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. -
[edit] Africa [edit] Central and South-West Asia | Old capital city | Country, empire | From | Until | Change, reason | | Kandahar | Afghanistan | 1748 | 1772 | moved to Kabul | | 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 | 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 dynasty) | 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 | | Hebron | Israel, Kingdom of | c.1007 BC | c.1000 BC | moved to Jerusalem when the kingdom was reunited under King David | | Tel Aviv | Israel, State of | May 1948 | Dec 1948 | interim de facto capital, moved to Jerusalem after freed from siege in 1948 Arab-Israeli War | | Jerusalem | Jerusalem, Kingdom of | 1099 | 1187 | moved to Acre (Jerusalem captured by Saladin) | | Acre | Jerusalem, Kingdom of | 1187 | 1291 | Kingdom ceased to exist | | Semey | Kazakhstan (Alash Orda) | 1917 | 1920 | Entity named Kyrgyz ASSR established, capital moved to Orenburg | | Orenburg | Kazakhstan (Kyrgyz ASSR) | 1920 | 1925 | moved to Qyzylorda | | Qyzylorda | Kazakhstan (Kazakh ASSR) | 1926 | 1929 | moved to Alma-Ata | | Alma-Ata | Kazakhstan (Kazakh ASSR, Kazakh SSR, independent Kazakhstan) | 1929 | 1993 | renamed Almaty | | Almaty | Kazakhstan | 1993 | 1998 | moved to Astana | | Salalah | Oman | 1932 | 1970 | moved to Musqat | | Diriyah | Saudi Arabia | 1744 | 1818 | moved to Riyadh after the Turks destroyed the city. | | Aden | South Yemen | 1967 | 1990 | San'a, country ceased to exist after unification of Yemen | | Samarkand | Uzbekistan (SSR) | 1925 | 1930 | moved to Tashkent | | Taiz | Yemen | 1948 | 1962 | moved to San'a | [edit] South and South-East Asia | Old capital city | Country, empire | From | Until | Change, reason | | Malolos | Filipina, República | 1898 | 1899 | Headquarters of the Revolutionary movement (Note: Several other towns became capitals at a succeeding rate, namely San Isidro, Cabanatuan, Bamban, Tarlac, Bayambang and Palanan, to avoid capture from the Americans). Moved back to Manila after capture of Aguinaldo on 1901. | | 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 | | Marawi | Maguindanao Sultanate | 1205 (?) | 1800s (?) | Annexed into the Spanish East Indies | | Yangon | Myanmar | 1948 | 2005 | moved to Naypyidaw | | Bacolod | Negros, Cantonal Republic | 1898 | 1899 | absorbed by the Philippines. | | Karachi | Pakistan | 1947 | 1959 | moved to Rawalpindi | | Rawalpindi | Pakistan | 1959 | 1967 | moved to Islamabad | | Manila | Philippine Commonwealth | 1934 | 1941 | Japanese occupation. Moved back to Manila in 1945 after the liberation of the Philippines | | Manila | Philippine Republic, Japanese-sponsored | 1943 | 1945 | Liberation of the Philippines from the Japanese | | Baguio | Philippines | 1946 | 1976 | Summer Capital, moved back to Manila via Presidential Decree No. 940. | | 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. | | Cebu | Spanish East Indies | 1562 (?) | 1578 (?) | First Spanish settlement in the country. Moved to Manila (Formerly Maynilad) after capture. | | Manila | Spanish East Indies | 1578 (?) | 1762 | Captured by the British during the Seven Years' War, returned to Spain after the Treaty of Paris. | | Bacolor | Spanish East Indies | 1762 | 1764 | Capital of the exiled government Governor-general Simon de Anda during the Seven Years' War. Moved back to Manila | | Manila | Spanish East Indies | 1764 | 1901 | Ceded to the United States via Treaty of Paris | | Anuradapura | Lanka (Sri Lanka) | ~382 BC | 1018 | Capital moved to possibly Polonnaruwa | | Polonnaruwa | Sri Lanka | ~1055 | 1284 | Capital moved to Dambadeniya | | Kotte | Sri Lanka | ~1415 | ~1565 | Capital moved to Kandy | | Kandy | Sri Lanka | 1592 | 1815 | Capital moved to Colombo | | Colombo | Sri Lanka | 1815 | 1982 | Capital moved to Kotte | | Jolo | Sulu Sultanate | 1450 (?) | 1899 | Annexed by the United States | | Sukhothai | Thailand (Kingdom of Siam) | 1238 | 1438 | moved to Ayutthaya after sacked by Ayutthaya | | Chiang Mai (Lanna) | Thailand (Kingdom of Siam) | 1259 | 1939 | Annexed by Siam | | Ayutthaya | Thailand (Kingdom of Siam) | 1350 | 1767 | moved to Thonburi after the Burmese destroyed the city | | Thonburi | Thailand (Kingdom of Siam) | 1767 | 1782 | moved to Bangkok after King Taksin was declared mad | | Huế | Vietnam (Nguyễn Dynasty) | 1802 | 1945 | Capital moved to Hanoi after the abdication of Emperor Bảo Đại | | Saigon | Vietnam, South | 1954 | 1975 | Hanoi, country ceased to exist after unification of Vietnam | [edit] Other parts of Asia | Old capital city | Country, empire | From | Until | Change, reason | | 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 (Sui Dynasty and Tang Dynasty) | 581 | 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 integrated China into the Mongol Empire | | Nanjing | China (Ming Dynasty) | 1368 | 1421 | moved to Beijing | | Nanjing | China, Republic of | 1928 | 1937 | moved to Chongqing | | Chongqing | China, Republic of | 1937 | 1945 | moved back to Nanjing | | Nanjing | China, Republic of | 1945 | 1949 | moved to Beijing - After the proclamation of the People's Republic of China, the Republic of China government fled to Taiwan and made Taipei the capital. | | Hakodate | Ezo, Republic of | 1868 | 1869 | Ezo annexed by Japan | | Taipei | Formosa, Republic of | 1895 | 1895 | moved to Tainan | | Tainan | Formosa, Republic of | 1895 | 1895 | Formosa annexed by Japan | | Heijō-kyō (Nara) | Japan (Nara Period) | 710 | 784 | moved to Nagaoka-kyō (Nagaoka) | | Nagaoka-kyō (Nagaoka) | Japan (Nara Period) | 784 | 794 | moved to Kyoto | | Kyoto | Japan | 794 | 1868 | moved to Tokyo (see also: Capital of Japan) | | Gyeongju | Korea (Silla) | 57 BC | 935 | moved to Gaegyeong - fall of Silla | | Ungjin, Sabi | Korea (Baekje) | 476 | 660 | fall of Baekje | | Gaegyeong | Korea (Goryeo) | 936 | 1392 | moved to Hanyang (Seoul) - fall of Goryeo Dynasty | | Shuri | Ryūkyū | 1429 | 1879 | Annexed by Japan | | Tainan | Tungning, Kingdom of | 1662 | 1683 | Fall of the Kingdom of Tungning | [edit] Europe [edit] Northern Europe [edit] Southern Europe | Old capital city | Country, empire | From | Until | Change, reason | | Vlorë | Albania | 1912 | 1920 | moved briefly to Durres and finally Tirana. | | Constantinople | Byzantine Empire | 1204 | 1261 | After the fourth crusade, The Byzantine-Greeks formed the splinter kingdoms of: The Empire of Nicaea (The Mightiest of the three) with Nicaea as Capital,The Despotate of Epiros with Arta as Capital, and The Empire of Trebizond with Trebizond as Capital. | | Nicaea | Byzantine Empire | 1261 | 1453 | When the Empire of Nicaea recaptured Constantinople, they relocated the Capital there as well | | Constantinople | Byzantine Empire | 330 | 1453 | Empire fell to Ottoman Empire which kept the city as its new capital. | | Burgos | Castile | 11th century | 15th century | moved to Valladolid | | Corte | Corsica | 1755 | 1769 | Corsican Republic annexed by France | | Corte | Anglo-Corsican Kingdom | 1794 | 1795 | moved to Bastia | | Bastia | Anglo-Corsican Kingdom | 1795 | 1796 | Corsican Kingdom annexed by France | | Santiago | Couto Mixto | ? | 1864 | Couto Mixto annexed by Spain | | Chania | Crete | 1898 | 1913 | Cretan State united with Greece | | Fiume/Rijeka | Fiume, Free State of | 1920 | 1924 | annexed by Kingdom of Italy | | Genoa | Genoa, Republic of | 11th century | 1805 | annexed by France | | Granada | Granada, Kingdom of | 1250 | 1492 | Kingdom ceased to exist after the Reconquista and incorporated into Castile | | Nafplion | Greece | 1821 | 1836 | moved to Athens | | Aegina | Greece | 1827 | 1829 | moved back to Nafplion | | Turin | Italy | 1861 | 1865 | moved to Florence | | Florence | Italy | 1865 | 1871 | moved to Rome | | Salerno | Italy | 1944 | 1944 | temporarily; moved to Rome after the latter's liberation | | Mdina | Malta | | 1566 | moved to Valletta | | Modena | Modena, Duchy of | 1452 | 1860 | became part of united Italy | | Naples | Naples, Kingdom of | 1282 | 1816 | Kingdom of Naples merged into the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies | | 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 | | Piacenza | Piacenza and Parma, Duchy of | 1545 | 1547 | moved to Parma, following the assassination of the Duke Pierluigi Farnese | | Parma | Parma and Piacenza, Duchy of | 1547 | 1860 | Became part of united Italy. | | Guimarães | Portugal | 1095 | 1131 | moved to Coimbra | | Coimbra | Portugal | 1131 | 1255 | moved to Lisbon | | Turin | Sardinia, Kingdom of | 1720 | 1861 | Became part of unified Italy | | Turin | Savoy, Duchy of | 1563 | 1720 | Became part of Kingdom of Sardinia. | | Palermo | Sicily | 1130 | 1816 | Kingdom merged into the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies | | Toledo | Spain | 15th Century | 1561 | moved to Madrid | | Valladolid | Spain | 1600 | 1606 | moved to Madrid | | Valencia | Spain | 1936 | 1939 | Government of the Second Spanish Republic in the Spanish Civil War | | Trieste | Trieste, Free Territory of | 1947 | 1954 | Territory dissolved, integrated into Italy and Yugoslavia | | Florence | Tuscany | 1569 | 1860 | became part of unified Italy | | Naples | Two Sicilies, Kingdom of the | 1816 | 1861 | became part of unified Italy | | Venice | Venice, Republic of | fl. 9th century | 1797 | annexed by Austria | [edit] Western Europe | Old capital city | Country, empire | From | Until | Change, reason | | Aachen | Holy Roman Empire Carolingian Empire | 800 | 814 | became capital of Charlemagne as Imperator Augustus of the Holy Roman Empire and the Emperior of the Carolingian Empire | | 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. | | Vichy | France | 1940 | 1944 | capital of Vichy France régime | | Berlin | German Empire | 1871 | 1945 | Separation of Germany to occupation zones for the Allied powers | | Bonn | Germany, West | 1949 | 1990 | moved to Berlin after re-unification of Germany | | East Berlin | Germany, East | 1949 | 1990 | Berlin, country ceased to exist after re-unification of Germany | | Kelmis | Neutral Moresnet | 1816 | 1919 | Moresnet annexed by Belgium | | Heidelberg | Palatinate | 14th century | 1720 | moved to Mannheim | | Mannheim | Palatinate | 1720 | 1777 | Palatinate inherited by the Electors of Bavaria. | | 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. | | Aarau | Switzerland (Helvetic Republic) | 1798 | 1798 | moved to Lucerne | | Lucerne | Switzerland (Helvetic Republic) | 1798 | 1803 | Helvetic Republic abolished | | 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 | [edit] Eastern Europe [edit] Central Europe [edit] Oceania Note: Melbourne is sometimes said to have been the inaugural capital of Australia, from 1901 until 1927, when Parliament House, Canberra was opened. This is not so. Section 125 of the Constitution of Australia states that the seat of government is to be within the state of New South Wales but not less than 100 miles from Sydney, and that until that place (Canberra) was built, the Parliament of Australia would meet at Melbourne. That made Melbourne the de facto (but not de jure) seat of government 1901-1927, but it did not amount to Melbourne being declared the capital, and it was never so described in contemporary documents. [edit] North America - For the historical capitals of the United States, the Confederate States of America, the Republic of Texas, the Vermont Republic, the Kingdom and Republic of Hawaii, as well as various unrecognized nations within the present United States, see Former national capitals in the United States.
