Any hundred and fifty years of European history is likely to witness changing political and cultural boundaries. The premise of this set of pages is that 1453 is a seminal year in European history, driven by the end of the 100 Year's War in the West and the fall of Constantinople in the East. One way to capture the impact of these events is to look at maps of Europe at some point in the preceding and succeeding centuries.

This map immediately to the left shows Europe in 1360. This was early innings in the Hundred Year's War and actually the date of the Treaty of Bretigny, which recognized English holdings in France. England is reflected in red, and significant English holdings in Aquitaine are evident. France is the light green, bordered by the darker green of Burgundy.

In the East, Hungary holds significant territory and the rose area under the purple of Romania is Constantinople. By this time Constantinople is considerably reduced from its previous extensive territories. It no longer has significant land in Asia, this falling to the Turks.
 

By 1519 the map of Europe looks considerably different. English territory has virtually disappeared from France. France itself has used the time after the 100 Year's War to engage in serious nation building. It has incorporated the territory of its former enemy, the Burgundians, into France proper, as it similarly incorporated a number of smaller territories. France recognizably has the shape we see today as its boundaries, although additional territory is added in the years ahead.

More dramatically, the map in the East has radically changed. Constantinople is gone, as are the independent kingdoms of the Balkans. The Hungarian sphere of influence is seriously reduced, reflecting Turkish pressures that continued into the 17th Century.

In between, northern Italy has become more fragmented, Switzerland emerges as a larger entity and Poland and Sweden become more prominent.

Source: Internet History Sourcebook Project by Paul Halsall of Fordham University. http://www.fordham.edu/halsall