279 BC First mention of Singidunum, the original name of the city. Founded by the Scordisci, a Celtic tribe.
86 AD HQ of the 4th Roman Legion Flavia Felix.
395 The Roman Empire splits into two and Singidunum becomes a part of the Eastern Roman Empire. Strategically located on the northwestern border, it is exposed to diverse cultural influences and is a magnet for every aspiring conqueror.
441-827 Invaded and ravaged successively by Huns, Sarmatians, Goths, Gepidaes, Avars, Slavs, the Byzantine Empire, and Bulgaria. Slavic tribes colonise the Balkans in the 6th century. Slavs embrace Christianity in the 9th century.
878 First mention of the Slavic name of the city - Belgrade. Pope John VIII writes a letter to Bulgarian Prince Boris I Mihail, informing him about the dismissal of Bishop of Belgrade for debauchery.
896-1232 Belgrade is a battleground between rivals - Hungary and the Byzantine Empire, it changes hands eight times. Once seized by Bulgaria and twice ransacked by Crusaders on their way to Jerusalem.
1166 Creating an independent Serbian state, Stefan Nemanja asserts himself as the Grand Prince of Serbs. He’s also a founder of the Nemanjić dynasty and crowned King of the Serbs by the Pope. 1219 Serbian Orthodox Church gains independence.
1284 King Stefan Dragutin receives Belgrade from Hungary as a gift - this is the first time that the city passes to Serbian rule.
1346 King Stefan Dušan of the Nemanjić house is crowned Emperor of Serbs and Greeks. Following his demise, the empire dissolves and Serbian noblemen create their own states.
1389 Battle of Kosovo. Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović rallies Serbian noblemen to stand up against Turkish expansion into Europe. Europe celebrates the victory of Christianity because of the death of the Turkish sultan and the Turkish retreat. On the other hand Serbia cannot recover from the defeat as most of its nobility, including Prince Lazar, perish in the battle. He is succeeded by his underage son Stefan Lazarević, who becomes a Turkish vassal.
1403 Despot Stefan Lazarević receives Belgrade from Hungary, rebuilds it and makes it the capital of Serbia.
1427 Following the death of Despot Stefan Lazarević, Hungary reclaims Belgrade.
1440 Sultan Murad II lays siege to Belgrade with 100,000 Turkish soldiers and 200 ships. The city survives the siege following a fierce struggle.
1456 Sultan Mehmed II besieges Belgrade with 150,000 soldiers.TheTurks lift the siege when their Sultan is wounded.
1459 The Turks conquer the Serbian capital of Smederevo; which marks the beginning of a five- century long Turkish domination over Serbia.
1521 Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent captures Belgrade with 300,000 soldiers, and deports the entire population to Istanbul.
1688-1791 Belgrade is occupied by Austria and Turkey six times.
1804 Serbian uprising against the Turks started by Đorđe Petrović Karađorđe.
1807 Led by Karađorđe, Serbs liberate Belgrade and make it the capital of Serbia. Karađorđe is subsequently proclaimed a hereditary ruler. He founds the Karađorđević dynasty. 1813 The Turks occupy Belgrade; the uprising is crushed; Karađorđe flees Serbia.
1815 Miloš Obrenović leads the Second Serbian Uprising. Serbia is offered partial autonomy.
1817 Karađorđe is murdered on his return to Serbia, on the orders of Miloš Obrenović.
1830 Turkey grants autonomy to Serbia. Miloš Obrenović is acknowledged as hereditary Prince. He founds the Obrenović dynasty.
1862 The murder of a Serbian boy triggers a clash between Serbian and Turkish soldiers which ends in an international treaty bringing the Turkish control over Belgrade to an end.
1867 The Turks withdraw from Belgrade. The Turkish commander hands over the keys to Belgrade Fortress to Prince Mihailo Obrenović.
1876 Serbian-Turkish war. Serbs liberate southeastern Serbia.
1878 Formal independence of Serbia recognized at the Congress of Berlin.
1882 Kingdom of Serbia proclaimed under King Milan Obrenović.
1903 The May Coup d’Etat. A group o f army officers assassinate King Aleksandar Obrenović and Queen Draga Mašin, because their marriage is unacceptable to the pub- lic. The house of Obrenović becomes extinct and King Petar I Karađorđević (grandson to Karađorđe) claims the throne. 1912 First Balkan War pits the Balkan League (Serbia, Greece, Montenegro and Bulgaria) against the Ottoman Empire. The Turks are driven out of Kosovo and Metohija, the last occupied part of Serbia.
1913 Second Balkan War waged and won by Serbia against Bulgaria.
1914 Outbreak of World War I. Austro-Hungary shells and captures Belgrade. After the Battle of Cer and Kolubara, the first allied victories in WWI, the Serbian army liberates Belgrade and drives the Austro-Hungarian army out of Serbia.
1915 Germany and Bulgaria enter the war siding with Austro-Hungary. German and Austro-Hungarian troops occupy Belgrade. This is the beginning of a three-year- long occupation and plunder of the city. The Serbian army retreats under attack across Albania towards Greece and Corfu Island.
