c. 1695 Peter the Great takes the throne and embarks on dramatic reforms to modernise Russia
1703 Peter the Great decides to transfer the capital from Moscow to St Petersburg
1712 St Petersburg becomes Russia's capital city
1725 Death of Peter the Great
1727 The first bridge across Neva river is built.
c. 1762-96 Catherine the Great rules Russia
Jun 1812 Napoleon invades Russia with half a million soldiers
Sep 1812 French and Russian armies clash at Borodino Field, 110km (70 miles) from Moscow
14 Sep 1812 Following withdrawal of Russian forces, Napoleon enters Moscow – but the city is empty and fires break out
Autumn 1812 Napoleon retreats from Moscow
1825 Decembrist Revolt fails; the monarchy is preserved and Nicholas I ascends the throne
1861 Alexander II abolishes serfdom
1863 The city sewer system is opened
1891-1905 Construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway
1905 First Russian revolution. Nicholas II concedes to the creation of a constitution and Duma (parliament)
Oct 1917 Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, depose the Government; civil war continues until 1920
1918 The capital is moved to Moscow. St Petersburg is renamed Leningrad
1924 Lenin dies
1939 Joseph Stalin signs non-aggression pact with Nazi Germany
1940 Metro opens in Leningrad
1941 Germans invade Russia and Leningrad is under siege
1943 Leningrad's siege ends
1953 Stalin is succeeded by Nikita Kruschev
Mar 1985 Mikhail Gorbachev becomes general secretary and introduces glasnost and perestroika
1989 The first open elections since 1917
1989 The historical center of the city is added to the UNESCO list of world culture heritage
Jun 1991 Boris Yeltsin is elected as president
31 Dec 1991 Soviet Union ceases to exist; the Russian flag is unfurled on top of the Kremlin
Aug 1998 Rouble collapses
1999 Surprise resignation of Boris Yeltsin, who is succeeded by Vladimir Putin
2000 World Hockey Championships take place in St Petersburg
2003 St Petersburg celebrates its 300th anniversary