- 11th century B.C. Phoenicians settle Spain's coasts.
- 650 B.C. Greeks colonize the east.
- 600 B.C. Celts cross the Pyrenees and settle in Spain.
- 6th-3rd century B.C. Carthaginians make Cartagena their colonial capital, driving out the Greeks.
- 218-201 B.C. Second Punic War: Rome defeats Carthage.
- 2nd century B.C.-2nd century A.D. Rome controls most of Iberia. Christianity spreads.
- 5th century Vandals, then Visigoths, invade Spain.
- 8th century Moors conquer most of Spain.
- 1214 More than half of Iberia is reclaimed by Catholics.
- 1469 Ferdinand of Aragón marries Isabella of Castile.
- 1492 Catholic monarchs seize Granada, the last Moorish stronghold. Columbus lands in the New World.
- 1519 Cortés conquers Mexico. Charles I is crowned Holy Roman Emperor, as Charles V.
- 1556 Philip II inherits the throne and launches the Counter-Reformation.
- 1588 England defeats the Spanish Armada.
- 1700 Philip V becomes king. The War of Spanish Succession follows.
- 1713 Treaty of Utrecht ends the war. Spain's colonies are reduced.
- 1759 Charles III ascends throne.
- 1808 Napoleon places his brother Joseph on the Spanish throne.
- 1813 Wellington drives the French out of Spain; the monarchy is restored.
- 1876 Spain becomes a constitutional monarchy.
- 1898 Spanish-American War leads to Spain's loss of Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Philippines.
- 1923 Primo de Rivera forms a military directorate.
- 1930 Right-wing dictatorship ends; Primo de Rivera exiled.
- 1931 King Alfonso XIII abdicates; Second Republic is born.
- 1936-39 Civil War between the governing Popular Front and the Nationalists led by Gen. Francisco Franco.
- 1939 Franco establishes dictatorship, which will last 36 years.
- 1941 Spain technically stays neutral in World War II, but Franco favors Germany.
- 1955 Spain joins the United Nations.
- 1975 Juan Carlos becomes king. Franco dies.
- 1978 New democratic constitution initiates reforms.
- 1981 Coup attempt by right-wing officers fails.
- 1982 Socialists gain power after 43 years of right-wing rule.
- 1986 Spain joins the European Community (now the European Union).
- 1992 Barcelona hosts the Summer Olympics.
- 1996 A conservative party defeats the Socialist party, ending its 13-year rule. José María Aznar is chosen prime minister.
- 1998 The controversial Guggenheim Museum at Bilbao is inaugurated.
- 2002 Spain adopts the euro as its national currency.
- 2003 Basque terrorists continue a campaign of terror against the government.
- 2004 Al Qaeda strikes Spanish trains in the deadliest terrorist attack in Europe since World War II. José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero is elected as Socialist prime minister.
- 2005 Spain legalizes same-sex marriage.
- 2006 A bomb goes off at Madrid's airport; Basque separatist group ETA claims responsibility.
- 2007 ETA calls an end to cease-fire.
- 2009 Spain's once-buoyant economy suffers severe downturn. Unemployment reaches 17%.