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This is a timeline of East Timorese history, comprising important legal and territorial changes and political events in Timor-Leste and its predecessor states. To read about the background to these events, see History of Timor-Leste.
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1556 | A group of Dominican friars established the village of Lifau. | |
| 1600 | Portugal opened a trade route with East Timor. |
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| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1702 | The territory officially became a Portuguese colony, taking the name Portuguese Timor. | |
| 1769 | The capital was moved to Dili. |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1859 | The border between Portuguese Timor and the Dutch East Indies was formally decided. |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1910 | Beginning of the Great Rebellion | |
| 1912 | The rebellion was quashed with Portuguese troops from its colonies in Mozambique and Macau, resulting in the deaths of three thousand people. | |
| 1913 | The Portuguese and Dutch agreed to a formal division of the island. | |
| 1916 | A definitive border between Portuguese and Dutch territories was drawn in the Hague. | |
| 1941 | Portuguese Timor was occupied by Australian and Dutch forces. | |
| 1974 | Carnation Revolution : A revolution installed a new government. | |
| 1975 | Indonesian invasion of East Timor : Indonesia invaded East Timor. | |
| 1976 | Indonesian occupation of East Timor : Indonesia declared East Timor its 27th province. | |
| 1991 | Santa Cruz massacre : Pro-independence demonstrators in the Santa Cruz cemetery are shot. | |
| 1996 | The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo and José Ramos-Horta for their ongoing efforts to peacefully end the occupation. | |
| 1999 | East Timor Special Autonomy Referendum : A referendum resulted in 78% in favour of independence from Indonesia. | |
| The International Force for East Timor (INTERFET) arrived to address an ongoing humanitarian and security crisis. |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Timor-Leste became an independent nation. | |
| 2005 | Timor-Leste joined the ASEAN Regional Forum, as a part of the country's bid for accession to ASEAN as a whole. | |
| 2006 | 2006 East Timorese crisis : A national crisis that included a coup attempt swept the nation. |