List of historical national capitals
In this list are
cities that once were national capitals, but now are not any more. That can be because the country ceased to exist, the capital moved, or the capital was renamed. Sorted on country and date.
See also:
| Former capital city | Country, empire | Since | Until | Change, reason
|
|---|
| Melbourne/Sydney | Australia | 1901 | 1908 | alternated as capitals until Canberra became ready
|
| St. George | Bermuda (Brit.) | | 1815 | moved to Hamilton
|
| Salvador da Baía | Brazil (Portuguese) | | 1763 | moved to Rio de Janeiro
|
| Rio de Janeiro | Brazil | | 1960 | moved to Brasilia
|
| Belize City | British Honduras | | 1970 | moved to Belmopan
|
| 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
|
| Datong | China (Northern Wei Dynasty) | | 493 | moved to Luoyang
|
| Nanjing | China (Ming Dynasty) | | 15th century | moved to Beijing by Yongle
|
| Anyang | China see: Capital of China
|
| Chang'an
|
| Chongqing City
|
| Hangzhou
|
| Hao
|
| Luoyang
|
| Léopoldville | Congo, Democratic Republic of the | 1960 | 1966 | renamed Kinshasa
|
| Large-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
|
| Ciudad Trujillo | Dominican Republic | 1930 | 1961 | renamed Santo Domingo after the death of Trujillo
|
| Memphis | Egypt | | |
|
| Winchester | England | 3rd century? | 9th century | moved to London
|
| Lavuka | Fiji (Brit.) | | | moved to Suva
|
| Bonn | Germany | 1949 | 1994 | moved to Berlin
|
| Cape Coast | Gold Coast (Brit.) | | 1877 | moved to Accra
|
| Nafplion | Greece | 1821 | 1836 | moved to Athens
|
| Lahaina | Hawaii (Hawaiian monarchy) | | 1840 | moved to Honolulu
|
| Calcutta | India (British) | | 1912 | moved to New Delhi
|
| Torino | Italy, Kingdom of | 1861 | 1865 | moved to Florence
|
| Florence | Italy, Kingdom of | 1865 | 1871 | moved to Rome
|
| Heijo-kyo (Nara) | Japan (Nara period) | | 784 |
|
| Kyoto | Japan | | 1868 | moved to Tokyo
|
| Alma-Atta | Kazakhstan | 1992 | 1993 | renamed Almaty
|
| Almaty (Alma-Atta) | Kazakhstan | 1993 | 1998 | moved to Astana
|
| Jerusalem | Kingdom of Jerusalem | 1099 | 1187 | moved to Acre (Jerusalem captured by Saladin)
|
| Acre | Kingdom of Jerusalem | 1187 | 1291 | Kingdom ceases to exist
|
| Iaşi | Moldavia | | 1862 | unified with Wallachia to form Romania
|
| Cetinje | Montenegro | | 1946 | moved to Podgorica
|
| Auckland | New Zealand | | 1865 | moved to Wellington
|
| Lagos | Nigeria | | 1991 | moved to Abuja
|
| Bergen | Norway (medieval) | | 1299 | moved to Oslo
|
| Christiana | Norway | | 1924 | renamed Oslo
|
| Karachi | Pakistan | | 1967 | moved to Islamabad
|
| Quezon City | Philippines | 1948 | 1976 | moved to Manila
|
| Kruszwica | Poland | | 9th century | moved to Gniezno
|
| Gniezno | Poland | 9th century | 10th century | moved to Poznan
|
| Poznan | Poland | 10th century | 1038 | moved to Krakow
|
| Krakow | Poland | 1038 | 1079 | moved to Plock
|
| Plock | Poland | 1079 | 1138 | moved to Krakow
|
| Krakow | Poland | 1138 | 1596 | moved to Warsaw
|
| Guimarães | Portugal, Kingdom of | | 1255 |
|
| Saint Petersburg | Russian empire | | 1914 | renamed Petrograd
|
| Petrograd | Russia | | 1918 | moved to Moscow
|
| Dariyah | Saudi state | | 1818 | moved to Riyadh
|
| Tulaghi | Solomon Islands | | | moved to Honiara
|
| Valladolid | Spain | 1600 | 1606 | moved to Madrid
|
| 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
|
| New York City | United States | 1785 | 1790 | moved to Philadelphia
|
| Philadelphia | United States | 1790 | 1800 | moved to Washington, DC
|
| Bursa | Ottoman empire | 1335 | 1365 | moved to Edirne
|
| Edirne | Ottoman empire | 1365 | 1453 | moved to Constantinople (Istanbul)
|
| Constantinople | Ottoman empire | 1453 | 1923 | country ceased to exist
|
| Port-of-Spain | West Indies Federation | 1958 | 1962 | country ceased to exist
|
| Târgovişte | Wallachia | | 1698 | moved to Bucharest
|
| Câmpulung | Wallachia | 13th century | 15th century | moved to Târgovişte
|
| Mérida | Yucatán | 1840 | 1847 | reunited with Mexico
|