c. 300-200BC Romans arrive in the Iberian Peninsula
c. AD30-40 St James the Great reportedly visits Spain and attempts to convert locals
44 St James the Great is beheaded in the Holy Land; disciples take his remains to Galicia
409 Germanic tribes invade Roman Hispania, establishing a Visigothic kingdom
711 Muslims defeat Roderick, the last Goth King
813 Bishop Theodomir discovers relics of St James
c. 830 Alfonso II, the first documented pilgrim king,orders the construction of a church on the site of the tomb of St James
899 Alfonso III has large basilica built on tomb site
951 Bishop of Le Puy visits the tomb site of St James
997 Muslim troops raze Santiago de Compostela and destroy basilica
1075 Building of Cathedral begins
1188 The lintels of Pórtico da Gloria laid by Maestro Mateo
1469 Isabel, princess of Castile, marries Fernando, heir to Aragon, uniting Spain's two kingdoms
1478 The Spanish Inquisition: Jews and other non-Christians are executed in their thousands
1492 Conquest of Granada: the Muslim king surrenders, ending the Reconquista; Columbus reaches the Americas and Spain develops its New World empire
1499 Hostal dos Reis Católicos founded
1501 University is founded; Isabel and Fernando visit the city
1534 Colegio de Fonseca is built
1561 Beginning of the Siglo de Oro (Golden Century)
1702-14 War of the Spanish Succession; Philip V becomes Spain's first Bourbon king
1738-50 Fernando de Casas y Novoa buildsthe Obradoiro façade; great period of Galician Baroque building and decoration
1766 Neo-Classical Pazo Raxoi is built on Praza do Obradoiro
1808-13 French occupation of Spain under Napoleon
1814-33 Fernando VII is granted the Spanish throne and re-establishes the Inquisition
1820 Military coup leads to three years of liberal rule
1823 Fernando VII returns to power
1868 Isabel II is ousted during the revolution
1871 Amadeo of Savoy takes the Spanish throne
1873 Amadeo abdicates and a Republic is formed before being overthrown in a military coup. Finally, Alfonso XII becomes King
1923-1930 General Primo de Rivera's period of dictatorship
14 Apr 1931 The Second Republic is declared
1936-39 Civil War breaks out between left-wing Republicans and the right-wing Nationalists
1 Apr 1939 Victorious Franco declares peace and imposes his dictatorship, which would lead to Spain's exclusion from NATO and the UN
20 Nov 1975 Death of Franco
15 Jun 1977 Spain's first democratic general election takes place
1978 Drafting of democratic constitution
1981 Santiago de Compostela becomes capital of the Autonomous Community of Galicia
1 Jan 1986 Spain joins the European Community
1993 UNESCO designates Santiago de Compostela a World Heritage Site
1996 Conservative Partido Popular is the winning party in the general election
1998 The city holds Compostela Millennium Festival
1999 Santiago de Compostela celebrates last Año Santo (Holy Year) of the millennium.
2000 Santiago de Compostela is made a European City of Culture for 2000