| Dec. 25, 800 |
Charlemagne, the Carolingian king of the Franks, is crowned the Emperor of the West by Pope Leo III. |
| 962 |
German emperor Otto I establishes what would be known by the 13 th century as the Holy Roman Empire |
| 1273-1554 |
Rule of the Hapsburg Emperors |
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| 1471–1528 |
Life of artist Albrecht Durer |
| 1472–1553 |
Life of artist Lucas Cranach the Elder |
| 1455 |
Gutenberg Bible |
| 1483–1546 |
Life of Martin Luther |
| 1497–1560 |
Life of Philipp Melanchthon |
| 1517 |
Martin Luther posted 95 Theses against abuse of indulgences in Wittenburg |
| 1517 |
Fugger chapel completed in Augsburg |
| 1520 |
Luther excommunicated |
| 1530 |
Diet of Augsburg and the Augsburg Confession |
| 1555 |
Peace of Augsburg allows each state in the Holy Roman Empire to determine its religion (Catholic or Protestant) |
| 1618-1648 |
Thirty Years' War |
| 1806 |
Official dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire |
| 1871 |
The German Empire is founded after the Northern German state of Prussia defeats France in the Franco-Prussian war. Otto von Bismarck is named chancellor. |
| 1914-1918 |
World War I |
| 1918 |
Germany defeated, signs armistice |
| 1919 |
Treaty of Versailles: Germany loses colonies and land to neighbours, pays reparations. |
| 1923 |
Adolf Hitler leads abortive coup in Munich beer hall |
| 1924 |
Hitler writes Mein Kampf in prison. |
| 1933 |
Hitler becomes chancellor. Creates one party state. Systematic persecution of Germany's Jews escalates. |
| 1938 |
Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass) sees orchestrated attacks on Jews and their property as well as synagogues. |
| 1939-45 |
Millions of people of all ages, mostly Jews but also large numbers of Gypsies, Slavs and other races, the disabled and homosexuals, die in Holocaust as Nazis implement extermination policy in death camps of eastern Europe. |
| 1945 |
Germany army defeated |
| 1955 |
West Germany joins Nato; East Germany joins Warsaw Pact. |
| 1961 |
Construction of Berlin Wall |
| 1982 |
Christian Democrat Helmut Kohl becomes chancellor |
| 1989 |
Fall of Berlin Wall |
| 1991 |
Chancellor Kohl leads reunified Germany |
| 1998 |
Voters disillusioned with the aftermath of reunification hand a resounding victory in elections for a federal chancellor to the young and telegenic Social Democratic Party chief, Gerhard Schroeder. Helmut Kohl, the country's longest-serving leader since World War II, is relegated to the sidelines after 16 years in power -- including the final eight as chancellor of a reunited Germany. |
| Sept. 2004 |
Germany, along with Brazil, India and Japan, launches an application for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. |
