This is atimeline ofGerman history, comprising important legal and territorial changes and political events in Germany and its predecessor states. To read about the background to these events, seeHistory of Germany. See also thelist of German monarchs andlist of chancellors of Germany and the list ofyears in Germany.
| Year | Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| c. 1.33 million yearsBP | The first stone tools were made in theUpper Rhine Plain | [1] | |
| 609,000 ± 40,000 BP | The hominid to whom theMauer 1 mandible (discovered in 1907 inMauer) belonged, the type specimen ofHomo heidelbergensis, dies. | [2]: 19727 | |
| ~225,000 BP | The hominid to whom theSteinheim skull (discovered in 1933 inSteinheim an der Murr) belonged (previously sometimes dubbedHomo steinheimensis) dies. | [3]: 740 | |
| ~130,000 BP | TheNeanderthal (named after its initial site of discovery, theNeandertal valley) emerges in Europe. | [4] | |
| ~45,000 BP | Homo sapiens first appears in Europe (sometimes calledEEMH orCro-Magnon). | [5][6][7] | |
| 35,000–45,000 BP | TheVenus of Hohle Fels is made. | [8] | |
| >32,000 BP | TheLöwenmensch figurine is made. | [9] | |
| ~23,000 BP | TheVenus of Willendorf is made. | [10] | |
| ~11,500 BP | ThePleistocene (Last Glacial Period (LGP)) ends. | [11]: 1ff. | |
| ~10,000 B.C. | TheAhrensburg culture prospers in northern Germany and southern Scandinavia. | [12]: 43 | |
| 5,500–5,000 B.C. | Sedentaryagriculture is adopted in central Europe, following a southeastern-to-northwestern trajectory of spread. TheLinear Pottery culture is present in central Europe. | [13] | |
| ~4,500 B.C. | The Linear Pottery culture disintegrates into more distinct regional styles, such as theMichelsberg culture and theFunnelbeaker culture. | [14] | |
| 3rd Millennium BCE | TheCorded Ware culture (emerging from Poland around 2,800 BCE) and theBell Beaker culture are present in central Europe. | [13] | |
| Late 3rd Millennium BCE | With the discovery ofBronze, theNeolithic ends and theBronze Age begins. TheUnetice culture spreads. | [14] | |
| ~1,300 B.C. | TheUrnfield culture (also known asTumulus period) spreads. | [14] | |
| ~800 B.C. | TheHallstatt culture (named forHallstatt, Austria) spreads. | [14] | |
| 5th century BCE | The Hallstatt culture develops into theLa Tène culture, the first distinctlyCeltic cultural group. | [15]: 392 | |
| 390 B.C. | Battle of the Allia: Rome, then the capital of the growingRoman Republic, is sacked by Celtic warriors. | [16]: 11 | |
| 113–101 B.C. | Cimbrian War: TheCimbri andTeutons undertake migratory movements during which they clash with Roman forces (Battle of Noreia,Battle of Arausio,Battle of Aquae Sextiae,Battle of Vercellae). The Cimbri and Teutons are later added byJulius Caesar to the category of "Germans", even though they were perceived as Celts by the Romans of their own time. | [17]: 11 | |
| 58–50 B.C. | Gallic Wars:Julius Caesar marches his forces intoGaul for purposes of conquest, broadly categorizing the people he encountered into "Gauls", "Aquitani", "Belgae", and "Germans" (using the Rhine river as a boundary between Germania and Gaul). He classifiesAriovistus as "King of the Germans", and defeats the forces of Ariovistus at theBattle of Vosges. Caesar documents his military campaigns in hisCommentarii de Bello Gallico. | [17]: 3f. |
| Year | Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Battle of the Teutoburg Forest: An alliance of Germanic tribes under the leadership ofArminius ambushed and decisively destroyed three Roman legions and their auxiliaries, led byPublius Quinctilius Varus. | [18] | |
| 15 | Battle at Pontes Longi | ||
| 16 | Battle of the Angrivarian Wall fought nearPorta Westfalica between the Roman generalGermanicus and an alliance of Germanic tribes commanded by Arminius. | [19]: 35 | |
| 16 | Battle of Idistaviso fought between Roman legions commanded by Roman emperorTiberius' heir and adopted son Germanicus, and an alliance of Germanic peoples commanded by Arminius. | [18]: 90f. | |
| 98 | The Roman historianTacitus finishes his influentialGermania (in the original: "De origine et situ Germanorum"), describing Ancient Germany and its inhabitants. | [20][21] |
| Year | Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 235 | Battle at the Harzhorn | ||
| 235 | Roman emperorSeverus Alexander died atMogantiacum (Mainz). | ||
| 260 | The Romans makeCologne their capital city. | ||
| 297 | TheRomanemperor allowed theSalian Franks to settle among theBatavi. |
| Year | Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 310 | A bridge was constructed nearCologne. | ||
| 313 | TheRoman Catholic Diocese of Cologne was founded. | ||
| 314 | TheRoman Catholic Diocese of Mainz was founded. | ||
| 357 | TheBattle of Strasbourg took place. | ||
| 368 | TheBattle of Solicinium took place. |
| Year | Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 406 | 21 December | Battle of Mainz,Crossing of the Rhine | |
| 450 | KingChlodio of theSalian Franks died. | ||
| Chlodio's sonMerovech becameking of theSalian Franks with the support of theWestern RomanduxFlavius Aetius. | |||
| 451 | 20 June | Battle of the Catalaunian Plains: TheFranks joined a coalition led by theWestern Roman Empire which defeated theHuns in modern northeasternFrance. | |
| 457 | Merovech died. He was succeeded asking of theSalian Franks by his sonChilderic I. | ||
| 463 | Battle of Orleans (463): TheSalian Franks and forces loyal to themagister militumAegidius defeated an attack by theVisigothic Kingdom atOrléans. | ||
| 481 | Childeric died. He was succeeded asking of theSalian Franks by his sonClovis I. | ||
| 486 | Franco-Roman war: An alliance ofFranks led byClovis conquer North-Gaul and put an end to the Roman enclaves ofSyagrius andArbogast.Syagrius, theking ofSoissons fled to theVisigothic Kingdom. | ||
| TheVisigoths surrenderedSyagrius to theSalian Franks to be executed. | |||
| 496 | Battle of Tolbiac: AFrankish force underClovis defeated theAlemanni in modernZülpich. The former credited his victory toJesus.[22][23][24][25][26] | ||
| Clovis was baptizedCatholic atReims. | |||
| 500 | Clovis commissioned theSalic Law, the first written code ofcivil law among theFranks. The law forbade women from inheriting land. |
| Year | Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 507 | Battle of Vouillé: AFrankish force led byClovis defeated theVisigothic Kingdom atVouillé. The VisigothickingAlaric II was killed. Clovis annexedAquitaine. | [27] | |
| 508 | Clovis was crownedking of theFranks with his capital atParis. | ||
| 511 | First Council of Orléans: Asynod ofCatholicbishops called byClovis atOrléans granted some legal powers and immunities to theCatholic Church. | ||
| 28 November | Clovis died. His domain was split among his four sonsTheuderic I,Chlodomer,Childebert I andChlothar I the Old, who becamekings ruling atReims,Orléans,Paris, andSoissons, respectively. | ||
| 524 | 25 June | Battle of Vézeronce: AFrankish invasion ofBurgundy was halted near modernVézeronce-Curtin. The BurgundiankingSigismund of Burgundy was captured andChlodomer was killed. | |
| Chlodomer's wifeGuntheuc marriedChlothar. | |||
| Chlothar had two ofChlodomer's sons killed. The third,Clodoald, fled toProvence. | |||
| 531 | Battle of the Unstrut River (531):Theuderic conquered theThuringii near theUnstrut. | ||
| 532 | Battle of Autun:Childebert andChlothar defeatedBurgundy nearAutun. | ||
| 534 | Theuderic died. His sonTheudebert I inherited his throne. | ||
| TheBurgundiankingGodomar was killed byFrankish forces. | |||
| 30 April | The pro-Byzantineregent of theOstrogothic Kingdom,Amalasuntha, was murdered on the orders of her cousin and coregentTheodahad. | ||
| Gothic War: TheByzantine Empire invaded theOstrogothic Kingdom. | |||
| 535 | Council of Clermont (535): Asynod was held in modernClermont-Ferrand which limited the rights ofCatholicbishops to appeal to the state and which condemned marriage betweenChristians andJews and between relatives. | ||
| 539 | Frankish forces underTheudebert I droveByzantine andOstrogothic armies from their encampments on thePo. | ||
| November | TheFrankish army on thePo, suffering from dysentery, surrendered to theByzantines. | ||
| 548 | Theudebert I died. His sonTheudebald inherited his kingdom. | ||
| 549 | October | Fifth Council of Orléans: Asynod presided over bySacerdos of Lyon inOrléans condemnedNestorianism andsimony. | |
| 554 | Battle of the Volturnus (554): AByzantine force cut off and destroyed a jointFrankish-Ostrogothic army at their camp on theVolturno. | ||
| 555 | Theudebald died, childless. His kingdom passed toChlothar. | ||
| Garibald, head of the frankischAgilolfing noble family becomes the firstDuke of Bavaria | |||
| 558 | 13 December | Childebert I died without male heirs.Chlothar inherited his kingdom. | [28] |
| 560 | December | Conomor,king ofDomnonée, who had allied withChlothar's sonChram against him, was killed in battle by Chlothar's forces. | |
| 561 | Chram was captured and executed. | ||
| 29 November | Chlothar died of pneumonia. His kingdom was divided among his surviving sonsCharibert I,Guntram,Sigebert I andChilperic I. | ||
| 567 | December | Charibert I died. His kingdom was divided among his brothersGuntram,Chilperic I andSigebert I, the latter of whose domains become known asAustrasia, the eastern land, with its capital atMetz. | |
| 575 | Sigebert I died. He was succeeded by his young sonChildebert II, with his wifeBrunhilda of Austrasia acting as regent. | ||
| 577 | Guntram's sons died of dysentery. | ||
| 584 | September | Chilperic I was stabbed to death. His infant sonChlothar II the Great, the Young inherited his kingdom under the regency of his motherFredegund. | |
| 587 | Guntram andBrunhilda agreed to theTreaty of Andelot, according to which the former adoptedChildebert II as his son and heir. | ||
| 591 | Childebert II appointedTassilo I of Bavariaking ofBavaria. | ||
| 592 | 28 January | Guntram died. His kingdom passed toChildebert II. | |
| 595 | Childebert II died.Austrasia was divided between his two sonsTheudebert II andTheuderic II. | ||
| 599 | Theudebert II expelledBrunhilda from his kingdom. | ||
| Theuderic II declared war onTheudebert II. |
| Year | Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 602 | TheDuchy of Gascony was created as a buffer state against theVascones and theVisigothic Kingdom. | ||
| 612 | Theuderic II capturedTheudebert II in battle in modernZülpich. | ||
| Theudebert II was killed in captivity along with his son onBrunhilda's orders.Theuderic II inherited his kingdom asking of unifiedAustrasia. | |||
| 613 | Theuderic II died of dysentery. His young bastard sonSigebert II becameking ofAustrasia under the regency ofBrunhilda. | ||
