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Roman Republic
- 50s BC: Rome conquers the area south of the river Rhine.
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Chamavi
- after 50s BC: Part of the area north of the Roman border is populated by the Chamaves.
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Frisii
- 50s BC: Large parts of the area north of the Roman border are ruled by the Frisii.
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| Roman Empire
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Gallic Empire
- 260: The region becomes part of the seccessionist Gallic Empire.
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Roman Empire
- 274: The Gallic Empire is reincorporated into the Roman Empire.
- 297: The Roman Empire allows the Salian Franks to settle south of the border.
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Franks
- 200s: Germanic tribes north of the border, including the Chamaves, merge into the Frankish tribes.
- 300s: Franks enter the Roman Empire as allies.
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- 395: After the death of emperor Theodosius I, the Roman Empire is partitioned in the (Eastern) Roman Empire and the (Western) Roman Empire. Germania becomes part of the Western part of the Empire.
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- 400s: The Franks develop into a dominant Germanic tribes at the border of the Roman Empire in present-day Netherlands and Germany. Merovech becomes king of the Salian Franks.
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- 410s: Rome abandons the region, the Franks enlarge their rule into present-day Belgium and Luxembourg, followed by France.
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| Kingdom of the Franks
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Kingdom of Frisia
- c. 600: Audulf is attested as king of Frisia.
- c. 680: Redbad befomes ruler of Frisia. At the end of his rule, most of Frisia is conquered by the Franks.
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- 734: The Franks led by Carolus Martellus defeat the Frisian ruler Bubo and annex Frisia west of the Lauwers.
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| Kingdom of the Middle Franks
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Kingdom of Lotharingia
- 855: With the partition of Middle-Francia, the region becomes part of Lotharingia.
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Kingdom of the East Franks[1]
- 870: Lotharingia becomes part of East Francia.
- 885: Inside Lotharingia Gerolf becomes the first count of Frisia west of the Vlie
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Kingdom of Lotharingia
- 895: The kingdom of Lotharingia is restored.
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Duchy of Lotharingia
- 903: Lotharingia is continued as duchy.
- 911: After the election of Konrad as king of East Francia, duke Reginar attaches Lotharingia to king Carolus III of West Francia.
- 922: Carolus III is overthrown in West Francia by Robert I, but remains king in Lotharingia.
- 923: Carolus III is overthrown and Lotharingia becomes a fief of East Francia.
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| Duchy of Lower Lotharingia
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County of Frisia west of the Vlie
- 900s: One of the feudal rulers is Dirk II of Frisia west of the Vlie.
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| County of Zeeland
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County of Frisia
- 1006: Liduolf becomes count of Frisia
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| Prince-Bishopric of Utrecht
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County of Wassenberg.
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Lordship of Zutphen
- 1018: Otto of Hammerstein becomes the first lord of Zutphen.
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County of Holland
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County of Guelders
- 1096: Count Gerard I becomes the first count of Guelders.
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- 1101: Lord Otto II is raised in rank to count.
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Frisia
- 1101: Frisia is without feudal lord and is ruled by itself.
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- 1138: Count Hendrik I becomes by heritage count of Zutphen and integrates it into Guelders.
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Duchy of Brabant
- 1183: Duke Hendrik I of Brabant acquieres part of what is now North Brabant.
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- 1167: Zeeland is a de facto condominium between Flanders and Holland.
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- 1213-1221: Holland takes part in a crusade that is defeated by the Arabs.
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- 1247: Count Willem II becomes also count of Zeeland. That year becomes anti-king of the Germans.
- 1254: Willem II is recognized as the king of the Germans.
- 1256: Willem II commences a war war with Frisia.
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- 1247: Count Willem II of Holland becomes count of Zeeland.
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- 1299: After the death of count Jan I, count Jan II of Hainaut becomes also count of Holland and Zeeland. The war with Frisia ends with the annexation of West Frisia.
