List of former 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.

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Africa

Old capital city	Country, empire	From	Until	Change, reason
Ribeira Grande (now Cidade Velha)	Cape Verde	1462?	1770	moved to Praia
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
Al-Fustat	Egypt	641	750	Moved to Al-Askar
Al-Askar	Egypt	905	969	Moved to Cairo
Otjimbingwe	German South-West Africa	1886	1892	moved to Windhoek
Cape Coast	Ghana (Gold Coast)	1664	1877	moved to Accra
Bolama	Guinea-Bissau	1879	1941	moved to Bissau
Boe	Guinea-Bissau	1973	1974	moved back to Bissau
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 ceased to exist
Lagos	Nigeria	1914	1976	moved to Abuja
Igbo Ukwu	Kingdom of Nri	1043	1911	Nigeria
Aneho	Togo	1880s	1897	moved to Lomé
Zomba	Malawi	1880s	1975	moved to Lilongwe
Dar es Salaam	Tanzania	1961	1996	moved to Dodoma
Axum	Ethiopia	50 A.D.	?	city abandoned
Debre Berhan	Ethiopia	1456	mid-1470s	Emperor returned to custom of a moving capital
Gondar	Ethiopia	1635	late 19th century	moved to Addis Ababa

See also List of Egyptian capitals.

Asia

Central and South-West Asia

Old capital city	Country, empire	From	Until	Change, reason
Kandahar	Afghanistan	1748	1772	moved to Kabul
Ashur	Assyria	3rd Millennium BC	800s BC	moved to Calah
Calah	Assyria	13th Century BC	710 BC	Moved to Nineveh
Nineveh	Assyria	1800 BC	600 BC	Destroyed by Babylonians
Babylon	Babylonia	24th Century BC	141 BC	Conquered by Assyrians, Persians, Parthians, Alexander the Great, later abandoned completely
Susa, Anshan	Iran (Proto-Elamite, Elam)	3200 BC	850 BC	Conquered by Mannaeans
Zirta (Izirtu)	Iran (Mannaeans)	850 BC	728 BC	Conquered by Median Empire
Ecbatana	Iran (Median Empire)	728 BC	550 BC	captured by Cyrus the Great
Pasargadae	Iran (Persian Empire)	559 BC	538 BC	Capital moved to Susa by Cambyses II
Susa	Iran (Persian Empire)	538 BC	515 BC	Capital moved to Persepolis by Darius
Persepolis	Iran (Persian Empire)	515 BC	331 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, Hecatompylos, Mithridatkird-Nisa, Asaak	Iran (Parthian Empire)	240 BC	224	conquered by Sassanid Empire
Firouzabad, Ctesiphon, Damghan	Iran (Sassanid Empire)	224	637	fell in Islamic conquest of Persia
Nishapur	Iran (Tahirid dynasty)	821	873	conquered by Saffarid dynasty
Zaranj, Amol	Iran (Saffarid dynasty, Alavids)	861	900	conquered by Samanid
Bukhara, Balkh, Samarkand, Herat	Iran (Samanid dynasty)	875	999	conquered by Ghaznavids
Ghazni	Iran (Ghaznavids, Ghurids)	963	1212	conquered by Seljuq dynasty
Nishapur, Rey, Konye-Urgench	Iran (Seljuq dynasty, Khwarezmid dynasty)	1037	1231	conquered by Ilkhanate
Maragheh, Soltaniyeh, Tabriz, Samarkand, Herat	Iran (Ilkhanate, Timurid dynasty)	1231	1506	conquered by Safavid Dynasty
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	1782	moved to Sari
Sari	Iran (Qajar dynasty)	1782	1795	moved to Tehran
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 6, 1948	Dec 30 1948	interim de facto capital, moved to Jerusalem after captured from Jordanian forces 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
Almaty (Alma-Ata)	Kazakhstan (Kazakh ASSR, Kazakh SSR, independent Kazakhstan)	1929	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
Omsk	Russia (White Movement)	1918	1920	White Movement defeated by Reds
Shiloh	Israel			moved to Jerusalem