| Chlothar the Great invadedAustrasia. The Austrasianmayor of the palaceWarnachar II recognized him as regent and ordered the army not to resist. | |||
| Brunhilda,Sigebert II and Sigebert's brother were executed onChlothar the Great's orders. The latter annexedAustrasia. | |||
| 614 | 18 October | Chlothar the Great issued theEdict of Paris. Among its provisions, the edict bannedJews from holding royal office and granted the nobility the exclusive power to appoint royal officers. | |
| 617 | Chlothar the Great made the office of themayor of the palace a lifetime appointment. | ||
| 623 | Chlothar the Great donatedAustrasia to his sonDagobert I. | ||
| Dagobert I tookArnulf of Metz, thebishop of theRoman Catholic Diocese of Metz, as an adviser and appointed theAustrasian noblePepin of Landen hismayor of the palace. | |||
| 629 | 18 October | Chlothar the Great died. | |
| Dagobert I laid claim toChlothar the Great's territory with the exception ofAquitaine, which he left to his half-brotherCharibert II. | |||
| Dagobert I dismissedPepin of Landen asmayor of the palace. | |||
| 631 | Battle of Wogastisburg: An invadingFrankish army was defeated bySamo's Empire. | ||
| Dagobert I established theDuchy of Thuringia on the former territory of theThuringii. | |||
| 632 | Charibert II was killed on the orders ofDagobert I. | ||
| Charibert II's infant sonChilperic of Aquitaine was killed on the orders ofDagobert I, who established theDuchy of Aquitaine on his territories with thepatricianFelix of Aquitaine asduke. | |||
| The nobility ofAustrasia joined a revolt led byPepin of Landen. | |||
| 634 | January | Dagobert I cededAustrasia to his young sonSigebert III, withAdalgisel acting as coregent andmayor of the palace of Austrasia and thebishopCunibert acting as coregent. | |
| 639 | 19 January | Dagobert I died. His kingdom passed to his young sonClovis II, with his wifeNanthild acting as regent. | |
| Pepin of Landen replacedAdalgisel asmayor of the palace ofAustrasia. | |||
| 640 | 27 February | Pepin of Landen died. | |
| Otto (mayor of the palace) was appointedmayor of the palace ofAustrasia. | |||
| 643 | Otto was murdered bydukeLeuthari II on the orders ofPepin of Landen's sonGrimoald the Elder, who succeeded him asmayor of the palace ofAustrasia. | ||
| 650 | Synod of Rouen: ACatholicsynod was held inRouen which again condemnedsimony. | ||
| 656 | 1 February | Sigebert III died.Grimoald the Elder tonsured Sigebert's sonDagobert II and declared his own sonChildebert the Adopted, whom Sigebert III had adopted while still childless,king ofAustrasia. | |
| 657 | 27 November | Clovis II died. His kingdom passed to his young sonChlothar III, under the regency of his wifeBalthild. | |
| 661 | Chlothar III conqueredAustrasia and executedGrimoald the Elder andChildebert the Adopted. | ||
| 662 | Chlothar III cededAustrasia to his young brotherChilderic II and appointedWulfoald his regent andmayor of the palace. | ||
| 673 | Chlothar III died. His younger brotherTheuderic III inherited his kingdom with the support of hismayor of the palaceEbroin. | ||
| Childeric II invaded and annexedTheuderic III's kingdom. | |||
| 675 | Childeric II was killed along with his wifeBilichild and a son, Dagobert, by a conspiracy of nobles. | ||
| Theuderic III reclaimed his kingdom. | |||
| Clovis III becameking ofAustrasia. | |||
| 676 | Clovis III died. | ||
| Dagobert II becameking ofAustrasia with the support ofWulfoald. | |||
| 679 | 23 December | Dagobert II was murdered, probably onEbroin's orders.Theuderic III inherited his kingdom. | |
| 680 | Wulfoald died. | ||
| Pepin of Herstal, the son ofArnulf's sonAnsegisel andPepin of Landen's daughterBegga, becamemayor of the palace ofAustrasia. | |||
| 687 | Battle of Tertry:Austrasian forces loyal toPepin of Herstal defeated the invading army ofTheuderic III at modernTertry, Somme. Pepin of Herstal accepted Theuderic's unification of theFrankish kingdoms on the condition that he replaceBerchar as hismayor of the palace. | ||
| Pepin of Herstal took the titleDuke of the Franks. | |||
| 690 | Battle of Dorestad: AFrankish force conqueredDorestad from theFrisian Kingdom. | ||
| 691 | Theuderic III died. He was succeeded by his young sonClovis IV. | ||
| 695 | Clovis IV died. He was succeeded by his young brotherChildebert III the Just. | ||
| Pepin of Herstal appointed his sonsDrogo of Champagne andGrimoald the Youngermayors of the palaces in Neustria and Burgundy, respectively. |
| Year | Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 708 | Drogo died. | ||
| 711 | 24 April | Childebert the Just died. His young sonDagobert III succeeded him asking of theFranks. | |
| 714 | Grimoald the Younger was assassinated. | ||
| 16 December | Pepin of Herstal died. His sonTheudoald succeeded him asmayor of the palace ofAustrasia and in the west, with his motherPlectrude as regent. | ||
| 715 | Dagobert III appointedRagenfridmayor of the palace in the west. | ||
| 26 September | Battle of Compiègne: Forces loyal toRagenfrid defeated an army loyal to the youngTheudoald, forcing him to flee toCologne. | ||
| Pepin of Herstal's illegitimate sonCharles Martel was acclaimedmayor of the palace ofAustrasia by the Austrasian nobility. | |||
| Dagobert III died. He was succeeded byChilperic II, his cousin and a son ofChilderic II. | |||
| 716 | Battle of Cologne: AFrisian army joined by the forces ofChilperic II conqueredCologne inAustrasia, forcingCharles to flee to theEifel and compellingPlectrude to accept Chilperic II as king. | ||
| Battle of Amblève:Charles defeated the forces ofFrisia andChilperic II atAmel. | |||
| 717 | 21 March | Battle of Vincy:Charles dealtChilperic II a decisive defeat at modernLes Rues-des-Vignes and subsequently declaredChlothar IVking ofAustrasia. | |
| 718 | Battle of Soissons (718):Charles defeated the armies ofChilperic II andAquitaine atSoissons. Chilperic II fled to Aquitaine. | ||
| Charles recognizedChilperic II as king of theFranks in exchange for his appointment asmayor of the palace with extensive powers. | |||
| Chlothar IV died. | |||
| 719 | Umayyad invasion of Gaul: TheUmayyad Caliphate conqueredNarbonne. | ||
| 721 | 13 February | Chilperic II died. He was succeeded byDagobert III's sonTheuderic IV. | |
| Battle of Toulouse (721): AnAquitainian force broke anUmayyad siege ofToulouse. | |||
| 732 | Battle of the River Garonne: AnUmayyad army wiped out anAquitainian force on theGaronne. | ||
| 10 October | Battle of Tours:Charles, joined by theDuchy of Aquitaine and theKingdom of the Lombards, dealt a decisive defeat to theUmayyad Caliphate near modernVouneuil-sur-Vienne.Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi, the Umayyad governor ofal-Andalus, was killed. | ||
| 734 | Battle of the Boarn: AFrankish army led byCharles defeated and annexed theFrisian Kingdom and killed itsking,Bubo, Duke of the Frisians. | ||
| 736 | Battle of Nîmes:Charles destroyed theUmayyadSeptimanian cities ofNîmes,Agde,Béziers and what is nowVilleneuve-lès-Maguelone. | ||
| 737 | Battle of Avignon:Charles breached and burned theUmayyad-held city ofAvignon. | ||
| Battle of Narbonne (737):Charles besieged but failed to capture theUmayyad-held city ofNarbonne. | |||
| Battle of the River Berre:Charles intercepted and destroyed anUmayyad army sent to relieve his siege ofNarbonne near theÉtang de Berre. | |||
| Theuderic IV died.Charles prevented his succession. | |||
| 740 | Charles divided his lands between his two elder sonsCarloman andPepin the Short, the former ruling asking in the east and the latter in the west. | ||
| 741 | 22 October | Charles died. | |
| 742 | 21 April | Concilium Germanicum: Asynod called byCarloman and presided over bySaint Boniface settled some issues ofCatholic ritual and organization. TheRule of Saint Benedict became mandatory inFrankish monasteries. | |
| 743 | Childeric III was appointedking of theFranks. | ||
| 746 | Council of Cannstatt:Carloman executed theAlemanni nobility, numbering in the thousands, in modernStuttgart. | ||
| 747 | 15 August | Carloman retired to live as a monk inRome. His sonDrogo succeeded him asmayor of the palace. | |
| 751 | March | ThepopePope Zachary deposedChilderic III asking of theFranks at the urging ofPepin the Short. | |
| An assembly ofFrankish nobles electedPepin the Shortking. | |||
| 752 | Siege of Narbonne (752–59):Pepin the Short laid siege toNarbonne, still held by forces loyal toYusuf ibn 'Abd al-Rahman al-Fihri, governor ofAl-Andalus under the defunctUmayyad Caliphate. | ||
| 753 | Drogo was tonsured and forced to live in a monastery. | ||
| 755 | Pepin the Short closed or nationalized the private mints and fixed pence and shillings to the silverFrench denier. | ||
| 756 | Pepin the Short gave theDonation of Pepin, territories ceded by theKingdom of the Lombards under military pressure, to thepope,Pope Stephen II. | ||
| 759 | Siege of Narbonne: The defenders ofNarbonne opened the city gates to theFranks. | ||
| 768 | 24 September | Pepin the Short died. His kingdom was divided between his sonsCharlemagne andCarloman I, with the latter receiving territories including theParis Basin, theMassif Central,Provence, southernAustrasia andAlsace. | |
| 770 | Charlemagne marriedDesiderata of the Lombards, a daughter ofDesiderius, theking of theKingdom of the Lombards. | ||
| 771 | 4 December | Carloman I died. His widowGerberga, wife of Carloman I fled with his two sons to theKingdom of the Lombards. | |
| Charlemagne repudiated his marriage toDesiderata. | |||
| 772 | 1 February | Pope Stephen III died.Pope Adrian I was elected to succeed him aspope. | |
| Adrian demanded thatDesiderius cede to thePapal States the territory surrendered in 756. | |||
| Saxon Wars:Charlemagne invaded the territory of theSaxons and destroyed their sacred symbolIrminsul nearPaderborn. | |||
| 773 | September | Siege of Pavia (773–74):Charlemagne laid siege to theLombard capitalPavia. | |
| 774 | June | Siege of Pavia (773–74):Desiderius opened the gates ofPavia and surrendered toCharlemagne. | |
| 10 July | Charlemagne was crowned with theIron Crown of Lombardyking of theLombards atPavia. | ||
| 776 | Charlemagne established theMarch of Friuli on the territory of the oldDuchy of Friuli. | ||
| 778 | 15 August | Battle of Roncevaux Pass: ABasque force attacked and decimatedCharlemagne's army in theRoncevaux Pass. | |
| 781 | 15 April | Charlemagne appointed his sonPepin of Italyking ofItaly. | |
| 782 | Battle of Süntel: ASaxon force led byWidukind defeated aFrankish expedition. | ||
| October | Massacre of Verden:Charlemagne had some forty-five hundredSaxon captives murdered at modernVerden an der Aller. | ||