- 1345: After the death of count Willem IV Marguerite, married with emperor Ludwig IV becomes countess of Holland, Zeeland and Hainaut.
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Duchy of Guelders
- 1339: Count Reinoud II is raised in rank to duke of Guelders.
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- 1383: After his death Brabant and Luxembourg are separated. His wife Johanna becomes sole duchess.
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- 1396-1422: Count Albert resumes the Friso-Hollandic War with a large scale military campaign. The war ends in 1422 with a truce.
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- 1423: The personal union with Jülich ends.
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The Netherlands
- 1432: Duke Philippe III of Burgundy becomes also count of Holland and Zeeland. He unites Brabant, Limburg, Flanders, Hainaut, Holland and Zeeland, and Namur into the (Burgundian) Netherlands. Burgundy develops into a more or less de facto independent state nominally part of France and the Holy Roman Empire.
- 1443: Philippe III becomes by conquest duke of Luxembourg, uniting them with other Netherlands entities.
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- 1482: Maximilian is succeeded by his son Philipp IV under guardianship of Maximilian until 1494.
- 1506: Philipp IV becomes by marriage king Felipe of Castile. He dies the same year and is succeeded by Karl as duke of Burgundy.
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Duchy of Guelders
- 1492: Karel II conquers Guelders and Zutphen and restores its independence.
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- 1488: Albert III of Saxony becomes ruler of Frisia.
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- 1502: The Guelders War between duke Karel II of Guelders and duke Filips of Burgundy takes place.
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- 1504: Philipp IV becomes by marriage king Felipe of Castile.
- 1506: He dies and is succeeded by his son Karl as duke of Burgundy.
- 1516: Karl becomes as Carlos I also king of Spain.
- 1519: Karl becomes as Karl V Holy Roman Emperor and archduke of Austria.
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- 1521: Karl V grants the Austrian lands to his younger brother Ferdinand I, whereby the personal union with Spain ends. He remains as duke of Burgundy ruler of the Netherlands.
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- 1517: Duke Karel II of Guelders becomes lord of Frisia.
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- 1517: Duke Karel II of Guelders becomes lord of Frisia.
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- 1536: Karel of Guelders loses Groningen and Drenthe to the Habsburgian Netherlands.
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- 1542-1543: After a short war, duke Wilhelm cedes Guelders to emperor Karl V.
- 1552: King Henri II of France declares war on emperor Karl V with the intent of recapturing Italy. Part of the war takes part in the Netherlands.
- 1555: Karl V abdicates in the Netherlands and is succeeded by his son Felipe II as ruler of the Netherlands.
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Spanish Netherlands → Spain
- 1556: Felipe II becomes king of Spain and brings the Netherlands under Spanish rule.
- 1566: With resistance by protestants against the catholic Spanish rule starts the Eighty Years' War between Spain and the northern Netherlands.
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- 1579: The states general of the Spanish Netherlands split and part of it continues als states-general of the rebellion in the protestant north, founding the Union of Utrecht.
- 1580: With the Treaty of Plessis-les-Tours duke François of Anjou becomes sovereign of the Netherlands.
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Republic of the Seven United Netherlands
- 1581: Holland together with Guelders, Zeeland, Utrecht, Groningen, Friesland en Drenthe secede from the Spanish Netherlands and establishes an unrecognized republic, led by Willem I, prince of Principality of Orange, de facto separated from the Holy Roman Empire. This is disputed by Spain during the Eighty Years' War from 1568 until 1648.
- 1583: Duke François withdraws after resistance in the Netherlands.
- 1585: England supports with a military expedition the rebels in the Netherlands. It leads to a war between England and Spain.
- 1593: The states general becomes the sovereign of the Netherlands. It consists of representatives of the provincial states. The function of stadtholder develops into a of de facto hereditary head of state. Each province has a stadtholder. Holland, Utrecht, Zeeland and Guelders share most of the time the stadtholder, making him the effective leader of the Republic. Prince Maurits of Orange, son of Willem I, became stadtholder of Holland in 1585.