South and South-East Asia

Old capital city	Country, empire	From	Until	Change, reason
Mysore	Kingdom of Mysore	1524	1947	moved to New Delhi, Kingdom of Mysore dissolved- the capital of the state was moved temporarily to Bangalore 1831 to 1881 by Mark Cubbon
Agra	Mughal Empire	1504	1653	moved to Aurangabad, was moved to Delhi during the reign of Shah Jahan and to Fatehpur Sikri during 1571-1585, during part of Akbar's reign
Fatehpur Sikri	Mughal Empire	1571	1585	moved to Agra
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 of	1898	1899	absorbed by the Philippines.
Karachi	Pakistan	1947	1959	moved to Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi	Pakistan	1959	1967	moved to Islamabad
Malolos	Philippine Republic (República Filipina)	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.
Manila	Philippine Republic, Japanese-sponsored	1943	1945	Liberation of the Philippines from the Japanese
Manila	Philippines, Commonwealth of the	1934	1941	Japanese occupation. Moved back to Manila in 1945 after the liberation of the Philippines
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
Luang Prabang	Lan Prabang	1707		Luang Prabang was one of three successors states to Lan Xang.
Luang Prabang	Laos, Kingdom of	1949	1975	abdication of King Savang Vatthana; the second capital
Vientiane	Lan Xang	1354	TBA	moved to Luang Prabang
Vientiane	Vientiane Lao	1707 (?)	1828	incorporated to Siam, then absorbed into French Indochina (in 1893)
Vientiane	Kingdom of Laos	1949	1975	abdication of King Savang Vatthana
Champasak	Champasak Kingdom	1713	1946	Became part of Kingdom of Laos.
Angkor	Khmer Empire	802	1431	Sacked by Ayutthaya
Lovek	Lovek Kingdom	1525	1593	Move to Oudong (in 1618)
Phnom Penh	Colonial Cambodia	1863	1887	annexed by France; moved to Saigon
Phong Châu (Phú Thọ)	Văn Lang (Hồng Bàng Dynasty)	2879 BC	258 BC	annexed by Thục Dynasty
Phong Châu (Phú Thọ)	Vạn Xuân (Hậu Lý Nam Đế)	571	602	Third Chinese domination
Cổ Loa (Hà Nội)	Âu Lạc (Thục Dynasty)	257 BC	207 BC	First Chinese domination
Cổ Loa (Hà Nội)	(Ngô Dynasty)	938	967	the upheavals of Twelve warlords
Đại La (Hà Nội)	An Nam (Phung Hung)	8th Century		Annexed by Tang Dynasty
Đại La (Hà Nội)	An Nam (Khúc family)	905	930	Dương Dinh Nghe was killed by his legion commander Kiều Công Tiễn and thus ending Khúc rule.
Đại La (Hà Nội)	An Nam (Duong Dinh Nghe and Kieu Cong Tien)	931	937	Ngo Quyen defeated Southern Han Dynasty