| 785 | Saxon Wars: TheSaxon leaderWidukind converted toChristianity and pledged fealty toCharlemagne. | ||
| Charlemagne issued theCapitulatio de partibus Saxoniae, a legal code which, among other clauses, prescribed the death penalty for anySaxons who refused to convert toChristianity. | |||
| Council of Paderborn: A council held atPaderborn outlawed idolatry and called for the death penalty for anyone who had caused another to be executed for witchcraft. | |||
| 789 | Charlemagne issued theAdmonitio generalis, reforming theChristian liturgy in his empire and calling for the establishment of schools. | ||
| 795 | Charlemagne established theMarca Hispanica between thePyrenees and theEbro. | ||
| 799 | Siege of Trsat:Eric of Friuli, theduke ofFriuli and an officer ofCharlemagne, was killed during a failed siege ofTrsat, inCroatia. | ||
| 26 December | ThepopePope Leo III was assaulted inRome and nearly mutilated before his rescue and flight to theDuchy of Spoleto. | ||
| 800 | November | Charlemagne arrived inRome. | |
| 23 December | Leo took an oath of innocence of the charges of his political enemies.Charlemagne ordered them exiled. | ||
| 25 December | Leo crownedCharlemagneHoly Roman Emperor. |
| Year | Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 802 | Charlemagne issued theCapitularia missorum specialia, defining the office of themissus dominicus, a salaried emissary to the kingdom. | ||
| 803 | Charlemagne issued theLex Saxonum, allowingSaxon customs which were not contradictory toChristianity and granting some rights and protections to the church in the Saxon lands. | ||
| 804 | Charlemagne organized theDuchy of Saxony on the territories of the conqueredSaxons. | ||
| 810 | 8 July | Pepin of Italy died. He was succeeded asking ofItaly by his illegitimate sonBernard of Italy. | |
| 811 | Charlemagne andHemming of Denmark, theking ofDenmark, signed theTreaty of Heiligen, promising peace and fixing their border at theEider. | ||
| 812 | Charlemagne established theMarch of Tuscany. | ||
| 813 | 13 September | Charlemagne crowned his sonLouis the Pious, the Fair, the Debonaire co-Holy Roman Emperor. | |
| 814 | 28 January | Charlemagne died. | |
| 816 | Battle of Pancorbo (816): Forces loyal to theFrankish vassalVelasco the Gascon were routed by theEmirate of Córdoba atPancorbo. | ||
| August | Synods of Aachen (816–819): Asynod was called at thePalace of Aachen inAachen which would conformmonks to theRule of Saint Benedict and separate them fromcanons, who were called to live according to theInstitutio canonicorum Aquisgranensis. | ||
| 817 | Louis the Pious appointed his sonPepin I of Aquitaineking ofAquitaine, his sonLouis the German king ofBavaria, and his sonLothair I co-Holy Roman Emperor with the promise of receiving his other domains. | ||
| 818 | 17 April | Bernard died, two days after being blinded with a hot poker onLouis the Pious's orders.Lothair I inheritedItaly. | |
| 819 | Louis the Pious issued theNotitia de servitio monasteriorum, which listed monasteries in his kingdom and the services they owed the crown. | ||
| 823 | 5 April | Lothair I was crownedHoly Roman Emperor inRome by thepopePope Paschal I. | |
| 824 | Battle of Roncevaux Pass (824): A combinedBasque-Banu Qasi force defeated aFrankish pacifying expedition atRoncevaux Pass. | ||
| 829 | Louis the Pious promised the inheritance ofAlamannia to his sonCharles the Bald. | ||
| 830 | May | A rebellion ofPepin I of Aquitaine,Louis the German andLothair I, instigated in part byWala of Corbie, theabbot ofCorbie Abbey, captured their fatherLouis the Pious atCompiègne and forced their stepmother,Charles the Bald's motherJudith of Bavaria (died 843), into a nunnery. | |
| Pepin I of Aquitaine andLouis the German declared their loyalty to their fatherLouis the Pious againstLothair I in exchange for the promise of a greater portion of his inheritance.Wala was deposed asabbot ofCorbie Abbey andJudith returned to her husband's court. | |||
| 832 | Louis the Pious declaredCharles the Baldking ofAquitaine and promisedLothair I the rest of his kingdom in the face of an uprising byPepin I of Aquitaine andLouis the German. | ||
| 833 | Lothair I joined the rebellion of his brothersPepin I of Aquitaine andLouis the German against his fatherLouis the Pious. | ||
| Louis the Pious met his sonsPepin I of Aquitaine,Louis the German andLothair I and their armies, as well as thepope,Pope Gregory IV, at theField of Lies nearColmar. | |||
| 13 November | Ebbo,archbishop of thearchdiocese ofReims, presided over asynod inSoissons which deposedLouis the Pious asHoly Roman Emperor. | ||
| 834 | 1 April | Louis the Pious was restored asHoly Roman Emperor with the support of theFrankish nobility. | |
| 835 | 2 February | Synod of Thionville:Ebbo publicly recanted his charges againstLouis the Pious at asynod atThionville. | |
| 836 | Louis the Pious appointedLothair Iking only ofItaly; all else was divided betweenPepin I of Aquitaine,Louis the German andCharles the Bald. | ||
| 837 | Louis the Pious crownedCharles the Baldking ofAlamannia and Burgundy, granting him some lands which were before promised toLouis the German. Louis the German rose in revolt; Louis the Pious responded by promising all his lands saveBavaria to Charles the Bald. | ||
| 838 | 13 December | Pepin I of Aquitaine died.Louis the Pious appointedCharles the Baldking ofAquitaine. | |
| 839 | TheAquitainian nobility rebelled in favor ofPepin I of Aquitaine's sonPepin II the Younger of Aquitaine.Louis the German invadedSwabia. | ||
| 840 | Louis the Pious andLothair I agreed to a division of the empire after the former's death, withCharles the Bald inheriting the western part and Lothair I inheriting the eastern, includingItaly. | ||
| Defeated by the forces ofLouis the Pious andLothair I, theAquitainian nobility acceptedCharles the Bald asking of Aquitaine. | |||
| Louis the Pious andLothair I defeated the armies ofLouis the German. | |||
| 23 February | Lothair I andPietro Tradonico,doge of theRepublic of Venice, signed thePactum Lotharii, reiterating earlier agreements between theFranks and theByzantine Empire. | ||
| 20 June | Louis the Pious died.Lothair I claimed the whole inheritance of his territories asHoly Roman Emperor. | ||
| 841 | 25 June | Battle of Fontenoy: The forces ofCharles the Bald andLouis the German dealt a decisive defeat toLothair I andPepin the Younger atFontenoy. | |
| An uprising began amongSaxon peasants who called themselves theStellinga. | |||
| 842 | 12 February | Louis the German andCharles the Bald took theOaths of Strasbourg, in which each pledged to aid the other againstLothair I. Their soldiers pledged not to obey an order counter to this oath. | |
| 843 | August | TheTreaty of Verdun was signed, ending the war betweenCharles the Bald,Lothair I, andLouis the German, who receivedWest Francia,Middle Francia, andEast Francia, respectively.Lothair I retained the titleHoly Roman Emperor. | |
| 844 | 15 June | Lothair I's sonLouis II of Italy was crownedHoly Roman Emperor jointly with his father inRome by thepopePope Sergius II. | |
| 855 | 19 September | Lothair I and his sons signed theTreaty of Prüm inSchüller. On his deathLouis II of Italy was to becomeHoly Roman Emperor andking ofItaly,Lothair II king ofLotharingia, andCharles of Provence king of the rest of his domains. | |
| 29 September | Lothair I died. | ||
| 869 | 8 August | Lothair II died.Lotharingia passed to his brotherLouis II, at that time away at war with theEmirate of Bari. | |
| 870 | 8 August | Louis the German andCharles the Bald signed theTreaty of Meersen, under which they agreed to partitionLotharingia between themselves. | |
| 875 | 12 August | Louis II died. He leftItaly and the title ofHoly Roman Emperor to his cousin,Louis the German's sonCarloman of Bavaria. | |
| Charles the Bald was crownedking ofItaly atPavia with theIron Crown of Lombardy with the support of thepopePope John VIII. | |||
| 29 December | Charles the Bald was crownedHoly Roman Emperor inRome by thepopePope John VIII. | ||
| 876 | 28 August | Louis the German died. His kingdom was divided along ethnic lines among his sonsCarloman of Bavaria,Louis the Younger andCharles the Fat, who received, roughly,Bavaria,Saxony, andSwabia, respectively. | |
| Carloman of Bavaria appointed his illegitimate sonArnulf of Carinthiaduke of Carinthia. | |||
| 8 October | Battle of Andernach (876):Louis the Younger defeated an attemptedWest Frankish invasion ofEast Francia across theRhine nearAndernach. | ||
| 877 | 6 October | Charles the Bald died.Carloman of Bavaria conqueredItaly. West Francia Passed to his son,Louis the Stammerer. | |
| 879 | Carloman of Bavaria was incapacitated, probably by a stroke. | ||
| November | Carloman of Bavaria abdicatedBavaria andItaly to his brothersLouis the Younger andCharles the Fat, respectively. | ||
| 880 | February | Battle of Thimeon:Louis the Younger destroyed aViking camp near modernCharleroi. | |
| February | Louis the Younger signed theTreaty of Ribemont withLouis III of France andCarloman II,kings ruling jointly inWest Francia, recognizing some territorial gains he had made inLotharingia. | ||
| 881 | 12 February | Charles the Fat was crownedHoly Roman Emperor by thepopePope John VIII. | |
| 882 | 20 January | Louis the Younger died. His brotherCharles the Fat inherited his kingdom. | |
| Siege of Asselt: TheViking leaderGodfrid, Duke of Frisia was besieged in his camp in the valley of theMeuse byEast Frankish forces. After converting toChristianity he was granted theKennemerland as a vassal ofCharles the Fat. | |||
| Wilhelminer War: TheWilhelminers rebelled againstAribo of Austria, themargrave of theEast FrankishMarch of Pannonia. | |||
| TheWilhelminers paid homage toArnulf of Carinthia in exchange for his support againstAribo. | |||
| Frankish-Moravian War:Svatopluk I of Moravia, theking ofGreat Moravia, intervened inPannonia on the side ofAribo. | |||
| 884 | 12 December | KingCarloman II ofWest Francia died on a hunting expedition. His cousinCharles the Fat inherited his kingdom. | |
| 885 | 25 November | Siege of Paris (885–86): Some three hundredViking ships arrived atParis. | |
| 886 | October | Siege of Paris (885–86): The army ofCharles the Fat arrived inParis. He allowed theViking fleet to sail to Burgundy, then in revolt. | |
| 887 | November | An assembly ofEast Frankish nobles atTrebur deposedCharles the Fat in favor of his nephewArnulf of Carinthia. | |
| 26 December | Berengar I of Italy, themargrave ofFriulu, was crownedking ofItaly atPavia by the Italian nobility. | ||
| 888 | 13 January | Charles the Fat died. | |
| The nobility inUpper Burgundy electedRudolph I of Burgundyking. | |||
