- 1948 : Independence from Britain.
- 1956 : Sinhala Act makes Sinhala the sole official language, restricting employment opportunities for Tamils.
- 1976 : Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) founded.
- 1983 : Riots and clashes between Sinhalese and Tamils leave thousands of Tamils dead and several hundred thousand as refugees. Large number of government forces are deployed in the north and east.
- 1985 : Talks to find a political solution to the conflict fail and conflict intensifies.
- 1987 : July - India and Sri Lanka sign accord creating regional councils to give Tamils in the northeast limited autonomy. Indian troops arrive to enforce the pact endorsed by Tamil rebel groups.
- Oct - LTTE reneges on the accord and begin three years of battles that kill about 1,000 Indian troops.
- 1988 : Dec - Ranasinghe Premadasa is elected president after promising to send Indian troops home and begin talks with LTTE.
- 1990 : June - Talks fail as LTTE overruns police stations in the east.
- 1991 : May - Suspected female Tiger suicide bomber kills Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
- 1993 : May - Premadasa is killed by a suicide bomber.
- 1995 : Jan - Government of President Chandrika Kumaratunga and rebels agree to stop fighting and talk.
- April - Truce ends when rebels blow up two navy vessels.
- 1996 : Jan - Tiger suicide bombers blow up central bank building. More than 100 killed and about 1,400 hurt.
- 1997 : Oct - United States declares LTTE a terrorist group. LTTE bombs World Trade Centre in Colombo, killing 15.
- 1998 : Jan - Sri Lanka outlaws the LTTE after suicide attack on country's holiest Buddhist shrine, the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy.
- 1999 : Dec - Kumaratunga survives LTTE suicide bomb attack, loses one eye, spurring a sympathy vote analysts say helped her win re-election.
- 2000 : May - Norway's special envoy for peace, Erik Solheim, begins talks with Sri Lankan leaders.
- 2001 : Attack on the international airport in Colombo destroys civilian and military aircraft.
- 2002 :Feb - Government and LTTE sign Norwegian-brokered ceasefire, laying groundwork for direct peace talks.
- Dec - Tigers give up demand for a separate state and agree to work with government towards devolution of power.
- 2003 : April - Tigers pull out after six rounds of talks, saying not enough being done to rebuild war-hit Tamil areas.
- 2004 :Dec - Indian Ocean tsunami kills at least 35,000 people — both Tamils and Sinhalese.
- March - Colonel Karuna, the Eastern commander of the LTTE and one of Prabhakaran's trusted lieutenants, pulled 5,000 eastern cadres out of the LTTE.
- 2005 :Aug - Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar assassinated by suspected rebel snipers.
- Nov - Former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse elected president after Tigers boycott polls, torpedoing chances of the more conciliatory candidate.
- Nov - Shadowy rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran warns that without new concessions the Tigers will "intensify their struggle". This is widely seen as a thinly-veiled threat of war.
- Dec - Mine attacks by suspected Tigers kill 39 soldiers.
- 2006 : Jan - Suspected Tigers attack and sink a small naval boat.
- Feb - Talks between parties in Geneva begin.
- April - LTTE pull out of talks indefinitely.
- May - LTTE kill 18 sailors.
- Aug - Intensified fighting near Trincomalee.
- Oct - New peace talks in Geneva.
- 2007 : Jan - Vaakaar falls to government troops.
- Sept - Heavy fighting in Thampanai.
- Dec - Army overruns LTTE stronghold at Parappakandal.
- 2008 : Jan - Sri Lankan government pulls out of ceasefire agreement.
- April - 185 Sri Lanka troops die trying to advance on Kilinochchi.
- May - Adampan captured by government troops.
- July - LTTE naval base at Vidattaltivu falls to government forces.
- Aug - Vellankulum falls to advancing Sri Lankan arm troops.
- Sep - Army takes control of Mallavi.
- Oct - Kilinochchi falls into Sri Lankan army hands.
- Dec - Mullaitivu falls from LTTE control.
- 2009 : Feb - Japan, Norway, the European Union and the US ask the LTTE to lay down their weapons.
- Mar - President Mahinda Rajapakse asks for meeting with Tamil politicians to ease humanitarian concerns in fighting-affected areas.
- April - Sri Lanka troops gain total control over Puthukkudi yirippu, pushing Tamils into civilian no-fire zone.
- May - Troops break through final LTTE defences. LTTE Leader Velupillai Prabhakaran is shot to death. Government says war is over.
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