This is a timeline of Sri Lankan history, comprising important & territorial changes and political & economic events in Sri Lanka and its predecessor states. To read about the background to these events, see History of Sri Lanka.
- Note
Do not add minor event as this timeline is for "important & territorial changes and political & economic events in Sri Lanka and its predecessor states".
Pre-history
Pre 90th century BC
| Year | Date | Events |
|---|---|---|
| 300,000 - 500,000 BP | First human settlements in Sri Lanka[1] |
Pre 6th century BC
| Year | Date | Events |
|---|---|---|
| 543 BC - 437 BC | Arrival of Prince Vijaya and establishment of Pre-Anuradhapura. |
6th century BC - 1st century AD
1st century AD - 11th century AD
11th century AD - 13th century AD
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1017 | Chola conquest and occupation of Anuradhapura: The Cholas under Rajendra I attack and conquer Sri Lanka. | |
| 1029 | Chola conquest and occupation of Anuradhapura: Mahinda V, the last king of Anuradhapura, dies in Chola captivity. | |
| 1029-1041 | Vikramabahu, the son of Mahinda V, launches a resistance movement against the Chola rule in Sri Lanka, but suddenly dies after contracting a disease in Rohana. | |
| 1049 | A Sinhalese chieftain named Lokeshwara, temporarily defeats the Chola forces and establishes a military base in Ruhuna. | |
| 1054 | Keshadhatu Kasyapa, a pretender to the Sinhalese throne, establishes a dominion in Eastern Ruhuna after driving away Chola forces, which would last until 1055. | |
| 1055 | A fifteen-year-old prince named Kitti, belonging to a royal bloodline, annexes the domains of Lokeshwara and Keshadathu Kasyapa, uniting Ruhuna under his rule. Cholas are further pushed back from the South. | |
| 1070 | Prince Kitti, who was given the title Vijayabahu, launches a seventeen-year campaign and successfully drives out the Cholas from Sri Lanka. | |
| 1070 | Vijayabahu is crowned as the first king of Polonnaruwa. | |
| 1084 | Velakkara Revolt: Tamil mercenaries named Velakkaras, mutiny against king Vijayabahu as he declared war with the Chola Empire due to arresting a group of Sinhalese ambassadors sent to Western Chalukya. | |
| 1110 | Vijayabahu I dies at the age of 71, and the instalment of Jayabahu I as his successor without passing the throne to Vijayabahu's son Vikramabahu I causes a power struggle between the two rulers. |
19th century AD
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1803 | First Kandyan War: British forces attack the Kingdom of Kandy after the King's Adigar Pilimatalawe defected. | |
| 1815 | 2 March | Kandyan Convention: The Kingdom of Kandy is ceded to the British in an agreement signed between British Governor Sir Robert Brownrigg and the Kandyan chiefs. |
| 1817 | Great Rebellion of 1817–1818: The Kandyans rebel against British rule. | |
| 1833 | Colebrooke–Cameron Commission: Legal and economic reforms proposed, first manifestation of constitutional government. Legislative Council of Ceylon established. | |
| 1848 | Matale rebellion: Peasant revolt against imposition of taxes. | |
| 1864 | Rāmañña Nikāya established. |
20th century AD
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1915 | 1915 Sinhalese-Muslim riots | |
| 1931 | Donoughmore Commission: Established universal franchise in Ceylon, and the State Council of Ceylon was elected. | |
| 1948 | 4 February | Independence is gained as the Dominion of Ceylon. |
| 1958 | 1958 anti-Tamil pogrom | |
| 1971 | 1971 JVP insurrection: Marxist insurrection conducted by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna against the government of Sri Lanka. | |
| 1972 | Sri Lanka becomes a republic, and country's name Ceylon was changes to Sri Lanka | |
| 1983 | 24–30 July | Black July by the government and Sinhalese mobs; Beginning of the Sri Lankan Civil War |
| 1987 | 29 July | Signing of the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord |
21st century
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 26 December | 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami hits Sri Lanka causing over 35,000 deaths |
| 2009 | May | Massacre of tens of thousands of Tamil civilians by Sri Lankan Armed Forces and LTTE |
| 19 May | Death of Velupillai Prabhakaran; End of the Sri Lankan Civil War | |
| 2019 | April 21 | Bombing of several churches and hotels by Islamic militants causing 269 deaths |
| Beginning of the Sri Lankan economic crisis (2019–present) | ||
| 2022 | March–November | Protests erupt against the government's mishandling of the economic crisis |
Notes
References
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