|
7500 BC |
First Stone
age settlements at Çatalhüyük |
|
1900-1300 BC |
Hittite
Empire with Hattusas as capital,
contemporary with ancient Egypt and Babylon |
|
1250 BC |
The Trojan
war and the fall of Troy |
|
1200-700 BC |
Migration of
Greeks to Aegean coastal regions.
Establishment of the Phrygian, Ionian,
Lycian, Lydian, Carian and Pamphylian
Kingdoms. The East of Turkey is the home of
the Urartians |
|
700 BC |
Homer is
born in Izmir (Smyrna). Aegean Hellenism
begins |
|
546 BC |
Cyrus the
Great leads the Persians into Anatolia |
|
334 BC |
Alexander
the Great drives out the Persians |
|
130 BC |
The Romans
incorporate Anatolia as the province of Asia,
controlled from Ephesus (Efes) |
|
40 BC |
Antioch sees
the marriage of Antony and Cleopatra |
|
47-57 AD |
St. Paul
spreads Christianity and a community at
Antioch is established |
|
313 |
Roman Empire
adopts Christianity |
|
330 |
Constantine
lays out the boundaries of his new capital,
Constantinople |
|
527-65 |
Glory of
Byzantium under Justinian |
|
638-718 |
Muslim Arabs
besiege Constantinople |
|
1054 |
Greek and
Roman Churches split over theology |
|
1071-1243 |
Rise and
rule of the Selcuk Turks in Anatolia, Konya
is their capital |
|
1096-1204 |
The Crusades,
marking the beginning of the end for
Byzantium, a fascinating period in Byzantine
history |
|
1288 |
Ottoman
Empire appears in Bursa |
|
1453 |
The fall of
Constantinople - the birth of Istanbul |
|
1520-66 |
Suleyman the
Magnificent sits on the Ottoman throne
controlling a huge and powerful empire |
|
1682-1725 |
Peter the
Great initiates Russo-Turkish rivalry |
|
1854 |
Crimean war |
|
1909 |
Abdul Hamid,
the last of an unbroken line of Ottoman
sultans is deposed |
|
1914 |
Turkey
allies with Germany in the first world war |
|
1915 |
Gallipoli |
|
1919 |
Ataturk
leads resistance to the allied plan to carve
up Turkey |
|
1923 |
Foundation
of the modern Republic of Turkey by Mustafa
Kemal Ataturk. Many things happen all at
once |
|
1938 |
Ataturk dies
in Istanbul's Dolmabahce palace |
|
1939-45 |
Turkey
manages to remain neutral during the second
world war |
|
1946 |
Charter
membership of the UN |
|
1952 |
Turkey joins
NATO |
|
1960 |
Military
coup, successive governments ineffective |
|
1964 |
Associate
member status of EU |
|
1974 |
Cyprus
crisis |
|
1980 |
Kanan Evren
leads military coup. 3 years of military
government |
|
1983 |
Turgut Ozal
elected prime Minister |
|
1985-90 |
Full EU
membership for Turkey impeded by Cypriot
issue and questions over human rights record |
|
1991-93 |
Suleyman
Demirel elected Prime Minister, inflation at
70% |
|
1993-96 |
Demirel
President, Tansu Ciller Prime Minister,
Turkey joins EU Customs Union |
|
1997-98 |
5 attempts
at forming coalition governments, Islamic
Welfare party disbanded, reforms as Virtue
and is the largest single party in
parliament. Military intervenes to prevent
Islamicists forming governments. 75th
Anniversary of the Turkish Republic (and
15th of the Turkish Republic of Northern
Cyprus) celebrated. |