| February | TheCount of ParisOdo of France was crownedking ofFrance atCompiègne following his election by the French nobility. | ||
| 891 | 21 February | ThepopePope Stephen V crownedGuy III of Spoleto, his preferred claimant to the throne ofItaly,Holy Roman Emperor. | |
| September | Battle of Leuven (891): AnEast Frankish force repelled aViking invasion at modernLeuven. | ||
| 892 | 30 April | Guy's sonLambert of Italy was crowned co-Holy Roman Emperor with his father atRavenna by thepope,Pope Formosus. | |
| 894 | 12 December | Guy III died. | |
| 895 | Arnulf of Carinthia appointed his illegitimate sonZwentiboldking ofLotharingia. | ||
| 896 | 21 February | Arnulf of Carinthia, joined byBerengar, conqueredRome fromLambert and freed thepopePope Formosus from his imprisonment in theCastel Sant'Angelo. | |
| 22 February | ThepopePope Formosus crownedArnulf of CarinthiaHoly Roman Emperor. | ||
| 899 | 8 December | Arnulf of Carinthia died. His young sonLouis the Child succeeded him asking ofEast Francia. | |
| 900 | Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin:Hungary conquered theGreat Hungarian Plain and theMarch of Pannonia. | ||
| 13 August | Zwentibold was killed byReginar, Duke of Lorraine. His young half-brotherLouis the Child inherited his kingdom. | ||
| 12 October | Theking ofProvenceLouis the Blind conqueredPavia fromBerengar, and had himself crowned thereking ofItaly with theIron Crown of Lombardy. |
| Year | Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 901 | 22 February | Louis the Blind was crownedHoly Roman Emperor by thepopePope Benedict IV. | |
| 903 | Louis the Child issued theRaffelstetten customs regulations, regulating customs on a bridge in modernAsten. | ||
| 905 | 21 July | Berengar orderedLouis the Blind stripped of his royalItalian and imperial titles and blinded inVerona. | |
| 907 | 6 July | Battle of Pressburg: AnEast Frankish army was wiped out by aHungarian force at modernBratislava during an attempted reconquest ofPannonia. | |
| 908 | 3 August | Battle of Eisenach (908): AnEast Frankish army was dealt a crushing defeat by aHungarian force atEisenach.Burchard, Duke of Thuringia, theduke ofThuringia, was killed. Thuringia was absorbed intoSaxony. | |
| 910 | 12 June | Battle of Lechfeld (910): AHungarian force decisively defeated anEast Frankish army nearAugsburg after a feigned retreat. | |
| 911 | 20 September | Louis the Child died. TheLotharingian nobility, led byReginar, Duke of Lorraine, electedCharles the Simple,king ofFrance, to succeed him. | |
| 10 November | Conrad I the Younger of Germany,duke ofFranconia, was elected king ofEast Francia by the rulers of the other East Frankishduchies, the so-calledstem duchies ofBavaria,Saxony andAlamannia. | ||
| 915 | December | Berengar was crownedHoly Roman Emperor by thepopePope John X. | |
| 918 | 23 December | Conrad died from injuries sustained in battle withArnulf the Bad, Duke of Bavaria, theduke ofBavaria. He was succeeded as duke ofFranconia by his younger brotherEberhard of Franconia. | |
| 919 | 24 May | Henry the Fowler, theduke ofSaxony andConrad's choice, was crownedking ofGermany after his election by the dukes of thestem duchies. | |
| 923 | 15 June | KingCharles the Simple ofLotharingia was captured in battle byFrench forces. | |
| 924 | 7 April | Berengar was murdered by a member of his retinue. | |
| 925 | TheLotharingian nobility, led byGilbert, Duke of Lorraine, electedHenry the Fowler theirking. | ||
| 932 | Synod of Erfurt: Asynod atErfurt decided thatGermany would cease paying tribute toHungary. | ||
| 933 | 15 March | Battle of Riade: AHungarian force camped on theUnstrut was put to flight by aGerman army. | |
| 936 | 2 July | Henry died after a stroke. He was succeeded asduke ofSaxony andking ofGermany by his sonOtto I the Great, Holy Roman Emperor. | |
| Otto the Great created theBillung March, governed byHermann Billung, and theMarca Geronis. | |||
| 937 | 11 July | Rudolph II of Burgundy, theking ofBurgundy, died. | |
| Rudolph II's sonConrad I of Burgundy becameking ofBurgundy with the support ofOtto the Great againstHugh of Italy, the king ofItaly. | |||
| 938 | Otto the Great deposed theduke ofBavariaEberhard, Duke of Bavaria, installing his uncleBerthold, Duke of Bavaria on the condition that asking he retain the right to appointbishops and administer royal property in Bavaria. | ||
| 939 | 2 October | Battle of Andernach: A rebellion ofFranconia andLotharingia againstOtto the Great was decisively defeated atAndernach. Thedukes of Franconia and LotharingiaEberhard of Franconia andGilbert were killed. Otto the Great prevented succession in both duchies and dissolved the former. | |
| 940 | Otto the Great appointed his younger brotherHenry I, Duke of Bavariaduke ofLotharingia. | ||
| 955 | 10 August | Battle of Lechfeld (955):Otto the Great repelled aHungarian invasion on the flood plain of theLech. | |
| 16 October | Battle on the Raxa: AGerman army defeated anObotrite rebellion in theBillung March, probably on theRecknitz. | ||
| 962 | 2 February | Otto the Great was crownedHoly Roman Emperor. | |
| 965 | 20 May | Gero, themargrave of theMarca Geronis, died. Themarch was divided into five: theNorthern March, theSaxon Eastern March, theMargravate of Meissen, theMarch of Zeitz and theMarch of Merseburg. | |
| 967 | 25 December | Otto the Great's young sonOtto II the Red, Holy Roman Emperor was crowned co-Holy Roman Emperor with his father by thepopePope John XIII. | |
| 972 | 24 June | Battle of Cedynia: The forces ofOdo I, Margrave of the Saxon Ostmark, themargrave of theSaxon Eastern March, were decisively repelled by thePolans near theOder, possibly nearCedynia. | |
| 973 | 7 May | Otto the Great died. | |
| 8 May | TheRoman nobility acclaimedOtto the Red his father's successor asHoly Roman Emperor. | ||
| 976 | Otto the Great established theMargraviate of Austria, amarch subordinate toBavaria on the territory of the formerMarch of Pannonia. | ||
| 981 | Wigger I, themargrave ofZeitz, died.Rikdag, the margrave ofMeissen, inherited his territory. | ||
| 982 | 14 July | Battle of Stilo: ASicilian army dealt heavy casualties to aRoman force atCapo Colonna.Gunther, Margrave of Merseburg, themargrave ofMerseburg, died.Rikdag inherited his territory. | |
| 983 | Great Slav Rising: An uprising by thePolabian Slavs overthrewGerman authority in theNorthern March and theBillung March. | ||
| 996 | 3 May | Bruno of Carinthia was electedPope Gregory V. |
| Year | Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1046 | 25 December | Clement II was elected pope. | |
| 1048 | 17 July | Damasus II was elected pope. | |
| 1049 | 12 February | Leo IX was elected pope. | |
| 1055 | 13 April | Victor II was elected pope. | |
| 1057 | 3 August | Stephen IX was elected pope. | |
| 1072 | Agnes of Germany was born. | ||
| 1075 | 28 February | Investiture controversy: A council held at theLateran Palace concluded that popes alone could appoint, remove and transferbishops. | [29] |
| 1077 | 28 January | Walk to Canossa: After fasting outdoors in a blizzard for three days,Holy Roman EmperorHenry IV was allowed to enterCanossa Castle and receive forgiveness fromPope Gregory VII for the illegitimate appointment ofbishops. | |
| 1095 | 27 November | First Crusade:Pope Urban II called on allCatholics to assist theByzantine EmperorAlexios I Komnenos in repelling the invadingSeljuk Empire. | |
| 1096 | Rhineland massacres:Crusaders took part in anti-Jewish violence in theRhineland. | ||
| 1098 | Hildegard of Bingen was born. |
| Year | Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1122 | 23 September | Investiture Controversy:Pope Callixtus II andHoly Roman EmperorHenry V signed theConcordat of Worms, under which it was agreed that Holy Roman Emperors had the right to grantbishops secular authority but not religious authority. | |
| 1143 | 24 September | Agnes died. | |
| 1147 | Northern Crusades: A series of crusades began against thepagan peoples around theBaltic Sea. | ||
| 1152 | 9 March | Frederick I Barbarossa was crownedHoly Roman Emperor. | |
| 1170 | Walther von der Vogelweide was born. | ||
| 1190 | A field hospital was established atAcre which would become the nucleus of theTeutonic Order. | ||
| TheNibelungenlied was written. |
| Year | Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1201 | Valdemar II of Denmark occupiedHamburg. | ||
| 1210 | TheLübeck Cathedral was constructed. | ||
| 1214 | 27 July | Battle of Bouvines: The combined forces ofFlanders,England,Boulogne and theHoly Roman Empire were dealt a decisive defeat by theFrench atBouvines. | |
| 1230 | St. Nicholas' Church was constructed inBerlin. | ||
| 1241 | Lübeck andHamburg formed an alliance. | ||
| 1244 | Freie Stadt Mainz was founded inMainz. | ||
| 1248 | A Fire started inHamburg. | ||
| 1273 | 29 September | Rudolph I was crownedKing of the Romans. | |
| 1290 | Duchy of Cleves capturedDuisburg. | ||
| 1291 | Crusades: The Crusades ended. | ||
| August | The people ofUri,Schwyz and the Lower Valley joined an alliance under theFederal Charter of 1291. | ||
| 1298 | St. Lawrence church was constructed. |
| Year | Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1338 | Theprince-electors of theHoly Roman Empire declared in theDeclaration of Rhense that the election of theHoly Roman Emperor was not subject to the approval of the pope. | ||
| 1356 | TheImperial Diet issued theGolden Bull of 1356, which fixed the offices of the sevenprince-electors and established that theHoly Roman Emperor could be elected by a simple majority vote. | ||
| TheHanseatic League was established. | |||
| 1370 | TheTreaty of Stralsund was signed, ending a war betweenDenmark and theHanseatic League. | ||
| 1392 | TheVictual Brothers were hired by theDuchy of Mecklenburg to assist in its fight againstDenmark. | ||
| 1400 | The period ofMeistersinger lyric poets began. | ||
| The period ofMinnesänger singers ended. |
| Year | Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1410 | 15 July | Battle of Grunwald: TheTeutonic Order was decisively defeated by the combined forces ofPoland andLithuania atGrunwald. | |
| 1414 | Council of Constance: Anecumenical council began which would condemnJan Hus as aheretic, deposeAntipopesJohn XXIII andBenedict XIII, and electPope Martin V. | ||
| 1418 | Council of Constance: The council ended. | ||
| 1455 | TheGutenberg Bible, one of the first books in the West made using moveable type, was first printed byJohann Gutenberg. | ||
| 1471 | 21 May | Albrecht Dürer was born. | |
| 1483 | 10 November | Martin Luther was born. | |
| 1495 | TheImperial Diet established theReichskammergericht, a permanent court of appeal with jurisdiction over the whole of theHoly Roman Empire. | ||
