If you could make a timeline of most powerful european countries?

[Barnabas]

How would it look

I made an example of that:
First with Spain as the most powerful euro country from 1492 to the battle of rocroi.
Then France as the most powerful country till the french indian wars where France lost the almost parity with england on the sea.
After that I have both france and england sharing the most powerful euro country title.
Later, when Napoleon is exiled to elba I have england as the most powerful euro country.
England keeps the title for herself, till the french prussian wars, after that war she shares the title with germany.
Finally the Soviet Union gets the title after WW2, and after the soviet block falls, I dont know who has it, the EU maybe?


Please, criticize it, it is just an example I made in 10 minutes for this thread with my microsoft paint skills

I will be first to do that, and say I should have included the ottoman empire, at least till lepanto, and maybe mentioned the netherlands because of their hegemony on the seas for much of the XVII century.
I only made it from 1492 for brevity´s sake, but you can discuss the timeline up to roman times.


Anyway, what do you all think?

[Al B. Sure!]

What about Austria? Petrine Russia? Sweden? Even Poland-Lithuania in the early period?

'most powerful' country is a silly concept. You might be able to determine the country with the strongest land military, the most landmass, the most diplomatic influence, or the wealthiest economy, but 'most powerful' includes too many variables.

[LordShiva]

Rome.

[MMC]

Greece, Rome, Austro-Hungary, Vikings, Angles & Saxons, Wessex, etc...

[Thue]

That timeline seems pretty good to me.

[GePap]

I would put an end to French dominance back to 1740 or so (War of Austrian Succession), and not label it "FRance-Britian" but "multi-powers, because the situation was more confused than just France and England.

Also, Germany certainly surpases England by 1900, and is the most powerful until 1945.

[Heresson]

Persia (yes!) --> Macedonia --> Seleukids/Ptolemies (they owned some european lands)--> Rome/Carthago-->Rome-->Rome/Huns-->Byzantines-->Byzantine/Muslim Empire (as it owned parts of Europe)-->Byzantines-->Byzantines/Charlemagne empire-->Byzantines-->France/HRE-->Mongols-->Spain/Poland-Lithuania (perhaps, and only for a while)-->Spain/Ottoman Empire-->Spain/Ottoman Empire/Habsburgs/France-->OE/Poland-Lithuania/Russia/France/Habsburgs-->OE/Russia/France/Sweden-->Russia/France/Britain-->R/F/B/Germany-->France/Britain-->Britan/Germany/Soviets-->Soviets-->Belgium

I didn;t give it too much thought, though.

[Al B. Sure!]

really, you could stretch French domination back to 1492 with a break during the Habsburg empire until Charles abdicated.

[Heresson]

OE was stronger.

[Al B. Sure!]

European

[Geronimo]

Originally posted by Albert Speer
European

Empires that held more power in europe than any other contemporary contender should be considered even if those empires had their capitols and nuclei outside of europe.

[Barnabas]

Originally posted by Albert Speer
really, you could stretch French domination back to 1492 with a break during the Habsburg empire until Charles abdicated.

I think Spain continued being the most poqerful country for many decades after charles abdicatedm I put the end of spanish power with the battle of Rocroi because it was their first loss on land in a century.
Also, I think that for a long time after Charles abdication France was in civil war against agaisnt huguenots.

[RGBVideo]

Originally posted by Geronimo


Empires that held more power in europe than any other contemporary contender should be considered even if those empires had their capitols and nuclei outside of europe.

or you could re-read the original question and realize that it's asking "most powerful european countries", not "most powerful countries in Europe".

of course both kind of lists can be introduced...

my list after the Middle Ages:
Spain|France| UK | Germany | SU | Germany
1492 | 1643 | 1789 | 1941 | 1944 | 1991

[Geronimo]

Originally posted by VJ

or you could re-read the original question and realize that it's asking "most powerful european countries", not "most powerful countries in Europe".

of course both kind of lists can be introduced...

my list after the Middle Ages:
Spain|France| UK | Germany | SU | Germany
1492 | 1643 | 1789 | 1941 | 1944 | 1991

That does lead to the messy nitpicking about whether particular states were european though.

[RGBVideo]

That does lead to the messy nitpicking about whether particular states were european though.

How about using capital cities to define -- if the capital is within the geographical boundaries of Europe (attachment), it's "european"?