World History Timeline

Countries / Europe

History of Italy

58 notable historical events in Italy, in chronological order.

War · 12Politics · 23Dynasty · 3Treaty · 6Revolution · 3Science · 7Technology · 2Exploration · 1Religion · 9Culture · 5Art · 6Economy · 4Disaster · 4Disease · 1Death · 6

8th century BCE

  1. c. 753 BCE★★★★★

    Founding of Rome (traditional)

    According to legend, Romulus founded Rome in 753 BCE; the Romans later counted years from this date.

    Politics· Italy

6th century BCE

  1. c. 509 BCE★★★★★

    Roman Republic established

    Traditionally, the Romans expel King Tarquin the Proud and establish a republic led by elected consuls.

    PoliticsRevolution· Italy

3rd century BCE

  1. 264 BCE – 241 BCE★★★★★

    First Punic War

    Rome and Carthage fight for control of Sicily; Rome wins and gains its first overseas province.

    War· Italy, Tunisia
  2. 218 BCE – 201 BCE★★★★★

    Second Punic War

    Hannibal crosses the Alps to invade Italy, but Rome ultimately prevails and Carthage loses its status as a great power.

    War· Italy, Tunisia, Spain
  3. 216 BCE★★★★★

    Battle of Cannae

    Hannibal encircles and destroys a much larger Roman army in southern Italy, one of Rome's worst defeats.

    War· Italy
  4. 212 BCE★★★★★

    Death of Archimedes

    The mathematician and engineer Archimedes is killed by a Roman soldier during the fall of Syracuse.

    DeathScience· Italy

1st century BCE

  1. 73 BCE – 71 BCE★★★★★

    Slave revolt of Spartacus

    The gladiator Spartacus leads a major slave uprising in Italy (the Third Servile War) before it is crushed by Crassus.

    WarRevolution· Italy
  2. 49 BCE★★★★★

    Caesar crosses the Rubicon

    Julius Caesar leads his army across the Rubicon into Italy in defiance of the Senate, starting a civil war with Pompey.

    WarPolitics· Italy
  3. March 15, 44 BCE★★★★★

    Assassination of Julius Caesar

    Julius Caesar is stabbed to death in Rome by senators including Brutus and Cassius on the Ides of March.

    PoliticsDeath· Italy

1st century

  1. August 19, 14★★★★★

    Death of Augustus

    Augustus, the first Roman emperor, dies and is succeeded by his adopted son Tiberius.

    DeathPolitics· Italy
  2. July 64★★★★★

    Great Fire of Rome

    A great fire destroys much of Rome under Emperor Nero, who afterwards blames the city's Christians.

    Disaster· Italy
  3. 79★★★★★

    Eruption of Vesuvius buries Pompeii

    Mount Vesuvius erupts, burying the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum under ash and pumice and preserving them to this day.

    Disaster· Italy
  4. 80★★★★★

    Colosseum inaugurated

    Emperor Titus inaugurates the Flavian Amphitheatre in Rome with games lasting many days.

    CultureArt· Italy

2nd century

3rd century

  1. 235 – 284★★★★★

    Crisis of the Third Century

    The Roman Empire nearly collapses under civil wars, invasions, plague and economic crisis until Diocletian's accession.

    PoliticsEconomy· Italy

4th century

  1. October 28, 312★★★★★

    Battle of the Milvian Bridge

    Constantine defeats Maxentius near Rome; according to tradition he saw a Christian sign before the battle.

    WarReligion· Italy
  2. 313★★★★★

    Edict of Milan

    Emperors Constantine and Licinius agree on religious toleration, ending the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire.

    ReligionPolitics· Italy
  3. 395★★★★★

    Permanent division of the Roman Empire

    After the death of Theodosius I, the empire is divided between his two sons into Western and Eastern halves, never to be reunited.

    Politics· Italy, Turkey

5th century

  1. August 24, 410★★★★★

    Visigoths sack Rome

    Visigoths under Alaric I enter and sack Rome, the first time in about 800 years the city had fallen to a foreign enemy.

