- 22000–10000 B.C. Paleolithic people create some of the world’s earliest art with rock carvings of animals in the valley of the Côa River.
- 210 B.C. The Romans invade the peninsula, meeting fierce resistance from the Celtiberian people.
- 60 B.C. During the reign of Julius Caesar, Portugal is fully integrated into the Roman Empire.
- A.D. 409 Invaders from across the Pyrenees arrive, establishing a Visigothic empire that endures for some 2 centuries.
- 711 Moorish warriors arrive in Iberia and conquer Portugal within 7 years.
- 1065 Ferdinand, king of León and Castile, sets about reorganizing his western territories into what is now modern Portugal.
- 1143 Afonso Henríques is proclaimed the first king of Portugal and begins to drive the Moors out of the Algarve.
- 1249 Afonso III completes the Reconquista of the Algarve, as Christians drive out the Moors.
- 1279-1325 Reign of Dinis, the Poet King. Castile recognizes Portugal's borders.
- 1385 Battle of Aljubarrota. João de Avis defeats the Castilians and founds the House of Avis to rule Portugal.
- 1415 Henry the Navigator sets up a school of navigation in Sagres. Madeira is discovered in 1419; the Azores are discovered in 1427.
- 1488 Bartolomeu Dias rounds the Cape of Good Hope.
- 1498 Vasco da Gama rounds India's west coast, opening up trade between the West and the East.
- 1500 Brazil is discovered. Peak of the reign of Manuel the Fortunate (1495-1521). Portugal's Golden Age begins.
- 1521 Portugal becomes the first of the great maritime world empires, dominating access to the Indian Ocean.
- 1521-57 Reign of João III, ushering in Jesuits and the Inquisition.
- 1578 João's son, Dom Sebastião, disappears in the battle of Morocco, leaving Portugal without an heir.
- 1581-1640 Philip II of Spain brings Habsburg rule to Portugal.
- 1640 Following a nationalist revolution, João IV restores independence and launches the House of Bragança.
- 1755 A great earthquake destroys Lisbon and parts of Alentejo and the Algarve.
- 1822 Portugal declares Brazil independent.
- 1908 Carlos I, the Painter King, and his son, the crown prince, are assassinated in Lisbon.
- 1910 The monarchy is ousted and the Portuguese Republic is established.
- 1916 Portugal enters World War I on the side of the Allies.
- 1926 The Republic collapses and a military dictatorship under Gomes da Costa is established.
- 1932-68 António de Oliveira Salazar keeps a tight hold on the government during his long reign as dictator. Portugal is officially neutral in World War II, but Salazar grants the Allies bases in the Azores.
- 1955 Portugal joins the United Nations.
- 1974 The April "flower revolution" topples the dictatorship; Portugal collapses into near anarchy.
- 1976-83 Sixteen provisional governments reign over a Portugal in chaos.
- 1986 Portugal joins the European Union. Mário Soares is elected president.
- 1989 Privatization of state-owned companies begins.
- 1991 Soares is reelected.
- 1992 Portugal holds the presidency of the European Union.
- 1995 Portugal is designated the cultural capital of Europe.
- 1998 Millions flock to Lisbon for EXPO '98, celebrating the heritage of the oceans.
- 1999 Portugal officially adopts the euro as its soon-to-be standard currency.
- 2002 Portugal abandons the escudo and switches to the euro.
- 2001-05 Under a Socialist government, Portugal continues to carry out modern reforms.
- 2006 Portugal sets aside its southwest coast as a natural park; Aníbal Cavaco Silva becomes president.
- 2008-2009 Portugal legalizes abortion but upholds ban on gay marriage.
- 2011 Hit hard by euro-zone debt crisis, Portugal requests $86 billion IMF-EU bailout; prolonged recession, record unemployment.
- 2014 Banco Espírito Santo, Portugal’s second-largest bank, collapses.
- 2015 Left wins narrow election victory; minority Socialist government takes power under Prime Minister António Costa, on pledge to roll back austerity.
- 2016 Cristiano Ronaldo leads Portugal to victory in Euro 2016 soccer championship, country goes wild; former Prime Minister António Guterres appointed U.N. Secretary General; Web Summit, world’s largest tech fest, moves to Lisbon in symbol of Portugal’s economic revival.
- 2017 Wildfires ravage the countryside across north and central Portugal, leaving more than 100 dead.