For the many capitals of the former Province of Canada, see that article | Old capital city | Country, empire | From | Until | Change, reason | | James Town | Barbados | 1625 | 1628 | moved to Bridgetown, purpose built | | St. George | Bermuda | 1612 | 1815 | moved to Hamilton | | Belize City | British Honduras | 1638 | 1970 | moved to Belmopan | | Chan Santa Cruz | Chan Santa Cruz | c.1852 | 1901 | became part of Mexico | | Cartago | Costa Rica | 1562 | 1823 | moved to San José | | Santiago de Cuba | Cuba | 1522 | 1589 | moved (after 1607 in Havana) | | Spanish Town | Jamaica | 1534 | 1872 | moved to Kingston | | Quetzaltenango | Los Altos | 1838 | 1840 | country ceased to exist | | St. John's | Newfoundland | 1855 | 1949 | entered confederation with Canada | | Washington, D.C. | Philippine Commonwealth | May 1942 | October 1944 | returned to the Philippines | | Washington | Texas, Republic of | 1836 | 1836 | moved to Harrisburg | | Harrisburg | Texas, Republic of | 1836 | 1836 | moved to Galveston | | Galveston | Texas, Republic of | 1836 | 1836 | moved to Velasco | | Velasco | Texas, Republic of | 1836 | 1836 | moved to West Columbia | | West Columbia | Texas, Republic of | 1836 | 1836 | moved to Houston | | Houston | Texas, Republic of | 1836 | 1839 | moved to Austin | | Austin | Texas, Republic of | 1839 | 1845 | Texas annexed by USA | | San Jose de Oruña | Trinidad | 1592 | 1783 | moved to Port of Spain | | New York City | United States | 1785 | 1790 | moved to Philadelphia | | Philadelphia | United States | 1790 | 1800 | moved to Washington D. C. | | Port of Spain | West Indies Federation | 1958 | 1962 | country ceased to exist | | Mérida | Yucatán | 1840 | 1847 | Yucatán annexed by Mexico | [edit] South America | Old capital city | Country, empire | From | Until | Change, reason | | Antimary | Acre, Republic of | 1899 | 1900 | returned to Bolivia, then incorporated into Brazil | | Perquenco | Araucanía and Patagonia, Kingdom of | 1860 | ? | incorporated to Chile and Argentina | | Paraná | Argentine Confederation | 1853 | 1861 | moved to Buenos Aires, after the dissolved state of Buenos Ayres joined Argentina | | Salvador da Bahia | Brazil | 1549 | 1763 | moved to Rio de Janeiro | | Rio de Janeiro | Portugal | 1808 | 1815 | became capital of Portugal when the Portuguese king John VI moved to the colony of Brazil during the war with Napoleonic France in 1808. | | Rio de Janeiro | Portugal, Brazil, and the Algarve; Kingdom of | 1815 | 1825 | It came into being when the colony of Brazil was elevated to the rank of a Kingdom, and the Kingdoms of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarve were united as a single State by the title of The United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarve by a Law issued on December 16, 1815. | | Rio de Janeiro | Brazil | 1763 | 1960 | moved to Brasília | | Concepción | Chile, Kingdom of | 1565 | 1575 | moved to Santiago | | Concepción del Uruguay | Entre Rios, Republic of | 1820 | 1821 | country dissolved (and incorporated to Argentina) after the death of José Gervasio Artigas | | Cuzco | Inca Empire | fl.13th Century | c.1533 | moved to Lima after the Spanish conquest | | Laguna | Juliana Republic | 1836 | 1836 | reincorpored to the Brazilian Empire after the War of the Farrapos | | Purificación | Liga Federal | 1815 | 1820 | country dissolved | | Tacna | Peru-Bolivian Confederation | 1837 | 1839 | country ceased to exist | | Piratini | Riograndense Republic | 1836 | 1845 | reincorpored to the Brazilian Empire after the War of the Farrapos | -
[edit] See also [edit] References | Lists by country | | | Articles that include one or more maps are shown in italics. | | | Lists of topics | | | | Codes | | | | Names and symbols | | | Politics and
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