Editing List of former sovereign states (section)

==Criteria for inclusion==
The criteria for inclusion in this list are similar to that of the [[list of states with limited recognition]]. To be included here, a polity must have claimed statehood and either:
* had de facto control over a territory, a population, a government, a capacity to enter into relations with other states, or
* have been recognised as a state by at least one other state.

This is not a list for all variant governments of a state, nor is it a list of variations of countries' official long form name.
For purposes of this list, the cutoff between medieval and early modern states is the [[fall of Constantinople]] in 1453.