Oldest Countries In Europe
Right then, settle in and make yourselves comfortable. Imagine if you will, a rather marvelous machine, all polished brass and humming dials, worring gently in the corner of your mind. It’s a time machine, of course, and we’re about to embark on a most splendid journey. We shan be popping forward to see what ludicrous hats people are wearing in the 22nd century. No, our destination is far more profound, far more textured. We are heading back deep into the mists of history to a time when the map of Europe was a blank canvas waiting for its first dorbs of paint. Our quest is to discover the continent’s oldest countries. To walk through their naent streets and listen to the whispers of their very first stories. It’s a trip that promises fewer laser battles and more fascinating ethmological curiosities. Our journey won’t be a simple linear jaunt. History, you see, is not a neat and tidy railway line. It’s more of a tangled, overgrown garden path with roots and brambles tripping you up when you least expect it. When we talk about a country being old, what do we truly mean? Before we disembark, we must address a rather crucial question, a bit of intellectual housekeeping. What precisely are the credentials for being an old country? It sounds simple, doesn’t it? You just look for the one with the most candles on its birthday cake. But history, that mischievous imp, rarely offers straightforward answers. is a country defined by its borders. European borders have been as stable as jelly in an earthquake, drawn and redrawn, smudged out by conquest, scribbled back in by treaties. Poland vanished from the map, then reappeared, Phoenix like years later. Does that reset its clock? It’s a tricky business. Perhaps we should consider the age of its government or continuous statethood. A country that maintains sovereignty, its own system of rule without being swallowed by a neighboring empire has a claim to antiquity. San Marino shines here. Independent since Roman times, this gives us a tangible timeline, a thread we can follow back through the centuries. Our first proper stop takes us to the brilliant blue waters and sunbleleached stones of Greece. Now, if we are being pedantic, and when is it not fun to be a little pedantic? The modern Hellenic Republic was only officially formed in the 1820s after a long and heroic struggle for independence from the Ottoman Empire. By that measure, it’s younger than the United States. But to say Greece is only 200 years old is like saying wise old oak tree is only as old as its newest leaf. It misses the point entirely. The cultural roots of this nation sink so deep into the soil of history that they are practically holding the continent together. This is where it all began. The story of Greece isn’t just the story of a country. It’s the story of an idea or rather a whole cascade of ideas that tumbled out of the minds of its ancient thinkers and artists. We’re talking about democracy. We’re talking about philosophy from Socrates bothering people in the Athenian agora to the geometric genius of Pythagoras. Their thoughts, their plays, and their political experiments created a cultural DNA that is still being replicated today. Let’s not forget the stories. The Greek myths are some of the most enduring tales ever told. They are a riotous soap opera of jealous gods. From the sprawling legacy of a cultural empire, our time machine now zips us over to something quite different, but no less remarkable. We are high in the aenine mountains of Italy, looking down upon a tiny nation, perched dramatically on the slopes of Mount Titano. This is the most serene republic of San Marino, and it holds a rather special record. It is widely considered the world’s oldest surviving republic and the oldest sovereign state in continuous existence. Next, our temporal chariot sweeps us eastward toward the crossroads of Europe and Asia. Here on the fertile plains south of the Danube River, we find another contender for one of Europe’s oldest nation, Bulgaria. Like Greece, its modern history has seen periods of foreign domination, most notably five centuries under the Ottoman Empire. However, the foundation of the first Bulgarian state is a story of raw power, nomadic horsemen, and the forging of a new identity. The year is 681 AD, and the Byzantine Empire is about to get a new and very persistent neighbor. The story begins not in the Balkans, but on the vast steps of Central Asia with a Turk people known as the Bulgars. They were skilled warriors and horsemen led by a powerful ruler Khn Asparu pushed westward by other migrating tribes. Aspiru led his people across the Danube River into territory that was technically part of the mighty Basantine Empire. The Bisantine naturally were not terribly pleased about this and sent an army to repel the newcomers. However, in a stunning turn of events, the Bulgar cavalry outmaneuvered and defeated the imperial forces. This victory was more than just a successful raid. It was a statement of intent. The defeated Bzantine Emperor Constantine IV was forced to sign a peace treaty. This treaty was a momentous document. It not only acknowledged the Bulgar’s right to the land they had conquered, but also humiliatingly for the empire, obliged Bzantium to pay an annual tribute to the new state. This official recognition by the dominant power of the age is why the year 681 AD is considered the birth date of the first Bulgarian Empire. Let’s adjust the dials of our time machine once more and set a course for the heart of Western Europe. We are heading to a land of fine wine, revolutionary fervor, and a rather famous tower in its capital. We are, of course, going to France. The name itself offers a clue to its origins. It is the land of the Franks, a collection of Germanic tribes who, as the Western Roman