Country history · North America

History of Nicaragua

10 recorded states lay in what is now Nicaragua, from the Nicarao chiefdom (1200 CE) to the Republic of Nicaragua. 2 of them have a full profile, and 4 outside powers ruled here.

ProfileState (capital or seat)1 without a known seat not shownOpen in the atlas →

Profiles

Empires that ruled here

Timeline

13th century

  1. Nicarao chiefdom1200 CE – 1524 CE · chiefdom

16th century

  1. Captaincy General of Guatemala1524 CE – 1821 CE · colony

17th century

  1. Mosquito Kingdom1625 CE – 1860 CE · kingdom

18th century

  1. Mosquito Shore1749 CE – 1787 CE · colony

19th century

  1. First Mexican Empire1821 CE – 1823 CE · kingdom
  2. Federal Republic of Central America1823 CE – 1841 CE · profile
  3. State of Nicaragua1824 CE – 1838 CE · republic
  4. Republic of Nicaragua1838 CE – present · profile
  5. Mosquito Reserve1860 CE – 1894 CE · other
  6. Greater Republic of Central America1896 CE – 1898 CE · republic

In the encyclopedia

Shared histories

States that also lay in other present-day countries:

States of Mesoamerica and the Caribbean → All country histories →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). History of Nicaragua. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/nicaragua
MLA
“History of Nicaragua.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/nicaragua. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “History of Nicaragua.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/nicaragua.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘History of Nicaragua’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/nicaragua (Accessed: ).