Southern Europe · SMR
San Marino
The story · 9 chapters
How it was drawn
A hilltop community on Monte Titano that outlasted the Byzantines, the Popes, Cesare Borgia, a cardinal's invasion, Napoleon and Italian unification, keeping borders it has had since 1463.
Play the story Take the first lessonThrough the ages
Rivals in history
The kingdoms, empires and states San Marino fought or stood against, from the first to today.
- Malatesta lords of Rimini1460 to 1463
The Malatesta family, lords of Rimini, pressed on the small commune. When Pope Pius II made war on Sigismondo Malatesta, San Marino joined the papal side, and in 1463 it took three of his castles, with Faetano following in 1464.
- Cesare Borgia1503
Cesare Borgia, son of Pope Alexander VI, conquered much of Romagna and occupied San Marino in June 1503. His power collapsed after his father died that August, and the republic regained its freedom within months.
- Papal States under Cardinal Alberoni1739 to 1740
Cardinal Giulio Alberoni seized San Marino in October 1739 and tried to annex it to the Papal States. After the citizens protested, Pope Clement XII restored the republic's independence on 5 February 1740.
- Nazi Germany1944
Despite San Marino's neutrality, German forces retreating to the Gothic Line used its territory in 1944, and Allied troops fought them there in September 1944 before taking the area.
Today
San Marino now
Geographically the third-smallest state in Europe (after the Holy See and Monaco), San Marino also claims to be the world's oldest republic. D. 301. San Marino's foreign policy is aligned with that of the EU, although it is not a member. San Marino is negotiating an Association Agreement that is expected to allow participation in the EU s internal market and cooperation in other policy areas by late 2024. Social and political trends in the republic track closely with those of its larger neighbor, Italy.
- Capital
- San Marino
- Government
- parliamentary republic
- Head of state
- Denise Bronzetti
- Languages
- Italian
- Area
- 61 km²
Through time
Then and now
- Population33,8002023 · 13,000 in 1950
- Life expectancy85.7 years2023 · 71.6 years in 1950
- Living in cities97%2025 · 43% in 1950
- Literacy100%2022 · 88% in 1950
- Military alliancesNone of these2024 · None of these in 1950
- War deathsNone2025
Population: HYDE 3.3, Gapminder and UN WPP. GDP per capita: Maddison Project Database 2023. Urban share: UN WPP. Life expectancy: Riley, HMD, UN WPP. Literacy: OWID historical estimates, World Bank, UNESCO. Military spending: SIPRI. War deaths: UCDP. Political regime: V-Dem, Regimes of the World. All via Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0). Alliances and organization memberships: compiled by Atlas. Satellites in orbit: CelesTrak SATCAT. Modern borders, backcast.
Relations
Close partners and tensions
Close partners
- Italy
Summarised from World Bank and Wikipedia data, updated 24 October 2026.