| 1499 | Swabian War: A war between theOld Swiss Confederacy and theHouse of Habsburg took place in which the Swiss would win an exemption from paying taxes to theHoly Roman Empire and participating in theImperial Diet. |
| Year | Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1517 | 31 October | Luther postedthe Ninety-Five Theses, adisputation condemning abuses in theCatholic Church, on the door ofAll Saint's Church inWittenberg. | |
| 1521 | Diet of Worms: AnImperial Diet was held atWorms which would condemnLuther as a heretic. | ||
| 1522 | 9 January | Adrian VI became pope. | |
| 1524 | German Peasants' War: An uprising of German-speaking peasants began. | ||
| 1525 | German Peasants' War: The war ended in the defeat of the peasant army. | ||
| 10 April | Prussian Homage:Grand MasterAlbert of theTeutonic Order resigned his position and was appointed duke ofPrussia by thePolish kingSigismund I the Old. | ||
| 1529 | 19 April | Protestation at Speyer: Sixprinces and the representatives of fourteenfree imperial cities read out their objection to theimperial ban onLuther and his works at theImperial Diet atSpeyer. | |
| Siege of Vienna: TheOttoman Empire was forced to retreat after the failure of their siege ofVienna. | |||
| 1546 | 10 July | Schmalkaldic War: A war began between theSchmalkaldic League ofLutheran principalities and a coalition led by theHoly Roman Empire. | |
| 1547 | 23 May | Schmalkaldic War: The war ended in animperial victory. | |
| 1554 | Moritzbastei was constructed as abastion. | ||
| 1555 | 25 September | ThePeace of Augsburg was signed, granting princes of theHoly Roman Empire the right to determine the state religion within their territories. | |
| 1583 | Beginning of theCologne War. | ||
| 1588 | End of theCologne War. | ||
| 1600 | The period ofMeistersinger lyric poets ended. |
| Year | Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1608 | 14 May | TheProtestant Union, a military alliance ofProtestant German princes, was established under the command ofElectorFrederick IV of thePalatinate. | |
| 1609 | 10 July | TheCatholic League, an alliance ofCatholic German princes, was established. | |
| 1613 | KingJames I ofEngland,Ireland andScotland married his daughterElizabeth Stuart toElectorFrederick V of thePalatinate, leader of theProtestant Union. | ||
| 1618 | Thirty Years' War: A war began which would cause massive devastation and loss of life, primarily in Germany. | [30][31] | |
| 1629 | 6 March | Holy Roman EmperorFerdinand II issued theEdict of Restitution, which demanded that lands expropriated since and in contradiction to the terms of thePeace of Augsburg be restored to theCatholic Church. | |
| 1631 | 20 May | Sack of Magdeburg: Forces under the command of theHoly Roman Empire and theCatholic League breached the walls of theProtestant city ofMagdeburg and murdered some twenty thousand of its thirty thousand inhabitants. | |
| 17 September | Battle of Breitenfeld: The combined forces ofSaxony and theSwedish Empire dealt a decisive defeat to theHoly Roman Empire and its allies nearBreitenfeld. | ||
| 1632 | 16 November | Battle of Lützen: Forces led by theSwedish Empire defeated forces under the command of theHoly Roman Empire nearLützen. The Swedish kingGustavus Adolphus was killed. | |
| 1642 | 23 October | Battle of Breitenfeld: TheSwedish army dealt a decisive defeat to theHoly Roman Empire nearBreitenfeld. | |
| 1648 | Thirty Years' War: ThePeace of Westphalia was concluded, ending the war and grantingSwitzerland and theNetherlands independence from theHoly Roman Empire. | ||
| 1683 | 11 September | Battle of Vienna: The combined forces of thePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and theHoly Roman Empire and their allies broke anOttoman siege ofVienna. | |
| 1686 | TheLeague of Augsburg, a military alliance of European countries, was established to defend thePalatinate fromFrance. | ||
| 1697 | 15 September | Theelector ofSaxony was elected KingAugustus II the Strong of thePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. | |
| 1700 | 17 July | Leibniz founded thePrussian Academy of Sciences. |
| Year | Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1701 | 18 January | Frederick I of Prussia crowned himselfking; theDuchy of Prussia became theKingdom of Prussia. | |
| 1706 | Johann Pachelbel died. | ||
| 1712 | 24 January | Frederick II of Prussia, the Great, was born. | [32] |
| 1716 | 14 November | Gottfried Leibniz died. | [33] |
| 1740 | 11 December | ThePrussiankingFrederick the Great issued an ultimatum toAustria demanding the cession ofSilesia according to the terms of an inheritance treaty. | |
| 16 December | Silesian Wars:Prussia invadedSilesia. | ||
| 1742 | 28 July | Silesian Wars: TheTreaty of Berlin was signed, transferring most ofAustria'sSilesian territories toPrussia and ending the war. | |
| 1745 | 4 June | Battle of Hohenfriedberg: APrussian force led byFrederick the Great decisively defeated the allied armies ofAustria andSaxony, halting the attempted reconquest ofSilesia. | |
| 25 December | Silesian Wars:Prussia,Austria andSaxony signed theTreaty of Dresden, confirming Prussia's sovereignty overSilesia and ending the war. | ||
| 1750 | 28 July | Bach died. | |
| 1756 | 29 August | Third Silesian War (Seven Years' War):Prussia invadedSaxony. | |
| 1763 | 15 February | Third Silesian War:Prussia,Austria andSaxony signed theTreaty of Hubertusburg, ending the war and restoring the three states' prewar borders. | |
| 1786 | 17 August | Frederick the Great died. | [32] |
| 1788 | TheAbitur, a university admission exam, was established in Prussia. | ||
| 1789 | 13 June | French Revolution: The Third Estate of theFrenchEstates General declared itself theNational Assembly. | |
| 1791 | 27 August | Prussia and theHoly Roman Empire issued theDeclaration of Pillnitz, promising to join a coalition to restoreLouis XVI of France to theFrench throne. | |
| 5 December | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died. | ||
| 1792 | 20 April | French Revolutionary Wars:France declared war onAustria. | |
| 25 July | Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, commander of the allied armies ofPrussia andAustria, issued theBrunswick Manifesto, which threatened reprisals againstFrench civilians in the event that the FrenchkingLouis XVI or his family were harmed. | ||
| 1796 | 20 May | Rhine Campaign of 1796:Austria declared that its truce withFrench forces in the area of theRhine was over effective 31 May. | |
| 1797 | 16 November | Frederick William III of Prussia became king of Prussia. | |
| 1799 | 9 November | Coup of 18 Brumaire: Three of the five members of theFrench Directory were persuaded to resign, the other two arrested. |
| Year | Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1802 | 25 March | French Revolutionary Wars:France and theUnited Kingdom signed theTreaty of Amiens, ending the war. | |
| 1803 | 27 April | Francis II, emperor of theHoly Roman Empire, ratified theReichsdeputationshauptschluss, consolidating the states of the Empire especially through the secularization of ecclesiastical lands and abolishment offree imperial cities. | |
| 18 May | Napoleonic Wars: Great Britain declared war onFrance. | ||
| 5 July | TheConvention of Artlenburg, dissolved Hanover and incorporating its territory into France. | ||
| 1804 | 12 February | Kant died. | |
| Friedrich Schiller publishedWilliam Tell. | |||
| 1805 | 9 May | Schiller died. | |
| Napoleonic Wars:Austria joined Britain, Sweden and Russia in theWar of the Third Coalition against France. | |||
| 1806 | 12 July | Sixteen German states established theConfederation of the Rhine, aconfederation andprotectorate of France. | |
| 6 August | Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire:Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor,emperor of theHoly Roman Empire, abdicated his title and released his subjects from their obligations to the empire. | ||
| Napoleonic Wars:Prussia declared war onFrance. | |||
| 14 October | Battle of Jena-Auerstedt:French forces dealt a decisive defeat to a numerically superiorPrussian army atJena andAuerstedt. | ||
| 1807 | ThePrussian ministerHeinrich Friedrich Karl vom und zum Stein published theNassauer Denkschrift, laying out his vision for thePrussian reforms. | [34] | |
| 9 July | France andPrussia signed the second of theTreaties of Tilsit, in which the latter ceded half of its territory toRussia and Frenchclient states. | [35] | |
| 1808 | Johann Gottlieb Fichte published hisAddresses to the German Nation, arguing forGerman nationalism and unity. | [36] | |
| 1810 | Robert Schumann was born. | ||
| TheBrothers Grimm published their first collection of fairy tales. | |||
| 1812 | ThePrussianGeneralfeldmarschallLudwig Yorck von Wartenburg signed theConvention of Tauroggen, establishing an armistice withRussia in contravention of theTreaty of Paris. | ||
| 1813 | 22 May | Richard Wagner was born. | |
| 19 October | Battle of Leipzig: TheFrench army was encircled and forced to retreat fromLeipzig in a battle in which some ninety thousand French and allied troops were killed or injured. | ||
| 1814 | 30 May | War of the Sixth Coalition:France signed theTreaty of Paris, under which it returned to its 1792 borders and theHouse of Bourbon was restored to the French throne, ending the war. | |
| 1815 | 1 April | Otto von Bismarck was born. | |
| 9 June | Congress of Vienna: A conference of twenty-threeambassadors signed a treaty reordering Europe's national boundaries and establishing freedom of navigation on theRhine and theDanube. France was greatly expanded and aGerman Confederation of thirty-four states was established. | ||
| 18 June | Battle of Waterloo: The restoredFrenchemperorNapoleon was dealt a decisive defeat by theUnited Kingdom and its allies atWaterloo. | ||
| 31 October | Karl Weierstrass was born. | ||
| 1816 | 5 May | The constitution of theGrand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach was promulgated. | |
| 1817 | 18 October | Wartburg Festival: A protest of liberal students took place atWartburg. | |
| 1818 | 5 May | Karl Marx was born. | |
| 26 May | TheBavariankingMaximilian I Joseph of Bavaria issued a constitution which established a bicameral legislature, theLandtag of Bavaria, and guaranteed freedom of religion. | ||
| 22 August | The legislature of theGrand Duchy of Baden held its first meeting. | ||
| 1819 | 18 March | Theconservative writerAugust von Kotzebue was fatally stabbed by aliberal theology student,Karl Ludwig Sand. | |
| 20 September | Representatives of the states of theGerman Confederation issued theCarlsbad Decrees, under which each resolved to become involved in instruction and hiring at universities, requireprior restraint on all serial publications, and dissolve student organizations such as the liberalBurschenschaften. | ||
