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- 2.000 BC: The Balts arrive in present-day Lithuania.
- First centuries AD: Lithuania is populated by Baltic tribes like the Lithianians, the Old Prussians and Yotvingians.
- 900s: The Lithuanian tribe is thought to have developed more recognizably.
- 1009: The name of Lithuania is mentioned for the first time in the Annals of Quedlinburg.
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Duchy of Lithuania
- 12th century: The Duchy of Lithuania is established in present-day Lithuania, populated by Baltic tribes.
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Grand Duchy of Lithuania
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State of the Teutonic Order
- 1252: The Teutonic Order founds a castle at Memel, inhabited by Baltic tribes.
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Kingdom of Lithuania
- 1251: Mindaugas is crowned king of Lithuania.
- 1258/1259: A Mongol army incurses against Lithuania.
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Grand Duchy of Lithuania[1]
- 1263: After he murdered Mindaugas, Treniota, his nephew, becomes grand duke.
- 1264: Treniota is overthrown by Vaišvilkas, son of Mindaugas.
- 1267: The Galician leader Švarno Dakylovyč becomes grand duke.
- c. 1270: He is overthrown by Traidenis from the house of Mindaugas.
- 1275: The Golden Horde raids Lithuania.
- 1285: Butigeidis of the house of Gediminas becomes grand duke.
- 1307: Lithuania annexes Polotsk and Turov.
- 1315: Lithuania annexes Grodno.
- 1320: Lithuania annexes Vitebsk.
- 1323: After prince Oleg of Pereyaslav has been defeated by grand duke Gediminas, Pereyaslavl is annexed.
- 1336: Lithuania annexes Turov and Pinsk (1336).
- 1340: After the poisoning of prince Boleslaw-Yuri II of Galicia, both Lithuania and Kingdom of Poland advances claims over the principality, which leads to an armed conflict.
- 1349: Lithuania annexes part of Volhynia.
- 1360: Lithuania annexes Kursk.
- 1362: Kiev and Toropets are annexed.
- 1368-1372: Grand duke Algirdas intervenes in the war between Tver and Moscow. In the Treaty of Lyubutsk Algirdas agrees with prince Dmitrij Donskoj to stop the war.
- 1381–1384: The Lithuanian Civil War between the cousins Jogaila and Vytautas ends with a reconciliation. Jogaila remains grand duke.
- 1385: With the Union of Krewo Jogaila becomes as Władysław II Jagiełło king of Poland and a dynastic union between Poland and Lithuania is established. His brother Skirgaila becomes regent of Lithuania on his behalf.
- 1386: Grand duke Jogaila is baptized Władysław II Jagiełło and becomes by marriage with Jadwiga Andegaweńska also king of Poland, creating the Jagiellonian dynasty.
- 1389–1392: Skirgaila proves unpopular and Vytautas attempts to depose him, which leads to another Lithuanian Civil War with Jogaila.
- 1392: The war ends with Jogaila appointing Vytautas as regent-grand duke of Lithuania. Lithuania is governed by regent-grand dukes until 1447.
- 1400/1425: Lithuania annexes Mezetsk.
- 1401: The Pact of Vilnius and Radom reaffirms the Union of Krewo and grants autonomy to Lithuania. Lithuania annexes Chernigov and Novgorod-Seversk.
- 1404: Lithuania annexes Smolensk.
- 1406: Lithuania annexes Starudob.
- 1407: Lithuania annexes Vorotynsk and Belyov.
- 1408: Chernigov and Novgorod-Seversk fall to Moscow.
- 1409: The Teutonic Order attacks Poland and Lithuania.
- 1410: The Teutonic and Livonian orders are defeated at Grunwald by Lithuania and allies.
- 1411: The Peace of Thorn ends the war.
- 1413: With the Union of Horodło Lithuania gets more autonomy and the right to have an own grand duke.
- 1414: The short Hunger War between Poland and Lithuania against the Teutonic Order ends in a stalemate.
- 1420: Chernigov and Novgorod-Seversk fall to Lithuania.
- 1422: The Treaty of Melno ends the Gollub War between Poland and Lithuania with the Tuetonic Order.
- 1425: Lithuania annexes Novosil.
- 1432: The Union of Grodno reinforces the union between Poland and Lithuania.
- 1443: Lithuania takes part in a crusade to defend the Byzantine Empire against the Ottoman Empire, defeated by the Ottomans at Varna.
- 1447: Regent-grand duke Kazimieras becomes as Kazimierz IV king of Poland.
- 1492: Poland and Lithuania have separate rulers, the brothers Jan I Olbracht in Poland and Aleksandras in Lithuania.
- 1493: Grand prince Ivan III of Russia commences a war with grand duke Aleksandras Jogailaitis of Lithuania over the possession of the region at the Oka river. The next year Lithuania loses territory to Russia.
- 1500: Ivan III stages a new war with Aleksandras Jogailaitis, leading after a victory at Vedrosha and further fightings to further losses of territory to Russia in 1503.
- 1501: After the death of Jan I, Aleksandras becomes as Aleksander king of Poland, restoring the personal union.
