200 – 1500
- (200AD) Island first settled by Arawak Indians
- (800AD) Caribs took over; named island “Iouanalao”, meaning “Island of the Iguanas”
- (1501) St. Lucia sighted by Christopher Columbus
- (1550s) First European settlement established by buccaneer Francios le Clerc (aka Jambe de Bois or Wooden Leg)
1600s
- (1600s) Dutch arrived, established fortified base at Vieux Fort
- (1605) Resident Caribs forced English colonists to flee
- (1635) French established colony on St. Lucia
- (1639) Resident Caribs forced English colonists to flee again
- (1660) French signed treaty with indigenous Carib people
1700s – 1800s
- (1780) Twelve settlements, large number of sugar plantations established by French
- (1814) After series of battles, island was ceded to Britain under Treaty of Paris; Britain proclaimed island a crown colony, brought in African slaves to work on sugarcane plantations
- (1834) Slavery abolished
- (1871-1956) St. Lucia became member of Leeward Islands Federation
1900s
- (1924) St. Lucia granted representative government
- (1936) St. Lucia given constitution, provided for majority of elected representatives in legislative council
- (1951) St. Lucia granted universal adult suffrage
- (1958-62) St. Lucia became member of Federation of the West Indies
- (1964) St. Lucia ceased sugar cane production
- (1967) Self-government with associated state status achieved
- (1979) St. Lucia became part of Commonwealth; Allan Louisy became prime minister
- (1981) Louisy resigned after split with SLP party; replaced by Winston Cenac, attorney general
- (1982) John Compton returned to power after UWP party won elections
- (1987) UWP won narrow victory in general elections
- (1992) UWP won another election
- (1993) Unrest, strikes by farmers, agricultural workers due to fall in banana prices
- (1996) John Compton resigned, succeeded by Vaughan Lewis as prime minister
- (1997) SLP Kenny Anthony became prime minister
2000s
- (2002) Tropical Storm Lili destroyed half the banana crop
- (2003) Parliament amended constitution to replace oath of allegiance to British monarch with pledge of loyalty to St. Lucians; new criminal code passed
- (2004) Pitons volcanic twin peaks declared UNESCO World Heritage site
- (2006) John Compton’s UWP party won general elections
- (2007) Prime Minister John Compton died, replaced by Stephenson King as prime minister
- (2009) Two women selected to Parliament; China lashed out at St. Lucia due to its restoration of diplomatic relations with Taiwan; Hurricane Dean struck St. Lucia, caused widespread damage
- (2010) Gunman entered Prime Minister King’s home-district office, killed man waiting to see PM; Hurricane Tomas struck