    War· Italy
  2. September 4, 476★★★★★

    Fall of the Western Roman Empire

    Odoacer deposes Romulus Augustulus, the last Western Roman emperor, a conventional end of antiquity in Europe.

    PoliticsDynasty· Italy

8th century

  1. December 25, 800★★★★★

    Coronation of Charlemagne

    Pope Leo III crowns Charlemagne Emperor of the Romans in Rome on Christmas Day.

    PoliticsReligion· Italy, France, Germany

9th century

  1. August 843★★★★★

    Treaty of Verdun divides the Carolingian Empire

    Charlemagne's three grandsons divide the empire into three kingdoms, laying the groundwork for the later France and Germany.

    TreatyPolitics· France, Germany, Italy

10th century

11th century

  1. July 16, 1054★★★★★

    East–West Schism

    Papal legates lay a bull of excommunication on the altar of Hagia Sophia, marking the split between Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches.

    Religion· Turkey, Italy
  2. January 1077★★★★★

    Walk to Canossa

    During the Investiture Controversy, Emperor Henry IV goes to Canossa to seek absolution from Pope Gregory VII.

    ReligionPolitics· Italy, Germany
  3. c. 1088★★★★★

    University of Bologna founded

    Traditionally founded in 1088, the University of Bologna is regarded as the oldest university in continuous operation.

    CultureScience· Italy

13th century

  1. 1271 – 1295★★★★★

    Travels of Marco Polo

    The Venetian merchant Marco Polo travels to China under Kublai Khan; the account of his journey shapes European knowledge of Asia.

    Exploration· Italy, China

14th century

  1. c. 1320★★★★★

    Dante completes the Divine Comedy

    Dante Alighieri completes the Divine Comedy, a masterpiece of Italian and medieval European literature.

    CultureArt· Italy
  2. September 1321★★★★★

    Death of Dante Alighieri

    The poet Dante, author of the Divine Comedy, dies in exile at Ravenna; his work helped shape literary Italian.

    DeathCulture· Italy
  3. October 1347 – 1351★★★★★

    Black Death reaches Europe

    Plague arrives at Messina, Sicily, on merchant ships and spreads across Europe, killing roughly a third of its population.

    DiseaseDisaster· Italy
  4. 1378 – 1417★★★★★

    Western Schism

    Rival claimants to the papacy in Rome and Avignon divide the Catholic Church until the Council of Constance ends the schism.

    Religion· Italy, France

15th century

  1. 1434★★★★★

    Cosimo de' Medici takes control of Florence

    Returning from exile, the banker Cosimo de' Medici becomes the de facto ruler of Florence; the Medici become major patrons of Renaissance art.

    PoliticsArt· Italy
  2. 1436★★★★★

    Dome of Florence Cathedral completed

    Filippo Brunelleschi's dome for Florence Cathedral is completed, an emblematic engineering feat of the Renaissance.

    ArtTechnology· Italy
  3. April 8, 1492★★★★★

    Death of Lorenzo de' Medici

    Lorenzo "the Magnificent", ruler of Florence and patron of artists such as Botticelli and Michelangelo, dies.

    DeathArt· Italy

16th century

  1. c. 1503★★★★★

    Leonardo begins the Mona Lisa

    Leonardo da Vinci begins painting the Mona Lisa in Florence, which later becomes the world's most famous painting.

    Art· Italy
  2. December 13, 1545 – December 4, 1563★★★★★

    Council of Trent

    An ecumenical council of the Catholic Church meets at Trent, reaffirming Catholic doctrine and launching the Counter-Reformation in response to Protestantism.

    Religion· Italy
  3. October 7, 1571★★★★★

    Battle of Lepanto

    The fleet of the Holy League, formed by Spain, Venice and the Papacy, defeats the Ottoman navy in the Gulf of Patras.

    War· Greece, Spain, Italy, Turkey
  4. October 15, 1582★★★★★

    Gregorian calendar introduced

    The Gregorian calendar takes effect in Catholic countries: Julian 4 October 1582 is followed by 15 October.