- 1503: Chernigov and Novgorod-Seversk fall to Moscow.
- 1506: Poland and Lithuania are invaded by Tatars from the Crimean Khanate.
- 1507: Mykolas Glinskis leads a rebellion against the new grand duke Žygimantas. When grand prince Vasilij III of Moscow stages a war against Žygimantas, Glinskis joins the Russians.
- 1508: Both the Russians and the rebels are defeated.
- 1512: Vasily III commences a new war with Poland-Lithuania.
- 1514: Moscow conquers Smolensk. With the victory at Orsha Lithuania stops the further expansion of Moscow into its dominion.
- 1522: The war between Moscow and Lithuania ends with a truce.
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Duchy of Prussia
- 1525: The state is secularized and continued by Prussia.
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- 1534-1537: After the death of Vasilij, Žygimantas commences a war to regain the lost territories. The war ends after little gains with a truce.
- 1558: Russia commences the Livonian War to conquer present-day Estonia and Latvia against Poland-Lithuania, Sweden and Denmark.
- 1561: With the Treaty of Vilna the Livonian Order is subordinated to Poland-Lithuania.
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Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth[2]
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- 1697: With the election of elector Friedrich August II of Saxony as ruler of Poland-Lithuania under the name August II/Augustas II a period of personal union between Poland-Lithuania and Saxony starts
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Kingdom of Prussia
- 1701: Prussia becomes part of the Kingdom of Prussia.
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Russian Empire
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- 1792: In reaction to the new constitution an alliance of Polish nobles and Russia stage a war. The Russian victory leads to the second partition of Poland, in which Russia annexes large parts Lithuania.
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- 1792: In reaction to the new constitution an alliance of Polish nobles and Russia stage a war. The Russian victory leads to the second partition of Poland, in which Russia annexes large parts Lithuania.
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- 1795: In a reaction to an uprising Russia, Prussia and Austria decide to wipe out Poland-Lithuania and with the third partition they divide the country between themselves. Present-day Lithuania is mainly annexed to Russia.
- 1831: An uprising in Poland and Lithuania since 1830 is defeated at Warsaw.
- 1864: An uprising, started in 1863, of Polish and Lithuanian insurgents is crushed by Russia.
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Northern German Confederation
- 1867: Prussia joins Northern Germany.
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German Empire
- 1871: Prussia joins the German Empire.
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- 1914: After Austria declares war on Serbia, Russia declares war on Austria-Hungary and Germany. World War I is a fact.
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Russian Republic
- 1917: After the revolutions commence in Russia, several entities are established on the territory of Russia.
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Kingdom of Lithuania
- 1918: Russia pulls out of the war with the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. The same year Germany and the other Central Powers are defeated. The Kingdom of Lithuania is seceded from Russia as a German client state.
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Republic of Lithuania
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Memel Territory
- 1920: Memel is seceded from Germany as a League of Nations mandate.
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- 1920: Lithuania elects a constituent assembly elected in free multi-party elections on a universal suffrage. An acting president is appointed. Poland defeats the Lithuanians. During the war the Polish general Lucjan Żeligowski conquers Vilnius and establishes Central Lithuania as a client state of Poland.
- 1921: Lithuania joins the League of Nations.
- 1922: Lithuania gets a parliament elected in free multi-party election. The parliament elects the president. The government is responsible to the parliament.
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Republic of Central Lithuania
- 1920: During the war the Polish general Lucjan Żeligowski conquers Vilnius and establishes Central Lithuania as a client state of Poland.
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- 1923: As a consequence of a revolt, Memel is annexed to Lithuania. Perloja is divided between Lithuania and Poland.
- 1924: Memel has a governor appointed by the president of Lithuania, an elected parliament and a government appointed by the president of Lithuania. The government is responsible to the Memel parliament.
- 1926: A coup d'état brings Antanas Smetona to power.
- 1927: An democratic uprising fails.
- 1934: A coup d'état by the fascist Iron Wolf fails.
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Republic of Poland
- 1923: After the parliamentary elections of 1922, the parliament decides to submit to Poland. On request of the parliament, Central Lithuania is incorporated into Poland.
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German Empire
- 1939: Memel is annexed to Nazi Germany.
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- 1939: Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union sign the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact. Lithuania is forced to accept Soviet bases in their countries. Central-Lithuania is occupied by the Soviet Union, which cedes it to Lithuania.
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Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic
- 1940: The Soviet Union invades and annexes Lithuania. It is continued as the Lithuanian SSR, a Soviet puppet state.
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Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
- 1940: Lithuania becomes a constituent state of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR, Soviet Union).
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German Empire
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Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
- 1944: The Soviet Union conquers Lithuania and the Lithuanian SSR is restored. A rebellion starts, which lasts until the 1950s.
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Republic of Lithuania
- 1990: Lithuania secedes from the Soviet Union. In reaction the Soviet Union attacks Lithuanian border posts.
- 1991: After a referendum Lithuania becomes independent. Lithuania gets a president and a parliament elected in free multi-party elections on a universal suffrage. The parliament elects the president. The government is responsible to the parliament. Lithuania joins the United Nations.
- 2004: Lithuania joins the European Union.[3]
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