Đông Đô (Hà Nội	Đại Việt (Later Lê Dynasty and Mạc Dynasty)	1428	1788
Mê Linh (Hà Nội)	(Trưng Sisters)	40	43	Second Chinese domination
Long Biên (Hà Nội)	Vạn Xuân (Anterior Lý dynasty and Triệu Việt Vương)	544	571	moved to Phong Châu
Hoa Lư (Ninh Bình)	Đại Cồ Việt (Đinh Dynasty)	968	980
Hoa Lư (Ninh Bình)	Đại Cồ Việt (Early Lê Dynasty)	980	1009	moved to Đại La, then renamed into Thăng Long
Tây Đô (Thanh Hóa)	Đại Ngu (Hồ Dynasty)	1400	1407	Fourth Chinese domination; it was the first capital of Hồ Dynasty
Tây Đô (Thanh Hóa)	Đại Việt-Nam Triều (Restored Lê Dynasty)	1533	1592	moved to Thăng Long after defeating Mạc Dynasty
Phú Xuân (Huế)	Đại Việt-Đàng Trong (Nguyễn Lords)	1558	1777	Tây Sơn Dynasty unified Đại Việt
Phú Xuân (Huế)	Đại Việt (Tây Sơn Dynasty)	1788	1802	Defeated by Nguyễn Ánh (Nguyễn Dynasty)
Phú Xuân (Huế)	Vietnam (Nguyễn Dynasty)	1802	1945	moved to Hanoi after the abdication of Emperor Bảo Đại
Phú Xuân (Huế)	Empire of Vietnam	1945		August Revolution
Hue	An Nam (Nguyễn Dynasty)	1874	1955	annexed by France, Geneva Conference (1954) led to the Partition of Vietnam
Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City)	French Indochina	1887	1901	moved to Hanoi
Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City)	State of Vietnam	1949	1955	Geneva Conference (1954) led to the Partition of Vietnam; Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh City in 1976.
Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City)	Vietnam, South	1954	1975	Hanoi, country ceased to exist after unification of Vietnam
Thăng Long (Hanoi)	Đại Việt (Lý & Trần Dynasties)	1010	1400	Trần Dynasty renovated Thăng Long and renamed to Long Phượng
Thăng Long (Hanoi)	Đại Việt (Later Lê Dynasty)	1428	1527	Southern and Northern Dynasties of Vietnam
Thăng Long (Hanoi)	Đại Việt-Bắc Triều (Mạc Dynasty)	1533	1592	defeated by Trịnh Lords; renamed again to Đông Đô
Thăng Long (Hanoi)	Đại Việt-Đàng Ngoài (Later Lê Dynasty - Trịnh Lords)	1593	1788	Thăng Long was destroyed by Qing Dynasty and Tây Sơn Dynasty unified Đại Việt, then moved to Phú Xuân; renamed to Bắc Thành; renamed to Hanoi in 1831.
Hanoi	French Indochina	1902	1953	Geneva Conference (1954) led to the Partition of Vietnam; in 1831, Emperor Minh Mạng renamed Thăng Long to Hanoi (Hà Nội)
Hanoi	Vietnam, North	1954	1976	unification of Vietnam