    ScienceReligion· Italy, Spain, Portugal, Poland

17th century

  1. 1601★★★★★

    Matteo Ricci arrives in Beijing

    Jesuit missionary Matteo Ricci is permitted to reside in Beijing, becoming a bridge of science and culture between Europe and China.

    ReligionScience· China, Italy
  2. January 7, 1610★★★★★

    Galileo discovers the moons of Jupiter

    Observing with his own telescope, Galileo Galilei discovers the moons of Jupiter, publishing them in Sidereus Nuncius in 1610 in support of heliocentrism.

    Science· Italy
  3. January 8, 1642★★★★★

    Death of Galileo Galilei

    Galileo dies at Arcetri near Florence, where he had been under house arrest since his trial by the Inquisition in 1633.

    DeathScience· Italy

18th century

  1. 1800★★★★★

    Volta invents the electric battery

    Alessandro Volta announces the voltaic pile, the first source of continuous electric current.

    ScienceTechnology· Italy

19th century

  1. 1848 – 1849★★★★★

    Revolutions of 1848

    A wave of revolutions sweeps Europe, from France to the German states, Austria, Italy and Hungary, demanding democratic reform and national self-determination.

    Revolution· France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Hungary, Czechia
  2. 1853 – 1856★★★★★

    Crimean War

    An alliance of the Ottoman Empire, Britain, France and Sardinia defeats Russia, with fighting centred on the siege of Sevastopol in Crimea.

    War· Russia, Turkey, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Ukraine
  4. September 20, 1870★★★★★

    Capture of Rome

    Troops of the Kingdom of Italy enter Rome, ending the Papal States; Rome then becomes the capital of unified Italy.

    WarPolitics· Italy, Vatican City
  5. March 1, 1896★★★★★

    Battle of Adwa

    Ethiopian forces under Emperor Menelik II defeated an invading Italian army at Adwa, preserving Ethiopia's independence during the Scramble for Africa.

    War· Ethiopia, Italy

20th century

  1. June 28, 1919★★★★★

    Treaty of Versailles

    The peace treaty ending the war between Germany and the Allies is signed in the Hall of Mirrors, imposing war guilt, territorial losses and heavy reparations on Germany.

    Treaty· France, Germany, United Kingdom, United States, Italy
  2. October 28, 1922★★★★★

    March on Rome

    Benito Mussolini's Fascists march on Rome; King Victor Emmanuel III appoints Mussolini prime minister, beginning Fascist rule in Italy.

    Politics· Italy
  3. April 26, 1937★★★★★

    Bombing of Guernica

    German and Italian aircraft supporting the Nationalists bomb the Basque town of Guernica, an event depicted in Picasso's famous painting.

    WarDisaster· Spain, Germany, Italy
  4. September 30, 1938★★★★★

    Munich Agreement

    Britain, France, Italy and Germany agree to Germany's annexation of Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland, the high point of the appeasement of Hitler.

    TreatyPolitics· Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Czechia
  5. April 3, 1948★★★★★

    Marshall Plan

    The United States enacts a large-scale economic aid programme to rebuild Western European economies after the Second World War.

    EconomyPolitics· United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands
  6. April 4, 1949★★★★★

    NATO founded

    Twelve North American and Western European countries sign the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington, creating the NATO collective defence alliance.

    TreatyPolitics· United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy, Portugal, Norway, Denmark, Iceland
  7. March 25, 1957★★★★★

    Treaty of Rome establishes the European Economic Community

    Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands sign the treaty creating the European Economic Community, forerunner of the European Union.

    TreatyEconomy· Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands
  8. November 1, 1993★★★★★

    European Union established by the Maastricht Treaty

    The Maastricht Treaty enters into force, formally establishing the European Union and laying the groundwork for a single currency.

    TreatyPolitics· Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark, Greece, Spain, Portugal

21st century

  1. January 1, 2002★★★★★

    Euro banknotes and coins enter circulation

    Euro cash enters circulation in twelve European Union countries, replacing national currencies such as the franc, the Deutsche Mark and the lira.

    Economy· Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain
History of Italy · World History Timeline