| 1826 | 17 September | Bernhard Riemann was born. | |
| 1827 | 26 March | Beethoven died. | |
| 1828 | 19 November | Schubert died. | |
| 1830 | 7 September | Charles II, Duke of Brunswick was forced by an angry mob to flee the capitalBraunschweig. | |
| 1831 | 14 November | Hegel died. | |
| 1832 | 22 March | Goethe died. | |
| 15 April | Wilhelm Busch was born. | ||
| 27 May | Hambach Festival: A rally began atHambach Castle where participants demonstrated for the liberalization and unification of the German states. | ||
| 1833 | 7 May | Johannes Brahms was born. | |
| 1834 | 1 January | TheZollverein came into existence, merging the Bavaria–Württemberg Customs Union, the Prussia–Hesse-Darmstadt Customs Union and the Thuringian Customs and Commerce Union into a singlecustoms union. | |
| 1837 | TheGöttingen Seven published a document opposing the decision ofErnest Augustus, King of Hanover, to abrogate his country's 1833 constitution. | ||
| 1839 | Belgium, theNetherlands, theUnited Kingdom,Austria,France,Russia and theGerman Confederation signed theTreaty of London, recognizing Belgium's independence and guaranteeing its neutrality. | ||
| 1840 | 7 June | Frederick William died. | |
| 28 June | The educatorFriedrich Fröbel coined the termkindergarten. | ||
| 1841 | The economistFriedrich List published hisNational System of Political Economy. | ||
| 1844 | 15 October | Friedrich Nietzsche was born. | |
| 25 November | Karl Benz was born | ||
| 1848 | 27 February | German revolutions of 1848–49: An assembly inMannheim adopted a resolution demanding a bill of rights. | |
| 24 March | First Schleswig War: EthnicGerman rebels loyal to the provisional government in theDanishduchies ofSchleswig andHolstein captured the government fortress atRendsburg. | ||
| 1 May | German federal election, 1848: Elections were held in the thirty-nine states of theGerman Confederation to a nationalconstituent assembly, theFrankfurt Parliament. | ||
| 1849 | 18 June | German revolutions of 1848–49: The chamber of theFrankfurt Parliament, since reduced to a rump parliament and moved toStuttgart, was occupied by theWürttemberg army. A repression began which would force the liberalForty-Eighters into exile. | |
| 1850 | 30 May | ThePrussian three-class franchise, according to which all males over the age of 24 were allowed to vote for their representatives in the lower house of thePrussian parliament, with votes weighted by amount of taxes paid, was introduced. | |
| 29 November | Prussia andAustria signed thePunctuation of Olmütz, under which the former agreed to the dissolution of the Prussian-ledErfurt Union and the revival of theGerman Confederation under Austrian leadership. | ||
| 1852 | 8 May | First Schleswig War:Austria,France,Prussia,Russia,Sweden,Denmark and theUnited Kingdom signed theLondon Protocol, guaranteeing the nominal independence ofSchleswig andHolstein in personal union with Denmark and ending the war. | |
| 1855 | 23 February | Gauss died. | |
| 1856 | August | Neanderthal remains were discovered inNeandertal. | |
| 1858 | 23 April | Max Planck was born. | |
| 1859 | The reformistAlbrecht von Roon was appointedPrussian minister of war. | ||
| 1863 | 23 May | TheGeneral German Workers' Association was formed. | |
| 1864 | 1 February | Second Schleswig War:Prussia invadedSchleswig. | |
| 30 October | Second Schleswig War:Denmark,Austria andPrussia signed theTreaty of Vienna, placing theduchies ofSchleswig andHolstein under Prussian and Austrian administration, respectively, and ending the war. | ||
| 1866 | 14 June | Austro-Prussian War:Prussia declared war onAustria. | |
| 3 July | Battle of Königgrätz:Prussian forces broke anAustrian line and dealt them a decisive defeat at modernHradec Králové. | ||
| 20 July | Riemann died. | ||
| 18 August | Prussia and fifteen smallernorthern German states signed theNorth German Confederation Treaty, transferring their armed forces to the North German Confederation under the command of the PrussiankingWilliam I, German Emperor. | ||
| 23 August | Austro-Prussian War:Prussia andAustria signed thePeace of Prague, in which the latter agreed to some small territorial concessions and the dissolution of theGerman Confederation, ending the war. | ||
| 1870 | 10 March | Deutsche Bank was established. | |
| 16 July | Franco-Prussian War:France declared war onPrussia. | ||
| 10 December | TheReichstag of the North German Confederation renamed the North German Confederation the German Empire. | ||
| 1871 | 18 January | William was crownedemperor of the German Empire in theHall of Mirrors atVersailles. | |
| 21 March | Minister PresidentOtto von Bismarck ofPrussia was appointedChancellor of the German Empire. | [37] | |
| 1872 | 11 March | Kulturkampf: The School Supervision Act was passed, transferring all religious schools to state control. | [38] |
| 1873 | 22 October | Germany joined theLeague of the Three Emperors, a conservative alliance withRussia andAustria-Hungary aimed at preserving those nations' interests inEastern Europe. | |
| Roon resigned from thePrussianMinistry of War. | |||
| 1875 | 6 June | Thomas Mann was born. | |
| 1878 | 13 July | Congress of Berlin: TheUnited Kingdom,Austria-Hungary,France, the German Empire,Italy,Russia and theOttoman Empire signed theTreaty of Berlin (1878), granting independence to the former Ottoman territories ofRomania,Serbia andMontenegro and autonomy to afederalBulgaria. | |
| 1879 | 7 October | Germany andAustria-Hungary joined a mutual defense treaty, theDual Alliance. | |
| 1880 | July | Kulturkampf: The First Mitigation Law was passed, resuming government payments toPrussiandioceses. | |
| 16 December | First Boer War:Boer rebels laid siege to aBritish fort atPotchefstroom. | ||
| 1882 | 20 May | Italy joined theTriple Alliance with Germany andAustria-Hungary. | [39] |
| 3 September | Hugstetten rail disaster | ||
| 1883 | 13 February | Wagner died. | |
| 14 March | Marx died. | ||
| 1884 | 15 November | Berlin Conference: A conference was convened inBerlin to formalize the practice of territorial claims inAfrica by the participating powersAustria-Hungary,Belgium,Denmark,France, theUnited Kingdom,Italy, theNetherlands,Portugal,Spain,Sweden-Norway, theOttoman Empire and the United States. | |
| 1886 | Automobiles with gasoline-powered internal combustion engines were produced independently byKarl Benz andGottlieb Daimler. | ||
| 1887 | 18 June | Germany andRussia signed the secretReinsurance Treaty, in which each promised benevolent neutrality in the event the other should go to war. | |
| 1889 | 20 April | Adolf Hitler was born. | |
| 1890 | 20 March | Bismarck was dismissed asChancellor.[37] | |
| 1 July | Germany and theUnited Kingdom signed theHeligoland–Zanzibar Treaty, under which Germany renounced its claims overZanzibar in exchange for the strategic island ofHeligoland. | [40] | |
| 1891 | ThePan-German League was established. | ||
| 1892 | Rudolf Diesel invented the Diesel engine. | ||
| 1896 | 3 January | The GermanemperorWilhelm II, German Emperor sent theKruger telegram topresidentPaul Kruger of theSouth African Republic, congratulating him on the successful repulsion of theJameson Raid. | |
| 1897 | 19 February | Weierstrass died. | |
| 3 April | Brahms died. | ||
| 1898 | 30 July | Bismarck died. | |
| 1899 | 11 October | Second Boer War: TheSouth African Republic and theOrange Free State declared war on theUnited Kingdom. | |
| 1900 | 25 August | Nietzsche died. |
| Year | Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1905 | 31 March | First Moroccan Crisis:Wilhelm met with repreesentitives of theMoroccansultanAbdelaziz of Morocco inTangier in support of Moroccan sovereignty. | |
| Field marshalAlfred von Schlieffen, chief of theGerman General Staff, developed theSchlieffen Plan, a plan for the quick invasion and conquest ofFrance throughBelgium and theNetherlands in the event of a two-front war. | |||
| 1906 | 7 April | Algeciras Conference: Germany,Austria-Hungary, theUnited Kingdom,France,Russia,Spain, the United States,Italy,Morocco, theNetherlands,Sweden,Portugal andBelgium signed the final act of the conference, which limited Moroccan spending and placed French and Spanish officers in charge of its police. | |
| 1908 | 9 January | PoetWilhelm Busch died. | |
| 1911 | 1 July | Agadir Crisis: The German gunboatSMS Panther arrived at theMoroccan port ofAgadir. | |
| 1913 | 6 November | Saverne Affair: Two localSaverne papers reported on offensive comments made by a localPrussian military officer. | |
| 1914 | Albert Einstein moved toBerlin. | ||
| 28 July | World War I:Austria-Hungary declared war onSerbia. | ||
| 4 August | World War I: TheUnited Kingdom declared war on Germany. | ||
| Blockade of Germany: TheUnited Kingdom established ablockade of war materiel and foodstuffs bound for Germany. | |||
| 30 August | Battle of Tannenberg: The German8th Army decisively defeated aRussian force nearOlsztyn, practically destroying the Russian2nd Army. | ||
| 9 September | First Battle of the Marne:French forces met the invading1st and2nd Armies of the German Empire at theMarne. | ||
| 1915 | 22 April | Second Battle of Ypres: The German army released chlorine gas against theFrench line atYpres. | |
| 1916 | 31 May | Battle of Jutland: TheBritishGrand Fleet and the GermanHigh Seas Fleet met in battle in theNorth Sea, at a cost of some ten thousand lives and several ships sunk. | |
| 4 June | Brusilov offensive: TheRussian Empire launched an offensive across theEastern Front in theAustrianKingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria which would cost some half million Russian casualties and over a million German and Austrian casualties. | ||
| 1 July | Battle of the Somme: ABritish force drove the German2nd Army behind its first line of defense at a cost of some sixty thousand casualties. | ||
| 24 October | Battle of Verdun: TheFrenchSecond Army consolidated control overFort Douaumont inDouaumont, ending major operations in a battle which cost as many as one million French and German casualties. | ||
| TheTurnip Winter begins—a period of famine in which the German people were driven to subsist on turnips. | |||
| 1917 | 1 February | The German navy introducedunrestricted submarine warfare, in which submarines sought to destroy surface ships without warning. | |
| TheTurnip Winter ended. | |||
| 1918 | 21 March | German spring offensive: German forces attacked the BritishFifth Army and broke their line in northern France. | |
| 8 August | Hundred Days Offensive: An allied force of primarily French, British and American troops drove back the German line atAmiens. | ||