East 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
Nanking (Nanjing)	China, Republic of	1928	1937	moved to Chongqing
Chungking (Chongqing)	China, Republic of	1937	1945	moved back to Nanjing
Nanking (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
Asuka	Japan (Asuka period)	538	710	Moved to Nara
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)
Wanggeom	Korea (Gojoseon)	Unknown	108 BC	fall of Gojoseon
Jolbon	Korea (Goguryeo)	37 BC	3	moved to Gungnae
Gungnae	Korea (Goguryeo)	3	427	moved to Pyongyang
Pyongyang	Korea (Goguryeo)	427	668	fall of Goguryeo
Gyeongju	Korea (Silla)	57 BC	935	fall of Silla
Wirye	Korea (Baekje)	18 BC	476	moved to Ungjin
Ungjin	Korea (Baekje)	476	538	moved to Sabi
Sabi	Korea (Baekje)	538	660	fall of Baekje
Gaegyeong	Korea (Goryeo)	919	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

Europe

Northern Europe

Old capital city	Country, empire	From	Until	Change, reason
Roskilde	Denmark	c.1020	1443	moved to Copenhagen
Winchester	Kingdom of England	927	1066	moved to London
Turku	Finland, Grand Duchy of	1809	1812	moved to Helsinki
Hill of Tara	Ireland (under the High Kings)	6th century	12th century	Ireland invaded by Normans
Kilkenny	Ireland, Confederate	1642	1651	Cromwellian conquest of Ireland
Kaunas	Lithuania (details)	1922	1940	moved back to Vilnius
Castletown	Man, Isle of	1090	1874	moved to Douglas
Nidaros (Trondheim)	Norway	997	1070	moved to Bergen
Bjørgvin (Bergen)	Norway	1070	1299	moved to Oslo
Christiania (Oslo)	Norway	1624	1924	(also written Kristiania from ca. 1877), renamed Oslo
Scone, near Perth	Scotland	846	1452	moved to Edinburgh
Machynlleth	Wales	1404	1416	seat of Owain Glyndŵr's self-proclaimed parliament. Capital declared to be Cardiff in 1955

Southern Europe

Old capital city	Country, empire	From	Until	Change, reason
Tharros	Arborea, Giudicato of	9th century	1070	moved to Oristano
Oristano	Arborea, Giudicato of	1070	1410	moved to Sassari
Sassari	Arborea, Giudicato of	1410	1420	remaining territories sold to the Kingdom of Sardinia
Santa Igia	Cagliari, Giudicato of	9th century	1258	country dissolved, territories annexed by Arborea, Gallura, Pisa and Gherardesca
Burgos	Castile	11th century	15th century	moved to Valladolid
Corte	Corsica, Republic of	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	12th century	1864	Couto Mixto annexed by Spain
Olbia	Gallura, Giudicato of	9th century	1296	country dissolved, territories annexed by Pisa and Arborea
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
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
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
Cagliari	Sardinia, Kingdom of	1324	1720	moved to Turin
Turin	Sardinia, Kingdom of	1720	1861	Became part of unified Italy
Sassari	Sassari, Republic of	1294	1323	Became part of Kingdom of Sardinia
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
Porto Torres	Torres, Giudicato of	9th century	11th century	moved to Ardara
Ardara	Torres, Giudicato of	11th century	1272	moved to Sassari
Sassari	Torres, Giudicato of	1272	1280	country dissolved, territories annexed by Malaspina, Doria, Pisa and Arborea
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

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
Zürich	Switzerland (Old Swiss Confederacy)	1415	1530	Vorort of the Swiss diet, after 1530 partially replaced by Lucerne.
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.
Brunswick	Brunswick	1815	1946	Brunswick merged into Niedersachsen
Frankfurt	Confederation of the Rhine	1806	1815	dissolved in 1815
Vichy	France	1940	1944	capital of Vichy France régime
Frankfurt	German Confederation	1815	1866	German Confederation was dissolved in 1866
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
Hanover	Hanover	1814	1866	Hanover annexed by Prussia
Wiesbaden	Nassau	1816	1866	Nassau annexed by Prussia
Kelmis	Neutral Moresnet	1816	1919	Moresnet annexed by Belgium
Oldenburg	Oldenburg	1180	1946	Oldenburg merged into Niedersachsen
Heidelberg	Palatinate	14th century	1720	moved to Mannheim
Mannheim	Palatinate	1720	1777	Palatinate inherited by the Electors of Bavaria.
Dresden	Saxony	1485	1952	Saxony became part of the German Empire in 1871, and Saxony lost its statehood in 1952. Dresden became again the capital of the German state of Saxony in 1990.
Bückeburg	Schaumburg-Lippe	1643	1946	Schaumburg-Lippe merged into Niedersachsen
Aarau	Switzerland (Helvetic Republic)	1798	1798	moved to Lucerne
Lucerne	Switzerland (Helvetic Republic)	1798	1803	Helvetic Republic abolished
Kassel	Westphalia	1807	1813	dissolved in 1813
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

