4 century B.C. - Thracian tribes settled in the Balkan Peninsula.

7 century B.C. - Greeks founded the first Black Sea colonies: Odesos (Varna), Mesembrya (Nessebar), Dionisopolis (Balchik)

5/4 century B.C. - Growth of the Thracian kingdom.

4/3 century B.C. - The Balkans fell under the power of the Roman Empire.

681: Foundation of the First Bulgarian State by Khan Asparuh.

681-1018 - Foundation of the first Bulgarian State. Its capital was Pliska.

855 - Cyrilus and Metodius created the Bulgarian alphabet.

865 - Tsar Boris did away with paganism and introduced East-Orthodox Christianity as the official religion in Bulgaria.

893-927: Under the reign of tzar Simeon, son of tsar Boris I, the Bulgarian kingdom reached its vigorous political and military growth. It is the greatest extension of the Bulgarian territory up to three seas. The "Golden Age" of Bulgarian culture set in.

1018 AD - Emperor Basil II conquered Bulgaria and turned it into a province of the Byzantine empire.

1185-1187: The two brothers-Petar and Assen leaded a rebellion against Byzantium and in 1187 the emperor made peace with them. Tarnovo was proclaimed as the capital of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom /1185-1393/.

1197-1241: Under Tsar Kaloyan /1197-1279/ and especially under Tsar Ivan Assen II /

1218-1279/ North Albania, Macedonia and Western Thracia were incorporated into the Bulgarian territory.

1396: Bulgaria fell entirely under Ottoman domination. In the course of long 5 centuries Bulgaria was a province of the Ottoman Empire.

1877-1878 - As a result from the Russian-Turkish Liberation war Bulgaria got its freedom.

1878 - The Third Bulgarian State had its start with the San-Stefano peace agreement signed on March 3, 1878, but but the southern part of the Bulgarian lands remained under Ottoman domination untill 1912.
 
1912-1913: The First and The Second Balkan wars

1914-1918: During the First World War Bulgaria declared neutrality. Later participate took the side of Germany and Austria. In September 1918 Bulgaria declared surrender.

1941 - Bulgaria entered World War II on the side of the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis. Bulgaria was the only ally of Hitler Germany which did not allow the killing of its Jewish citizens.

1944 - The Red Army crossed the Danube and The Fatherland Front assumed power on 9 September.

1946: Monarchy turned to popular democracy with referendum. The time of communism began.

1962 - 1989 - Years of the communist rule of Todor Zhivkov who headed both the party and the state.

10.11.1989 - Under the pressure of domestic and international circumstances Todor Zhivkov was forced to resign. Beginning of democracy processes with the Union of democratic forces.

1990 - The first free parliamentary elections. Socialists won majority.

1991 - New elections, ended with a democratic government. The Union of democratic forces won 34,4 %.

1994 - Socialists won the elections again.

1996-1997 - Iconomic crisis. In April 1997 the Parliamentary elections were won by the Union of Democratic Forces. A government was formed headed by Ivan Kostov, Prime Minister.

1999 - Monetary reform - Bulgarian currency was adopted to the German mark and later with the Euro.

2000 - Negotiating an agreement for joining EU.

2001 - Returning of the ex- king of Bulgaria-Simeon Sax-Coburgh-Gotha who became a leader of a new party.

April 2004 - Bulgaria became a member of NATO.

2007 - Bulgaria is set to join EU.