| 9 November | German Revolution of 1918–1919:Wilhelm abdicated his titles asGerman Emperor and king of Prussia. | ||
| 10 November | German Revolution of 1918–1919: TheCouncil of the People's Deputies, a body elected from theworkers' councils of Berlin, introduced sweeping liberal reforms including the elimination of thePrussian three-class franchise and women's suffrage. | ||
| 17 November | World War I: A German delegation signed theArmistice of 11 November 1918, promising an immediate cessation of hostilities, significant territorial concessions, and the surrender of Germany's war materiel. | ||
| 1919 | 15 January | Spartacist uprising: Government andFreikorps troops put down an uprising in Berlin by theMarxistSpartacus League, killing some hundred and fifty insurgents. Their leadersKarl Liebknecht andRosa Luxemburg were murdered extrajudicially a few days later.[41] | |
| 11 February | German presidential election, 1919:Friedrich Ebert of theSocial Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) was electedpresident by theWeimar National Assembly, with seventy-three percent of the vote. | ||
| 6 April | Ernst Toller declared the establishment of aBavarian Council Republic inBavaria. | ||
| 28 June | Paris Peace Conference, 1919: Representatives of some thirty world powers signed theTreaty of Versailles, under which Germany was forced to disarm, give up its colonies, make substantial territorial concessions, and pay reparations to theAllies. | ||
| 14 August | TheWeimar Constitution came into force. The Weimar Republic succeeded the German Empire. | ||
| 1920 | 13 March | Kapp Putsch: TheFreikorpsMarinebrigade Ehrhardt occupiedBerlin.Wolfgang Kapp of thenational conservativeGerman National People's Party (DNVP) declared himselfchancellor. The coup attempt collapsed on 18 March. | |
| Ruhr uprising: TheCommunist Party of Germany, theCommunist Workers' Party of Germany, theIndependent Social Democratic Party of Germany and theFree Workers' Union of Germany together established theRuhr Red Army in an attempt to set up a soviet-style government.Freikorps and regular troops defeated the Red Army with considerable loss of life. | |||
| 1921 | June | Hyperinflation in the Weimar Republic:Inflation of thePapiermark (Mark) began in response to the first reparations payment to theAllies under the terms of theTreaty of Versailles. | |
| 1922 | 16 April | Germany andRussia signed theTreaty of Rapallo, in which each renounced all territorial and financial claims against the other and pledged to normalize relations. | |
| 1923 | 11 January | Occupation of the Ruhr:France invaded the valley of theRuhr. | |
| 13 August | Gustav Stresemann of thenational liberalGerman People's Party was appointedchancellor andminister for foreign affairs. | ||
| 8 November | Beer Hall Putsch:Nazi Party chairmanAdolf Hitler led some six hundredSturmabteilung (SA) to theBürgerbräukeller inMunich, where they heldBavarian state officialsGustav Ritter von Kahr,Hans Ritter von Seisser andOtto von Lossow at gunpoint to demand they support a Nazi coup. | ||
| 1924 | August | Germany and theTriple Entente agreed to theDawes Plan negotiated by head of the United StatesBureau of the Budget chiefCharles G. Dawes, under which theFrench andBelgian occupation of theRuhr valley was ended and the reparation payment schedule restructured. | |
| 1925 | 16 October | The last of theLocarno Treaties, under whichFrance,Belgium and Germany settled their borders and pledged not to attack each other, was signed. | |
| 1926 | 8 September | Germany joined theLeague of Nations. | |
| 1929 | 31 August | TheAllies accepted theYoung Plan, which reduced Germany's war reparations and allowed it to defer a greater portion, which would accrue interest due to a consortium of American banks. | |
| 3 October | Gustav Stresemann died. | ||
| 29 October | Wall Street crash of 1929: TheDow Jones Industrial Average dropped twelve percent in a trading session of record volume. | ||
| 1930 | 14 September | German federal election, 1930: TheSPD retained a plurality of seats in theReichstag. TheNazi Party gained ninety-five seats. | |
| 1933 | 30 January | Hitler was appointedchancellor at the head of aNazi-DNVP coalition. | |
| The process ofGleichschaltung, in which the government dismantled non-Nazi parties and societies, began. | |||
| 27 February | Reichstag fire: TheReichstag building was burned. TheDutchcouncil communistMarinus van der Lubbe was caught at the scene and confessed. | ||
| 28 February | PresidentPaul von Hindenburg issued theReichstag Fire Decree, suspending most civil liberties. | ||
| 24 March | TheEnabling Act of 1933, which granted the cabinet the power to make laws, was passed and signed in the presence of armed members of theSA andSchutzstaffel (SS). | ||
| 20 July | Vice-chancellorFranz von Papen of Germany andcardinal secretary of statePope Pius XII of theHoly See signed theReichskonkordat, which requiredbishops to swear loyalty to thepresident of Germany. | ||
| 1934 | 30 June | Night of the Long Knives:SS paramilitaries killed at least eighty-five potential threats toHitler's power, includingSA headErnst Röhm andGregor Strasser, head of theleft wing of theNazi Party. | |
| 1 August | Hitler issued a law merging the powers of thepresidency into the office of thechancellor. | ||
| 2 August | Hindenburg died from lung cancer. | ||
| 1935 | 16 March | German re-armament:Hitler announced that Germany would rebuild its military, in violation of theTreaty of Versailles. | |
| 1936 | 7 March | Remilitarisation of the Rhineland: German troops entered theRhineland in violation of theTreaty of Versailles. | |
| 1936 Summer Olympics: Germany won the greatest number of gold, silver and bronze medals at the Olympics, held inBerlin.Black AmericanJesse Owens won four gold medals, the highest individual total. | |||
| 1938 | 12 March | Anschluss: German troops enteredAustria. | |
| 9 November | Kristallnacht: Apogrom took place in whichSA paramilitaries and German civilians destroyedJewish businesses and at least ninety-one were killed. | ||
| 1939 | 23 August | TheMolotov–Ribbentrop Pact was signed, promising mutual non-aggression between Germany and theSoviet Union and agreeing to a division of much ofEastern Europe between those two countries. | |
| 1 September | Invasion of Poland: Germany invadedPoland. | ||
| 22 December | Genthin rail disaster | ||
| 1940 | 9 April | Operation Weserübung: Germany invades Denmark and Norway. | |
| 10 May | Case Yellow: Germany invades the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and France. | ||
| 22 June | Armistice of 22 June 1940 with France | ||
| 1941 | Konrad Zuse built theZ3. | ||
| 6 April | Invasion of Yugoslavia | ||
| German invasion of Greece | |||
| 22 June | Operation Barbarossa: German forces invade theSoviet Union. | ||
| 1942 | 20 January | Wannsee Conference: A government conference was held to discuss the implementation of theFinal Solution, the extermination ofEuropeanJewry. | |
| 23 August | TheBattle of Stalingrad begins. | ||
| 1943 | 2 February | TheBattle of Stalingrad ends, resulting in the destruction of the German6th Army (Friedrich Paulus). | |
| 1944 | 6 June | Normandy landings: Allied forces (including contingents from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada) disembark on five landing grounds in German-occupiedNormandy, reopening theWestern Front of World War II. | [42] |
| 1945 | 20 March | Thefirst Arnsberg Forest massacre starts, killing 71 Polish and Russianprisoners of war. Two more massacres would occur over the next three days, killing 208 people in total. | |
| 30 April | Death of Adolf Hitler:Hitler committed suicide by gunshot in theFührerbunker inBerlin. | ||
| 8 May | German Instrument of Surrender: World War II ends in Europe (VE Day). | ||
| 23 May | TheFlensburg Government aroundKarl Dönitz andLutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk is detained by British forces. | ||
| Heinrich Himmler commits suicide. | |||
| 26 June | TheChristian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) was founded. | ||
| 2 August | Potsdam Conference: Britishprime ministerClement Attlee,presidentHarry S. Truman of the United States andJoseph Stalin, thegeneral secretary of theSovietCommunist Party, issued thePotsdam Agreement atCecilienhof inPotsdam. The parties agreed that Germany would be returned to its 1937 borders with some additional cessions to the Soviet Union and ratified its division into British,French, American and Soviet occupation zones. | ||
| 1946 | 29 March | The first of theAllied plans for German industry after World War II, which called for the reduction of German industrial capacity, was issued by theAllied Control Council. | |
| 3 September | U.S. PresidentHarry S. Truman approvesOperation Paperclip (de facto ongoing since 1945) in a secret directive. | ||
| 6 September | United Statessecretary of stateJames F. Byrnes read the speechRestatement of Policy on Germany, clarifying his nation's desire for economic recovery in Germany and guaranteeing its borders. | ||
| 1947 | 4 October | Planck died. | |
| 1948 | 20 June | Ludwig Erhard, the appointed economic director of theBizone, introduced theDeutsche Mark. | |
| 24 June | Berlin Blockade: TheSoviet Union blockedWestern Bloc access toWest Berlin by road and rail. | ||
| 25 June | Berlin Blockade: United States cargo planes began shipping food and medical supplies toWest Berlin. | ||
| 12 December | TheFree Democratic Party (FDP) was established. | ||
| 1949 | 12 May | Berlin Blockade: TheSoviet Union lifted the blockade. | [43] |
| 23 May | West Germany was founded. | ||
| 14 August | West German federal election, 1949: TheCDU andChristian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU) won a narrow plurality of seats in theBundestag. | ||
| 15 September | Konrad Adenauer of theCDU becamechancellor ofWest Germany. | ||
| 7 October | East Germany was founded. | ||
| 1950 | Wirtschaftswunder:The Times first used the termWirtschaftswunder to refer to the rapid postwar economic growth ofWest Germany andAustria. | ||
| 1951 | 18 April | TheInner SixEuropean nations includingWest Germany signed theTreaty of Paris establishing theEuropean Coal and Steel Community, asingle market in coal and steel governed by supranational institutions. | |
| 1952 | 26 May | East Germany strengthened its border protection regime along theInner German border. | |
| TheGeneral Treaty, which grantedWest Germany the "authority of asovereign state", was signed by West Germany,France, the United States and the United Kingdom. | |||
