʻi after overthrow of the Hawaiʻian monarchy |
| Honolulu | Hawaiʻi, Provisional Government of | 1893 | 1894 | became capital in Republic of Hawaiʻi |
| Honolulu | Hawaiʻi, Republic of | 1894 | 1898 | country ceased to exist after annexation by the United States; Honolulu became the capital of the Territory of Hawaiʻi 1898-1959 and the State of Hawaiʻi since 1959 |
| Székesfehérvár and Esztergom | Hungary | 972 (or 973) | 1361 | moved to Buda for the first time |
| Buda | Hungary | 1361 | 1536 | moved to Pozsony after part of the nation captured by Ottoman Empire |
| Pressburg (Pozsony) | Royal Hungary | 1536 | 1784 | moved back to Buda |
| Buda | Hungary | 1784 | 1849 | becomes part of Austria, capital in Vienna |
| Buda | Hungary (as part of Austro-Hungarian Empire | 1867 | 1873 | united with Óbuda and Pest to become Budapest |
| Cuzco | Inca Empire | fl.13th Century | c.1533 | moved to Lima after the Spanish conquest |
| Calcutta | India (British) | 1772 | 1912 | moved to New Delhi |
| Simla | India (British) | fl.1850 | 1947 | Summer capital |
| Yogyakarta | Indonesia | 1946 | 1948 | Allied invasion, moved to Bukittinggi |
| Bukittinggi | Indonesia | 1948 | 1949 | moved to Jakarta |
| Ecbatana | Iran (Median Empire) | 7th century BC | 550 BC | captured by Cyrus the Great |
| Pasargadae, Persepolis, and Susa | Iran (Persian Empire) | 550 BC | 330 BC | captured by Alexander the Great and incorporated into Macedonian Empire |
| Seleucia on the Tigris | Iran (Seleucid Empire} | 305 BC | 240 BC | moved to Antioch |
| Antioch | Iran (Seleucid Empire) | 240 BC | 64 BC | conquered by Parthia |
| Ctesiphon | Iran (Parthian and Sassanid Empires) | c. 64 BC | 637 | fell in Islamic conquest of Persia |
| Nishapur | Iran {Tahirid dynasty) | 821 | 873 | conquered by Saffarid dynasty |
| Shiraz | Iran (Saffarid dynasty) | 861 | 900 | conquered by Samanid |
| Bukhara, Samarqand, and Herat | Iran (Samanid) | 875 | 999 | conquered by Karakhanids |
| Tabriz | Iran (Safavid Dynasty) | 1501 | 1548 | moved to Qazvin |
| Qazvin | Iran (Safavid Dynasty) | 1548 | 1598 | moved to Isfahan |
| Isfahan | Iran (Safavid Dynasty) | 1598 | 1736 | moved to Mashhad |
| Mashhad | Iran {Afsharid dynasty) | 1736 | 1750 | moved to Shiraz |
| Shiraz | Iran (Zand dynasty) | 1750 | 1794 | moved to Tehran in the Qajar dynasty |
| Hill of Tara | Ireland (under the High Kings | 6th century | 12th century | Ireland conquered by England |
| Hebron | Israel, Kingdom of | c.1007 BC | c.1000 BC | moved to Jerusalem when the kingdom is reunited under King David |
| Tel Aviv | Israel, State of | May 1948 | Dec 1948 | moved to Jerusalem after 1948 Arab-Israeli War because Jerusalem was under siege. |
| Turin | Italy | 1861 | 1865 | moved to Florence |
| Florence | Italy | 1865 | 1871 | moved to Rome |
| Spanish Town | Jamaica | 1534 | 1872 | moved to Kingston |
| Heijo-kyo (Nara) | Japan (Nara Period) | 710 | 784 | moved to Nagaoka-kyo (Nagaoka) |
| Nagaoka-kyo (Nagaoka) | Japan (Nara Period) | 784 | 794 | moved to Kyoto |
| Kyoto | Japan | 794 | 1868 | moved to Tokyo (see also: Capital of Japan) |
| Jerusalem | Jerusalem, Kingdom of | 1099 | 1187 | moved to Acre (Jerusalem captured by Saladin) |
| Acre | Jerusalem, Kingdom of | 1187 | 1291 | Kingdom ceases to exist |
| Njimi | Kanem | fl. 11th Century | c.1396 | lost to Bulala invaders (eventually moved to Ngazargamu) |
| Ngazargamu | Kanem-Bornu Empire | c.1472 | 1808 | lost to Fulani invaders (eventually moved to Kukawa) |
| Kukawa | Kanem-Bornu Empire | 1814 | 1893 | Kingdom ceases to exist |
| Alma-Ata | Kazakhstan | 1992 | 1993 | renamed Almaty |
| Almaty | Kazakhstan | 1993 | 1998 | moved to Astana |
| Kaunas | Lithuania | 1922 | 1940 | moved back to Vilnius |
| Mdina | Malta | 1566 | moved to Valletta | |
| Płock | Masovia | c.1038 | 1047 | Masovia reincorporated into Poland |
| Płock | Masovia | 1138 | 1313 | moved to Czersk |
| Czersk | Masovia | 1313 | 1413 | moved to Warsaw |
| Warsaw | Masovia | 1413 | 1526 | Masovia reincorporated into Poland |