- 1500s: The Netherlands start colonizing the coast of the Americas, Africa and Asia.
- 1602: The Netherlands get into war with Portugal, ruled by Spain, over the possessions of colonies.
- 1604: The Treaty of London ends the hostilities between England and Spain.
- 1609: The Netherlands and Spain agree to a truce.
- 1618: The Netherlands intervene in the Thirty Years' War to support the protestant states in Germany and the war with Spain resumes.
- 1630: The Netherlands conquer part of Brazil and establish Dutch Brazil.
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- 1648: The Peace of Westphalia ends the Eighty Years' War, the Netherlands independence outside the Holy Roman Empire is recognized. The Netherlands become de jure independent, both from Spain and from the Holy Roman Empire. The north of Brabant, Limburg and Flanders become part of the Netherlands.
- 1649: After the death of stadtholder prince Willem II the first First Stadtholderless Period begins. The republic is led by the grand pensionary.
- 1652: Johan de Witt becomes grand pensionary.
- 1654: Portugal conquers Dutch Brazil. The Treaty of Westminster ends the first First Anglo-Dutch War (since 1642) between the Netherlands and England.
- 1655: The Netherlands annex New Sweden from Sweden.
- 1658: The Netherlands conquer Portuguese Ceylon.
- 1661: The Treaty of The Hague ends the war with Portugal with a Portuguese victory in South America and Africa and a Dutch victory in the East.
- 1662: Dutch Formosa is conquered by China.
- 1664: England conquers New Netherland.
- 1665: The Netherlands and England commence the Second Anglo-Dutch War where England tries to end the Dutch domination of world trade.
- 1667: The Treaty of Breda ends the war after a Dutch victory. The Netherlands receive Suriname and cede New Netherland to England.
- 1672: England, France, Münster and Cologne declare war on the Netherlands. Brandenburg, Austria and Spain join the Netherlands as allies. Orangists take power by force and depose de Witt, who is lynched by an organized mob. Prince Willem III of Orange takes power as stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Gelderland, and Overijssel.
- 1674: After an initial defeat, the Netherlands succeed in driving back the English, French and allied forces. The Treaty of Westminster ends after a Dutch victory the war between England and the Netherlands.
- 1675: Denmark, the Netherlands, Brandenburg-Prussia and the Holy Roman Empire gets into war with Sweden and France. It is mainly fought in Scania and Northern Germany. The war ends with the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye.
- 1678: The Treaties of Nijmegen end after a French victory the war between France and the Netherlands and its allies. France wins territories in the Southern Netherlands.
- 1688: King James II of England is ousted by the English parliament and the throne of England and Scotland is offered jointly to his protestant daughter Mary and her husband prince-stadtholder Willem III. After king Louis XIV of France crosses the Rhine an grand alliance of Austria and the Holy Roman Empire, the Netherlands, Spain, England and Savoy gets into the War of the Grand Alliance with France.
- 1697: The Treaty of Rijswijk ends the War of the Grand Alliance.
- 1701: After the death of king Carlos II of Spain, his succession is disputed between Philippe of Anjou and Karl VI of Habsburg. In the following War of the Spanish Succession. Philippe is supported by France. Karl is supported by amongst others the Dutch Republic.
- 1702: After the death of Willem III the personal union ends. The provinces abolish the office. Count Johan Willem Friso of Nassau-Diez becomes prince of Nassau-Orange. He becomes also Stadtholder of Friesland and Groningen
- 1713: The Treaty of Utrecht ends the War of the Spanish Succession.
- 1715: France conquers Mauritius.
- 1718: King Felipe V of Spain claims as grandson of Louis XIV the French throne. This leads to the War of the Quadruple Alliance with an alliance of France, Austria and the Holy Roman Empire, the Netherlands, England and Savoy.
- 1720: The war ends with victory of the alliance, confirmed with the Treaty of The Hague. Prussia sells the Brandenburger Gold Coast colony to the Netherlands.