| 1953 | 16 June | Uprising of 1953 in East Germany: In response to a 10 percent increase in work quotas, between 60 and 80 construction workers went on strike inEast Berlin. Their numbers quickly swelled and a general strike and protests were called for the next day. | |
| 17 June | Uprising of 1953 in East Germany: 100,000 protestors gathered at dawn, demanding the reinstatement of old work quotas and, later, the resignation of theEast German government. At noon German police trapped many of the demonstrators in an open square;Soviet tanks fired on the crowd, killing hundreds and ending the protest. | ||
| 1954 | 4 July | 1954 FIFA World Cup Final:West Germany defeated the heavily favoredHungarian national team in the final match of theFIFA World Cup inBern. | |
| 1955 | 9 May | West Germany joined theNorth Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a collective defense organization. | |
| 14 May | Albania,Bulgaria,Czechoslovakia,East Germany,Hungary,Poland,Romania and theSoviet Union established theWarsaw Pact, a collective defense organization. | ||
| 12 August | Mann died. | ||
| 1959 | 20 June | Lauffen bus crash | |
| 1961 | 13 August | Construction began on theBerlin Wall betweenEast andWest Berlin. | |
| 1963 | 16 October | Erhard becamechancellor ofWest Germany. | |
| 1964 | November | TheNational Democratic Party of Germany (NPD) was established. | |
| 1966 | 1 December | Erhard resigned. | |
| Kurt Georg Kiesinger of theCDU was electedChancellor ofWest Germany in coalition with theSPD. | |||
| 1967 | 2 June | The unarmed studentBenno Ohnesorg, a member of theGerman student movement, was shot and killed byKarl-Heinz Kurras, aBerlin Police inspector andEast German spy, while protesting the state visit ofshahMohammad Reza Pahlavi ofIran. | |
| 6 July | Langenweddingen level crossing disaster | ||
| 1968 | 30 May | TheGerman Emergency Acts were passed, amending theBasic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany to allow for the restriction of certain freedoms in the event of an emergency, and marking a major political defeat for theGerman student movement. | |
| 1969 | 21 October | Willy Brandt of theSPD was electedchancellor ofWest Germany. | |
| 1970 | 5 June | TheMarxist–Leninist terrorist group theRed Army Faction (RAF) was founded. | |
| 19 June | The voting age for participation inWest German federal elections was lowered from twenty-one to eighteen. | [44] | |
| 12 August | West Germany and theSoviet Union signed theTreaty of Moscow, in which the former recognizedEast Germany and renounced its claims on historical German territory east of theOder–Neisse line. | ||
| 7 December | West Germany andPoland signed theTreaty of Warsaw, in which both parties pledged to remain at peace and the former again affirmed its recognition of the border at theOder–Neisse line. | ||
| 1971 | 27 May | Dahlerau train disaster | |
| 3 September | France, the United Kingdom, the United States and theSoviet Union signed theFour Power Agreement on Berlin, in which all parties pledged peace and the latter pledged to continue to allow trade and communication betweenWest Berlin andWest Germany. | ||
| 1972 | 26 August | 1972 Summer Olympics: The Olympic games opened inMunich, inWest Germany. | |
| 5 September | Munich massacre: Eight members of theBlack September Organization snuck into the Olympic Village inMunich and took nine members of theIsraeli team hostage. | ||
| 21 December | East andWest Germany signed theBasic Treaty, in which each recognized the other's sovereignty. | ||
| 1973 | 18 September | East andWest Germany were admitted to theUnited Nations (UN). | |
| 1974 | 16 May | Helmut Schmidt of theSPD was electedchancellor ofWest Germany. | |
| 7 July | 1974 FIFA World Cup Final:West Germany beat theNetherlands national team in the final match of theFIFA World Cup inMunich, inWest Germany. | ||
| 1982 | Germany wins theEurovision Song Contest 1982, marking their first win byNicole with 'Ein Bißchen Frieden' | ||
| 1 October | Helmut Kohl of theCDU becamechancellor ofWest Germany. | ||
| 1987 | September | Erich Honecker, the general secretary of the ruling party ofEast Germany, theSocialist Unity Party of Germany, paid a state visit toWest Germany. | |
| 1989 | 4 September | Monday demonstrations in East Germany: A peaceful demonstration began inLeipzig, inEast Germany, which called for democracy and the right of citizens to travel abroad. | |
| 9 November | The checkpoints on theBerlin Wall were opened. | ||
| 1990 | 8 July | 1990 FIFA World Cup Final:West Germany beat theArgentine national team in the final match of theFIFA World Cup inRome. | |
| 12 September | TheTreaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany was signed byEast andWest Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom,France and theSoviet Union. The latter four renounced all rights they held in Germany. | ||
| 3 October | German reunification: FiveEast German states acceded toWest Germany.Berlin became the capital of Germany. | ||
| 1992 | 7 February | TheMaastricht Treaty establishing theEuropean Union (EU) was signed by twelveEuropean countries including Germany. | |
| 1993 | 14 May | Alliance '90/The Greens was established from the merger ofAlliance 90 and the Green Party. | |
| 1994 | TheFederal Constitutional Court held that theBundeswehr could take part inUN peacekeeping operations outsideNATO territory. | ||
| 1998 | 3 June | Eschede train disaster | |
| 27 October | Gerhard Schröder of theSPD becamechancellor at the head of a coalition withAlliance '90/The Greens. | ||
| 1999 | 24 March | NATO bombing of Yugoslavia:NATO forces began bombing theFederal Republic of Yugoslavia in support of theKosovo Liberation Army. | |
| 2000 | 1 June | Expo 2000: Aworld's fair was held inHanover. |
| Year | Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 1 January | PhysicalEuro currency was introduced. TheDeutsche Mark lost its status as legal tender in Germany. | |
| 2005 | 19 April | Pope Benedict XVI was electedpope. | |
| 22 November | Angela Merkel of theCDU becamechancellor in coalition with theCSU andSPD. | ||
| 2006 | 9 June – 9 July | 2006 FIFA World Cup: The 2006FIFA World Cup was held in Germany. | |
| 22 September | Lathen train collision | ||
| 2008 | 14 September | Sebastian Vettel wins theItalian Grand Prix, marking him F1's youngest winner. | |
| 2009 | 27 September | German federal election, 2009: Elections were held to theBundestag. TheSPD lost seventy-six seats; theCDU-CSU coalition and theliberalFree Democratic Party of Germany (FDP) gained. | [45] |
| 2010 | 23 April | European debt crisis:Greece requested a loan from theEU and theInternational Monetary Fund. | |
| 29 May | Germany wins theEurovision Song Contest 2010, withLena and 'Satellite'. This was their second win. | ||
| 2010 | 14 November | Sebastian Vettel wins theAbu Dhabi Grand Prix and theChampionship, marking him F1's youngest world champion. | |
| 2012 | 18 March | 2012 German presidential election:Joachim Gauck was elected Federal President. | |
| 2013 | 22 September | German federal election, 2013: Elections were held to theBundestag. TheFDP failed to meet the electoral threshold. TheCDU-CSU coalition and theSPD both gained seats. | |
| 2014 | 17 March | TheEU instituted travel bans and asset freezes against individuals connected with the Russian invasion ofCrimea. | |
| 13 July | 2014 FIFA World Cup Final: Germany defeated theArgentine national team in the final match of theFIFA World Cup in extra time inRio de Janeiro. | ||
| 2014 | 12 October | Mercedes wins their first championship against Red Bull inRussia, despitetensions betweenHamilton andRosberg. | |
| 2015 | InEuropean migrant crisis migrants number in Germany increase up to 1.5 million in 2015. | ||
| 2016 | 9 February | Bad Aibling rail accident | |
| 19 December | 2016 Berlin terror attack on a Christmas market, killing 13 and injuring 55. | ||
| 2017 | 19 March | Frank-Walter Steinmeier became Federal President. | |
| 30 June | Same-sex marriage was legalized by German parliament, effective 1 October. | [46] | |
| 24 September | German federal election, 2017: Elections were held to the Bundestag. The ruling coalition ofCDU/CSU andSPD took significant losses, withAfD, entering parliament for the first time, the main winner.FDP re-entered parliament, bringing the overall number of political parties in the Bundestag up to six. | ||
| 19 November | After an initial refusal by theSPD to continue the previous governing coalition, the attempt byCDU/CSU,Alliance 90/The Greens andFDP to form aJamaica coalition failed with the withdrawal by the FDP aroundChristian Lindner. | [47] | |
| 2018 | 14 March | Angela Merkel was elected to her fourth term as chancellor (364/688 votes in the Bundestag), forming theFourth Merkel cabinet.Olaf Scholz (SPD) became Vice Chancellor. | |
| 7 April | 2018 Münster attack: 3 civilians and the perpetrator were killed. | ||
| 7 December | Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer becomes the newCDU chairwoman.Angela Merkel did not candidate again after 18 years at the party leadership. | ||
| 2019 | British troops in Germany that stayed there since World War II are expected to leave. | ||
| 2020 | 19 February | Hanau shootings | |
| 24 February | Volkmarsen ramming attack | ||
| 22 August | Russian opposition activistAlexei Navalny arrives in Berlin for medical treatment. | ||
| 29 August | Right-wing rioters attempt to storm theReichstag building. | [48] | |
| 3 September | 2020 Solingen killings | ||
| 4 October | 2020 Dresden knife attack | ||
| 2021 | 15–16 January | January 2021 CDU leadership election:Armin Laschet defeatsFriedrich Merz andNorbert Röttgen to become CDU leader. | |
| 25 June | 2021 Würzburg stabbing | ||
| 26 September | German federal election, 2021: Elections were held to the Bundestag. TheSPD, led byOlaf Scholz, emerged the strongest party (25.7%) ahead ofCDU/CSU (24.1%), led byArmin Laschet. | ||
| 8 December | Following coalition negotiations between SPD, Greens, and FDP, atraffic light coalition was formed between the three parties, instating theScholz cabinet withOlaf Scholz (SPD) as Germany's ninth chancellor since 1949. | [49] | |
| 4–16 December | December 2021 CDU leadership election:Friedrich Merz defeatsNorbert Röttgen andHelge Braun to become CDU leader. | ||
| 2022 | 24 January | Heidelberg University shooting | |
| 2023 | 15 April | Germany phased out all ofits nuclear power plants. | [50][51] |
| 2025 | 23 February | 2025 German federal election:Friedrich Merz was elected as chancellor | |
| 2028 | TheFehmarn Belt Fixed Link connectingDenmark and Germany would be fully constructed. | ||
| 2040 | Trans-European Transport Networks is expected to finish construction, connecting southern Italy and Germany. |
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