Eastern Europe

Old capital city	Country, empire	From	Until	Change, reason
Ganja	Azerbaijan	28 May, 1918	15 September, 1918	After the victory at the Battle of Baku, the government switched the capital to Baku
Mtskheta	Georgia	3 century BC	5 century AD	moved to Tbilisi
Kutaisi	Georgia	978	1122	move back to Tbilisi
Vladimir	Russia (Vladimir-Suzdal)	1169	1327	moved to Moscow
Bolgar	Volga Bulgaria	8 century	1240s	Volga Bulgaria lost sovereignty
Kazan	Kazan Khanate	1438	1552	Kazan Khanate lost sovereignty
Moscow	Grand Duchy of Moscow, Tsardom of Russia, Russian Empire	1327	1712	moved to Saint Petersburg
Yaroslavl	Tsardom of Russia	1611	1612	de facto
Cherkassk	Russia (Don Cossack Host)	1640	1805	moved to Novocherkassk
Novocherkassk	Russia (Don Cossack Host)	1805	January 7, 1920	Don Cossacks lost sovereignty
Saint Petersburg (Petrograd)	Russian Empire	1712	1918	moved to Moscow
Moscow	Soviet Union	1922	1991	State union dissolved, Became capital of Russia
Kiev	Kievan Rus	882	1169	state broke up, moved to Vladimir, Halych and Novgorod
Volodymyr	Ukraine (Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia)	1199	1238	moved to Halych
Halych	Ukraine (Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia)	1238	1272	moved to Lviv
Lviv	Ukraine (Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia)	1272	1349	Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia lost its sovereignty
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
Kiev	Ukraine (UNR)	1917	1920	Ukrainian People's Republic lost its sovereignty
Kharkiv	Ukraine (SSR)	1919	1934	moved to Kiev

Southeastern Europe

Old capital city	Country, empire	From	Until	Change, reason
Vlorë	Albania	1912	1920	moved briefly to Durres and finally Tirana.
Pliska	Bulgaria (First Bulgarian Empire)	681	893	moved to Preslav
Preslav	Bulgaria (First Bulgarian Empire)	893	972	moved to Skopie
Skopie	Bulgaria (First Bulgarian Empire)	972	992	moved to Ohrid
Ohrid	Bulgaria (First Bulgarian Empire)	992	1018	Empire ceased to exist after Byzantine conquest
Veliko Tarnovo	Bulgaria (Second Bulgarian Empire)	1185	1396	Empire ceased to exist after the Ottoman conquest
Constantinople	Byzantine Empire	330	661	Emperor Constans II relocated his capital to Syracuse in Sicily.
Syracuse	Byzantine Empire	661	668	Constans II was assassinated and the seat of Byzantine government was returned to Constantinople.
Constantinople	Byzantine Empire	668	1204	The Fourth Crusade set out to replace the Greek Orthodox Byzantine Empire with a Latin version and there were several Byzantine successor states, the most memorable of which being the Empire of Nicaea.
Nicaea	Byzantine Empire	1204	1261	When the Empire of Nicaea recaptured Constantinople, they relocated the capital there as well
Constantinople	Byzantine Empire	1261	1453	Byzantine Empire conquered by the Ottoman Empire.
Chania	Crete	1898	1913	Cretan State united with Greece
Varaždin	Croatia	1756	1776	Moved back to Zagreb,when a fire destroyed most of the city.
Plovdiv	Eastern Rumelia	1878	1885	annexed as part of the Unification of Bulgaria
Fiume/Rijeka	Fiume, Free State of	1920	1924	annexed by Kingdom of Italy
Nafplion	Greece	1821	1836	moved to Athens
Aegina	Greece	1827	1829	moved back to Nafplion
Siret	Moldavia	1354	1388	moved to Suceava
Suceava	Moldavia	1388	1564	moved to Iaşi
Iaşi	Moldavia	1564	1859	unified with Wallachia to form United Principalities of Romania
Cetinje	Montenegro	1482	1946	moved to Podgorica
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
Ragusa	Ragusa, Republic of	7th century	1808	annexed by France
Iaşi	Romania	1859	1862	one of the two capitals of the United Principalities, then moved to Bucharest
Bucharest	Romania	1859	1916	moved to Iaşi after partial occupation of the Kingdom of Romania during World War I
Iaşi	Romania	1916	1918	moved back to Bucharest
Corfu	Septinsular Republic	1800	1815	Succeeded by the United States of the Ionian Islands, an amical protectorate of the United Kingdom, which had Corfu as its capital, too, until 1864, when the Island country became part of the Kingdom of Greece.
Ras	Serbia	950	1200	capital of Serbian midieval state Raska moved to Debrc
Debrc	Serbia	1276	1289	moved to Belgrade
Prizren	Serbia	1300	1345	moved to Skoplje
Skoplje	Serbia	1345	1371	capital of Serbian Empire, now capital of Republic of Macedonia
Smederevo	Serbia	1430	1453	capital of Serbian Despotate
Subotica	Serbia	1526	1527	capital of Serbia, moved to Kragujevac
Kragujevac	Serbia	1818	1841	moved to Belgrade
Câmpulung	Wallachia	fl.13th Century	fl.15th Century	moved to Târgovişte
Târgovişte	Wallachia	1418	1659	moved to Bucharest
Bucharest	Wallachia	1659	1859	unified with Moldavia to form United Principalities of Romania
Belgrade	Yugoslavia	1918	2003	State union dissolved, became capital of Serbia

