Turkey Timeline

4th Century B.C.E. - Alexander the Great gains control over Anatolia, the section of present-day Turkey that is located on the Asian continent.

1250 B.C.E - The armies of Troy and the Greeks fight in what becomes known as the Trojan War for control of the Straits of Dardanelles.

11-1300 C.E. - Oghuz Turk nomads migrate into Anatolia and form numerous tribal communities.

1288 C.E. - Osman Khan comes to power and establishes the territorial foundation for the Ottoman Empire by capturing the city of Bursa. To maintain his authority he engages in constant battle with Byzantine forces.

1326-1359 - Osman’s son, Ar Khan, triples the size of the territory ruled by his father.

1453 - Ottoman Sultan Mehmed captures the Byzantine capital, Constantinople, renames it Istanbul, and makes it the Ottoman capital.

1520-1566 - The Ottoman Empire achieves the height of its authority under Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent. He presides over an empire that includes most of North Africa, most of Eastern Europe and all of the Middle East.

1661-1676 - Ottomans face constant challenges and need to fend off European powers bent on territorial conquest.

1681 - Ottomans are forced to cede control of Ukraine to Russia. 1783 - Russia asserts control of Crimea.

1826 - Elite troops (Janissaries) revolt against Sultan Mahmud II’s centralization of authority effort. Known as “the Auspicious Incident,” the Janissaries suffer massive casualties. Survivors face execution or banishment from the Empire.

1832 - Ottoman authority erodes as Greeks achieve independence with European backing. Over the next century other parts of the Empire break off from Ottoman rule.

1876 - Ottoman ruler Sultan Abdul Hamid enacts a new constitution and then suspends it to govern alone.

1908 - A group known as the “Young Turks” seeks to restore constitutional authority as a means to create a stronger state.

1914-1918 - Ottomans side with Germany during World War I. As a result, they lose most of their territory. Parts of Anatolia are occupied by victorious foreign armies.

1923 - Turkey is founded as a republic, with Ankara as its capital. Military hero, Mustafa Kemal, known as Ataturk, is named the President.

1928 - Constitution is revised to remove Islam as the state religion.

1938 - Ataturk, revered as Turkey’s founding father, dies in office.

1939-1945 - Turkey remains officially neutral during World War II.

1950 - Opposition Democratic Party wins in first multi-party election.

1952 - Turkey becomes a member of NATO.

1960 - Army stages coup against ruling Democratic Party.

1974 - Turkey launches invasion of northern Cyprus where it maintains forces to defend the breakaway state.

1980 - Military stages coup amidst mounting national unrest bordering on anarchy, and imposes martial law.

1983 - Motherland Party wins general election, bringing Turgut Ozal, credited with reforming Turkey’s economy, into the government.

1984 - Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) launches violent separatist campaign for independent state in southeastern Turkey bordering on Iraq.

1995 - Turkey is admitted to EU customs union.

2002  November - Islamist Justice and Development Party (AKP) wins control of government in a sweeping victory. Leadership pledges to uphold country’s secular principles.

2003  March - Turkish parliament unexpectedly fails to approve legislation allowing U.S. forces to launch an attack on Iraq from Turkish soil.

2003  Summer - In order to comply with EU full membership requirements, Turkish parliament passes legislation giving Kurds more cultural autonomy and reducing role of military in civil affairs.

2004  December - Turkey signs protocol recognizing existence of Cyprus government, clearing the way to begin accession talks for full EU membership.

2007 April - Ruling AKP selects Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, a conservative Muslim, as its candidate for President. His candidacy narrowly fails in Parliament.

2007 Summer - AKP wins in parliamentary elections, giving the ruling party enough votes to make Gul President.

2007 October - Ankara threatens to rescind U.S. use of Turkey as a transit point for war supplies if Congress passes resolution condemning Armenian genocide.

2007  December - Turkey launches air strikes against PKK camps in Iraq.

2008  February - Turkey launches second set of airstrikes against Kurdish rebels in Iraq.

2008 February - Constitution is amended amidst public controversy to allow female college students to wear headscarves on public campuses.