AD 50 Iron Age Frisian and Batavi tribes settle in present-day Netherlands; they build settlements above the tide line on artificial mounds called terpen.

751 Charlemagne, the Holy Roman Emperor, rules the Low Countries, the lands alongside the North Sea.

12th century Herring fishermen settle at the mouth of the Amstel river, later site of Amsterdam.

1519 Charles V of Spain is crowned Holy Roman Emperor; the Low Countries come under Spanish rule.

1566-67 Repression by Spain leads to lengthy struggle against Spanish control.

1579 Formation of Republic of the United Provinces of The Netherlands.

1602 Formation of Dutch East India Company; “Golden Age” of Amsterdam as a world trading center lasts for most of the 17th century.

1814 Northern and southern Netherlands become a united kingdom after fall of Napoleon.

1831 Southern Netherlands becomes independent Belgium.

1914-18 The Netherlands remains neutral during World War I.

1940 Germany invades The Netherlands; Amsterdam finally liberated in 1945.

1947 Formation of Benelux Trade Treaty between Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg.

1957 The Netherlands signs up as a founding member of the European Community.

1980 Queen Beatrix is crowned.

1992 The Netherlands signs the Maastricht Treaty, the key to the European Union.