Central Europe

Old capital city	Country, empire	From	Until	Change, reason
Prague	Czechoslovakia	1918	1993	became capital in Czech Republic
Székesfehérvár and Esztergom	Hungary	972 (or 973)	1256	The capital moved from Esztergom to Buda after most of the city was destroyed by the Mongols in 1242
Buda	Hungary	1361	1536	moved to Pozsony after part of the nation captured by Ottoman Empire
Pressburg (Pozsony)	Hungary, Royal	1536	1784	The Capital was here because Turks captured Buda, in 1784 it was 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
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
Gniezno	Poland	10th century	1038	moved to Kraków
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 Kraków
Kraków	Poland	1296	1596	moved to Warsaw
Lublin	Poland	1944	1945	de facto capital
Łódź	Poland	1945	1947	de facto capital

Oceania

Old capital city	Country, empire	From	Until	Change, reason
Levuka	Fiji	1874	1877	moved to Suva
Jabor	Marshall Islands	1885	1944	moved to Majuro
Kolonia	Micronesia, Federated States of	1914	1999	moved to Palikir
Russell	New Zealand	1840	1841	moved to Auckland
Auckland	New Zealand	1841	1865	moved to Wellington
Koror	Palau	1994	2007	moved to Melekeok
Tulaghi	Solomon Islands	1896	1942	moved to Honiara

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.

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)
Santiago de los Caballeros	Dominican Republic	1863	1865	Dominican Restoration War
Spanish Town	Jamaica	1534	1872	moved to Kingston
Quetzaltenango	Los Altos	1838	1840	country ceased to exist
Granada	Nicaragua	1821	1857	moved to Managua
St. John's	Newfoundland	1855	1949	entered confederation with Canada
Washington, D.C.	Philippine Commonwealth	May 1942	October 1944	returned to the Philippines subsequent to the end of the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in World War II
Old Road Town	Saint Kitts	1623	1727	capital moved to Basseterre
Washington-on-the-Brazos	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

South America

Old capital city	Country, empire	From	Until	Change, reason
Cuzco	Inca Empire	fl.13th Century	c.1533	moved to Lima after the Spanish conquest
Coro	Venezuela, Captaincy General of	1527	1578	moved to Caracas to prevent an invasion due to its large coastline.
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 secessionist State of Buenos Ayres rejoined 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 Francisco Ramírez
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

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

See also

• Historical capitals of China
  • List of current and former capitals of subnational entities of China
• List of Egyptian capitals
• Capital of France
• Capital of Germany
• Capital of India
• List of capitals in the United States
• Location of European Union institutions
• Extinct countries, empires, etc.
• Countries by date of nationhood