| Modena | Modena, Duchy of | 1452 | 1860 | became part of united Italy |
| Iaşi | Moldavia | 1351 | 1862 | unified with Wallachia to form Romania |
| Cetinje | Montenegro | 1482 | 1946 | moved to Podgorica |
| Yangon | Myanmar | 1948 | 2005 | moved to Naypyidaw |
| Bacolod | Federal Republic of Negros | 1898 | 1899 | absorbed by the Philippines. |
| St. John's | Newfoundland | 1855 | 1949 | entered confederation with Canada |
| Russell | New Zealand | 1840 | 1841 | moved to Auckland |
| Auckland | New Zealand | 1841 | 1865 | moved to Wellington |
| Lagos | Nigeria | 1914 | 1976 | moved to Abuja |
| Trondheim | Norway | 997 | 1070 | moved to Bergen |
| Bergen | Norway | 1070 | 1299 | moved to Oslo |
| Osloi | Norway | 1299 | 1624 | renamed Christiania |
| Christiania | Norway | 1624 | 1924 | renamed Oslo |
| Bursa | Ottoman empire | 1335 | 1365 | moved to Edirne |
| Edirne | Ottoman empire | 1365 | 1453 | moved to Istanbul (Constantinople) |
| Istanbul | Ottoman empire | 1453 | 1923 | The Ottoman Empire became the Republic of Turkey. The capital moved to Ankara |
| Karachi | Pakistan | 1947 | 1959 | moved to Rawalpindi |
| Rawalpindi | Pakistan | 1959 | 1967 | moved to Islamabad |
| Heidelberg | Palatinate | 14th century | 1720 | moved to Mannheim |
| Mannheim | Palatinate | 1720 | 1777 | Palatinate inherited by the Electors of Bavaria. |
| Parma | Parma, Duchy of | 1545 | 1860 | Became part of united Italy. |
| Cebu City | Philippines | 1562 (?) | 1578 (?) | First Spanish settlement in the country. Moved to Manila (Formerly Maynilad) after capture. |
| Manila | Philippines | 1578 (?) | 1948 | moved to Quezon City upon formation of Commonwealth of the Philippines. |
| Malolos | Philippines | 1898 | 1899 | Headquarters of the Revolutionary movement (Note: Several other towns became capitals, at a succeeding rate to avoid capture from the Americans). Moved back to Manila after capture of Aguinaldo on 1901. |
| Manila | Philippines | 1901 | 1948 | Moved to Quezon City after the formation of Republic of the Philippines via Republic Act No. 333. |
| Quezon City | Philippines | 1948 | 1976 | Moved back to Manila via Presidential Decree No. 940. Quezon City, with Manila, became parts of Metro Manila. Several government offices remained in Quezon City, including the Batasang Pambansa, and ultimately the House of Representatives. Manila is the current capital. |
| Gniezno | Poland | 10th century | 1038 | moved to Krakow |
| Poznań | Poland | 10th century | 1038 | moved to Kraków |
| Kraków | Poland | 1038 | 1079 | moved to Płock |
| Płock | Poland | 1079 | 1138 | moved to Kraków |
| Kraków | Poland | 1138 | 1290 | moved to Poznań |
| Poznań | Poland | 1290 | 1296 | moved to Krakow |
| Kraków | Poland | 1296 | 1596 | moved to Warsaw |
| Lublin | Poland | 1944 | 1945 | de facto capital |
| Łódź | Poland | 1945 | 1947 | de facto capital |
| Guimarães | Portugal | 1095 | 1131 | moved to Coimbra |
| Coimbra | Portugal | 1131 | 1255 | moved to Lisbon |
| Lisbon | Portugal | 1255 | 1808 | moved to Rio de Janeiro |
| Rio de Janeiro | Portugal | 1808 | 1821 | moved to Lisbon |
| Kiev | Russia (Kievan Rus) | 882 | 1169 | moved to Vladimir |
| Vladimir | Russia (Vladimir-Suzdal) | 1169 | 1327 | moved to Moscow |
| Moscow | Russia (Muscovite) | 1327 | 1712 | moved to Saint Petersburg |
| Yaroslavl | Russia (Muscovite) | 1611 | 1612 | de facto |
| Saint Petersburg (Petrograd) | Russian Empire | 1712 | 1918 | moved to Moscow |
| Turin | Kingdom of Sardinia | 1720 | 1861 | became part of unified Italy |
| Dariyah | Saudi Arabia | 1744 | 1818 | moved to Riyadh after the Turks destroyed the city |
| Dresden | Saxony | 1485 | 1918 | Saxony became part of the German Empire in 1871, and Saxony lost its independence fully in 1918. Dresden remains the capital of the German state of Saxony. |
| Perth | Scotland | 846 | 1452 | moved to Edinburgh |
| Tulaghi | Solomon Islands | 1896 | 1942 | moved to Honiara |
