350 BC		Iron-Age Celtic tribe called the Belgae settles in the area.
52 BC		Roman army under Julius Caesar conquers the region. Roman province of Gallia Belgica created.
300 AD		German Franks begin moving into Belgium from the east and settle in the north and west.
496 AD		The Franks are converted to Christianity.
9th C.		Region incorporated into the Holy Roman Empire of Charlemagne.
814 AD		Death of Charlemagne sees Belgium disintegrate into semi-independent principalities.
843 AD		Partition of Verdun - Belgium divided between France and German kingdom of Lotharingia.
891 AD		Viking invaders defeated at Louvain.
1090		First Crusade sparks rapid growth in commerce and industry in the region.
1302		Invading French army defeated.
1384		French dukes of Burgundy unite the region.
1477		Control of region passed to Habsburg family in Austria.
1555		Region passed to Spanish Habsburgs - becomes part of Spanish Netherlands.
1578		Netherlands revolts against Spanish rule, but southern Catholic part later reconquered by Spain.
1713		Peace of Utrecht - territory passed to Austria as Austrian Netherlands.
1789		Belgian revolt leads to independent Confederation of the United States of Belgium.
1794		Austrian Netherlands conquered by the French Republic.
1797		France gains Belgian territories by Treaty of Campo Formio.
1814		Congress of Vienna - Belgium merged with Netherlands.
4 Oct 1830		Declaration of independence from the Netherlands.
21 July 1831		Leopold I becomes first modern king of Belgium.
19 April 1839		Belgian neutrality guaranteed by major European powers at London Conference.
1885		Congo Free State created under personal rule of the Belgian king.
1908		Belgian Congo transferred to Belgian state control.
1921		Belgo-Luxembourg Economic Union formed.
4 August 1914		Belgium invaded by German forces at start of World War I. Belgium partially occupied until 1918.
1919		Belgium awarded League of Nations mandate for Ruanda-Urundi.
1925		Locarno Pact guarantees post-WWI borders of Belgium.
1930		Flanders and Wallonia legally become unilingual regions.
10 May 1940		Germany invades Belgium and Netherlands.
28 May 1940		King Leopold surrenders to German forces.
Sept 1944		Belgium liberated by Allied Forces.
1947		Benelux Customs Union formed with Netherlands and Luxembourg.
4 April 1949		Belgium becomes a founder member of NATO.
25 March 1957		Treaty of Rome signed - founder member of EEC.
1960		Belgian Congo granted independence.
1962		Rwanda and Burundi granted independence.
1993		New federal constitution recognises three administrative regions: Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels.
January 2002		Euro replaces Belgian Franc as national currency.