Country history · Africa

History of Rwanda

9 recorded states lay in what is now Rwanda, from the Empire of Kitara (1300 CE) to Rwanda. 1 of them has a full profile, and 2 outside powers ruled here.

ProfileState (capital or seat)4 without a known seat not shownOpen in the atlas →

Profiles

Empires that ruled here

Timeline

14th century

  1. Empire of Kitara1300 CE – 1500 CE · kingdom

16th century

  1. Kingdom of Bugesera1500 CE – 1795 CE · kingdom
  2. Kingdom of Gisaka1500 CE – 1852 CE · kingdom
  3. Kingdom of Rwanda1500 CE – 1961 CE · profile

17th century

  1. Kingdom of Ndorwa1600 CE – 1800 CE · kingdom
  2. Kingdom of Mpororo1650 CE – 1750 CE · kingdom

19th century

  1. German East Africa1885 CE – 1919 CE · colony

20th century

  1. Ruanda-Urundi1916 CE – 1962 CE · colony
  2. Rwanda1962 CE – present · republic

In the encyclopedia

Shared histories

States that also lay in other present-day countries:

States of Horn and East Africa → All country histories →

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