Empire crumbled, saw a magnificent opportunity. The story of France’s birth is not a single event, but a gradual process of consolidation under a remarkably ambitious and long-lasting dynasty, which began with a warrior king named Clovis. Our focus falls on the late fifth century. The Roman province of Gaul is in chaos. Various tribes are carving out kingdoms for themselves. And into this power vacuum steps Clovis, the king of the Salon Franks around 481 AD. He was a brilliant and utterly ruthless military leader. Through a series of cunning alliances and brutal campaigns, he united the disperate Frankish tribes and conquered most of the former Roman Gore, defeating rivals like the Visigothths Alammani. He established his capital in Paris and laid the groundwork for a unified kingdom. His reign marks the true beginning of a Frankish state that would eventually evolve into modern France. However, perhaps the most pivotal moment in Clovis’s reign and for the future of France was not a battle, but a baptism. Around 496 AD, influenced by his Christian wife, Clatilda, Clovis converted from paganism to Catholicism. This was a stroke of political genius. By adopting the religion of his Gallow Roman subjects, he bridged the cultural gap between the Germanic ruling class and the local population. More importantly, it secured him the crucial support of the powerful Catholic Church and the papacy in Rome. This alliance between the French crown and the church would become a defining feature of the nation for the next 1,300 years. Now let our magnificent machine carry us to the westernmost edge of the European continent. Aerial coastlines and map zoom reveal Portugal. Here facing the vast expanse of the Atlantic Ocean is Portugal. This is a country whose very identity is tied to the sea to exploration and to a long and arduous struggle to define itself against its larger neighbor, Spain. Portugal’s borders are among the oldest and most stable in all of Europe. Its story as an independent kingdom begins in the heart of the reconista. The centuries long Christian effort to reclaim the peninsula. Show Moorish architecture and maps of shifting control. The origins begin in the 11th century. Henry of Burgundy comes to Iberia to fight the Moors. The king of Leyon and Castile rewards him with Theresa in marriage and the county of Portugal in 1096. Porto as the county’s center, still a vassel, but independence takes root. Henry and Teresa rule with growing autonomy, fostering a distinct Portuguese identity apart from Castile and Leyon. Their son, Aphonso Henriquez, takes the decisive step towards nationhood. Close-up statue of Aphonso Henriquez and portraits. He refuses to be his cousin’s subject and adopts the title king of Portugal. He fights on two fronts. Against the Moors in the south and against Leyon and Castile in the east. A key moment. 1139, the Battle of Uric. Legendary victory. Soldiers proclaim him king on the field. Mythic scene. For our final historical stop, we glide into the very center of Europe to the land of majestic Alps, classical music, and grand imperial palaces. We are in Austria. Today it is a relatively small peaceful republic but for centuries its name was synonymous with one of the most powerful and influential dynasties in European history. The Habsburgs. Austria’s story as a distinct entity begins not with a warrior king or a fleeing saint but with a document. Its birth certificate if you will is a piece of parchment from the year 996 AD. And its name reveals its humble origins as a frontier outpost. The name Austria comes from the old highger German wordi which simply means eastern realm or eastern march. In the late 10th century this was the eastern frontier of the Holy Roman Empire. A buffer zone created to defend against invasions from the Maguyars to the east. In 996 the Holy Roman Emperor Otto III issued a deed granting lands in this region to a Bavarian bishop. The document is the first known use of the name Oststerichi to describe the territory and Austrians celebrate this as the birth of their nation. It marks the moment when this land was first recognized as a specific and named political entity. For the first few centuries, the Eastern March was a relatively minor duchy passed between various noble families. Its fortunes changed dramatically in 1278 when it fell into the hands of a German noble family called the Habsburgs. Their famous motto was, “Let others wage war, you happy Austria, marry.” They married their way into controlling Spain, the Netherlands, parts of Italy, and vast colonies in the Americas. And so our time machine hums gently to a halt, returning us to the present day, September 28th, 2025. A whirlwind tour through the birth of Europe’s oldest nations is complete. Greece’s age is measured in ideas. San Marino’s in stubborn liberty, Bulgaria’s in a conqueror’s treaty, France’s in a king’s baptism, Portugal’s in a hard one crown. Each story is a unique thread in Europe’s complex tapestry. But why does this matter now? Why care about a stonemason on a mountain or a Frankish king’s conversion 1500 years ago? You cannot understand today’s Europe without knowing where it came from. These ancient origins are not locked in a museum case. They are alive and kicking in the modern world. Old rivalries still echo in politics. Old alliances still shape decisions. Cultural identities still define peoples. The historic France Germany relationship. Portugal’s distinct identity besides Spain. Greece as a cultural touchstone. The legacy of empires across central and eastern Europe. These are the roots of today’s realities. These stories are the source code for the continent’s operating system. These stories give us perspective. And that I think you’ll agree is a journey well worth
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