- 1740: The Netherlands support the succession of Maria Theresia as archduchess of Austria and her husband Franz Stefan as Holy Roman Emperor.
- 1747: Prince Willem IV of Orange, stadtholder of Friesland and Guelders, prince of Nassau-Dillenburg, becomes hereditary stadtholder-general of all the provinces.
- 1748: The Treaty of Aachen ends the War of the Austrian Succession.
- 1787: A revolt against the rule of stadhouder prince Willem V is defeated after an intervention of Prussia.
- 1793: France declares war on Great Britain and the Netherlands.
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Batavian Republic
- 1795: After an invasion of exiles led by Herman Willem Daendels, prince-stadtholder Willem V is overthrown. The office of stadholder is abolished and the Netherlands are continued as the revolutionary Batavian Republic, a French client state. The Netherlands cede Ceylon and the Cape Colony to Great Britain.
- 1796: The Batavian Republic gets a parliament elected by limited suffrage. The rotating president of the parliament is head of state.
- 1798: Unitarian Democrats led by Pieter Vreede stage a coup d'état. They are overthrown the same year by Herman Willem Daendels. A collective government is formed and a new parliament is formed elected by limited suffrage. The parliament elects the government.
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Batavian Commonwealth
- 1801: After another coup d'état under French pressure, the Batavian Republic is renamed. A new collective government is installed. The parliament gets limited powers and is formed in indirect elections.
- 1802: The United Kingdom cedes the Cape Colony to the Batavian Republic.
- 1805: The Batavian Commonwealth gets an executive grand-pensionary, Rutger Jan Schimmelpenninck, and a parliament elected by the provincial executives.
- 1806: The United Kingdom conquers the Cape Colony.
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Kingdom of Holland
- 1806: The same year the Batavian Commonwealth is abolished by France. The brother of emperor Napoleon, Louis Bonaparte becomes as Lodewijk king of Holland. Holland gets a parliament whose members are appointed by the king.
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French Empire
- 1810: Napoleon dissolves the Kingdom of Holland and Holland is annexed to France.
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| Sovereign Principality of the United Netherlands
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Kingdom of the Netherlands
- 1815: With the Final Act of the Congress of Vienna prince Willem I acquieres the former Austrian Netherlands and Liège and becomes king Willem of the Netherlands in a personal union with Luxembourg. He loses Nassau-Orange to the dukes of Nassau. The United Kingdom is confirmed in control of the Dutch colonies Cape Colony, Tobago and Ceylon. The Dutch East Indies are restored to the Netherlands. Napoleon Bonaparte overthrows Louis XVIII and restores the empire. He is [Battle of Waterloo|defeated at Waterloo]] by the allied forces and abdicates. After the unification with the Southern Netherlands, the Netherlands get a bicameral parliament consisting out of a chamber elected by the provincial legislatures and an appointed senate.
- 1830: Belgium secedes from the Netherlands.
- 1839: The secession of Belgium is recognized. The province of Limburg has between 1839 and 1866 a special status in a personal union but is de facto ruled as a provinces
- 1848: After revolutions in other countries, the Netherlands become a constitutional monarchy. The chamber is elected in free elections directly on a limited suffrage. The senate is elected by the provincial legislatures. The government is responsible to the parliament.
- 1872: The Netherlands cede the Dutch Gold Coast to the United Kingdom.
- 1890: After the death of king Willem III, the personal union with Luxembourg ends.
- 1917: The Netherlands introduce universal male suffrage.
- 1918: A socialist revolution fails due to a lack of support.
- 1919: The Netherlands introduce universal suffrage.
- 1920: The Netherlands are a founding member of the League of Nations.
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German Empire
- 1940: Nazi Germany invades and conquers as part of World War II the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. The government goes into exile.
- 1944: The allied forces of the the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, the Free French, and Poland launch an invasion of Normandy, creating a third Front.
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Kingdom of the Netherlands
- 1944: Part of the Netherlands is liberated. The Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg establish the Benelux Union.
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