| Saigon | South Vietnam | 1954 | 1975 | Hanoi, country ceased to exist after unification of Vietnam |
| Aden | South Yemen | 1967 | 1990 | San'a, country ceased to exist after unification of Yemen |
| Valladolid | Spain | 1600 | 1606 | moved to Madrid |
| Aarau | Switzerland (Helvetic Republic) | 1798 | 1798 | moved to Lucerne |
| Lucerne | Switzerland (Helvetic Republic) | 1798 | 1803 | Helvetic Republic abolished |
| Valencia | Spain | 1936 | 1939 | Government of the Second Spanish Republic in the Spanish Civil War |
| Columbia, Texas | Republic of Texas | 1836 | 1837 | moved to Houston, Texas |
| Houston, Texas | Republic of Texas | 1837 | 1839 | moved to Austin, Texas |
| Austin, Texas | Republic of Texas | 1839 | 1845 | Texas annexed by United States |
| Ayutthaya | Thailand | 1350 | 1767 | moved to Thonburi after the Burmese destroyed the city |
| Thonburi | Thailand | 1767 | 1782 | moved to Bangkok after King Taksin was declared mad |
| Aneho | Togo | 1880s | 1897 | moved to Lomé |
| Trieste | Trieste, Free Territory of | 1947 | 1954 | Territory dissolved, integrated into Italy and Yugoslavia |
| San Jose de Oruña | Trinidad | 1592 | 1783 | moved to Port of Spain |
| Florence | Tuscany | 1569 | 1860 | became part of unified Italy |
| Naples | Kingdom of the Two Sicilies | 1816 | 1861 | became part of unified Italy |
| Chyhyryn | Ukraine (Cossack Hetmanate) | 1648 | 1669 | moved to Baturyn |
| Baturyn | Ukraine (Cossack Hetmanate) | 1669 | 1708 | moved to Hlukhiv after demolition of the city by Russian forces |
| Hlukhiv | Ukraine (Cossack Hetmanate) | 1708 | 1722 | Cossack Hetmanate lost its sovereignty |
| Hlukhiv | Ukraine (Cossack Hetmanate) | 1727 | 1734 | Cossack Hetmanate lost its sovereignty |
| Baturyn | Ukraine (Cossack Hetmanate) | 1750 | 1764 | Cossack Hetmanate lost its sovereignty |
| Kharkiv | Ukraine (Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic) | 1919 | 1934 | moved to Kyiv (Kiev) |
| Philadelphia | United States | 1776 | 1776 | moved to Baltimore |
| Baltimore | United States | 1776 | 1777 | moved back to Philadelphia |
| Philadelphia | United States | 1777 | 1777 | moved to Lancaster |
| Lancaster, Pennsylvania | United States | 1777 | 1777 | moved to York after one day |
| York, Pennsylvania | United States | 1777 | 1778 | moved back to Philadelphia |
| Philadelphia | United States | 1778 | 1783 | moved to Princeton |
| Princeton | United States | 1783 | 1783 | moved to Annapolis |
| Annapolis | United States | 1783 | 1784 | moved to Trenton |
| Trenton | United States | 1784 | 1785 | moved to New York |
| New York | United States | 1785 | 1790 | moved back to Philadelphia |
| Philadelphia | United States | 1790 | 1800 | moved to Washington, DC |
| Samarkand | Uzbekistan (SSR) | 1925 | 1930 | moved to Tashkent |
| Venice | Venice, Republic of | fl. 9th century | 1797 | annexed by Austria |
| Port of Spain | West Indies Federation | 1958 | 1962 | country ceased to exist |
| Machynlleth | Wales | 1404 | 1416 | seat of Owain Glyndŵr's parliament until was Wales was annexed by England - capital moved to Cardiff in 1955 |
| Câmpulung | Wallachia | fl.13th Century | fl.15th Century | moved to Târgovişte |
| Târgovişte | Wallachia | 1396 | 1698 | moved to Bucharest |
| Stuttgart | Württemberg | ca. 1300 | 1918 | Württemberg became part of the German Empire in 1871, and lost sovereignty fully in 1918. Stuttgart remained the capital of the German state of Württemberg until 1947, and then became capital of the German state of Baden-Württemberg |
| Taiz | Yemen | 1948 | 1962 | moved to San'a |
| Mérida | Yucatán | 1840 | 1847 | reunited with Mexico |
| Belgrade | Yugoslavia | 1918 | 2006 | state union dissolved |
See also
- List of national capitals
- Former U.S. state capitals
- Former Chinese provincial capitals
- Capital of Egypt
- Extinct countries, empires, etc.
- Countries by date of nationhood
- Timeline of country and capital changes
- List of purpose-built capital cities
Categories
Lists of cities | Historical capitals