1864: Birth of Eleftherios Venizelos in the village of Mournies, Chania, on August 11.
 
1866: Venizelos's family took to the Island of Kythira, persecuted in the wake of the Cretan Revolution of 1866 and, shortly after, to the Island of Syros, where young Venizelos was enrolled in the local primary school.

1872-1880: Studies in Chania, at the Lyceum of Antoniadis in Athens and at the Ermoupolis Secondary School. Return to Chania.

1881: Enrolment in the Law School of the Athens University despite the objections of his father who had destined him for a merchant.

1883: Death of his father Kyriakos; continuation of his studies and parallel occupation in the family business.

1884: Venizelos began his revolutionary career: He drafted a declaration requesting the application of the provisions of the Pact of Chalepa in an assembly of Christians at Boutsounaria near Chania in favor the Christians.

1887: Graduation from the Law School. Settlement in Chania and beginning of a lawyers career.

1888: Publication of the newspaper "The White Mountains" by Venizelos together with C. Foumis, Ch. Pologeorkakis and J. Moatsos.

1889: Elected as a Member of the Cretan Parliament and established as a prominent political figure. Dissolution of Parliament (November 25) by an Ottoman decree in the aftermath of the revolution that had broken out earlier that year. Venizelos, C. Foumis, Ch. Pologeorgakis and S. Psaroudakis fled to Athens with the aid of A. Biliotti, the British Consul. After the end of the revolution, the Turks repealed many of the liberal concessions provided for in the Pact of Chalepa.

1890: Amnesty granted by the Turks. Return of Venizelos to Chania.

1891: His marriage with Maria Katelouzou.

1894: Birth of his second son Sofoklis and death of his wife Maria. Inconsolable, Venizelos went into mourning according to the Cretan customs, dressed in black and grew a beard, henceforth a characteristic feature of his appearance.

1896: Revolution under the leadership of Manousos Koundouros, demanding the autonomy of Crete. Clashes between Turks and revolutionaries; Siege of Vamos (Chania). Massacres in Chania. Participation of Venizelos in the Cretan Revolutionary Assembly (Kampoi, Chania, August 18)

1897: Outbreak of a new revolution. Massacres in Heraklion and in Rethymon. Setting the town of Chania on fire and massacres (January 23). Venizelos¢s participation in the Administrative Committee of the Akrotiri Revolutionary Camp. The Administrative Committee of the Akrotiri Revolutionary Camp declared union with Greece with the encouragement of the Greek Government and communicated the declaration to the Consuls of the Great Powers (January 25). The revolution spread throughout Crete.
Disembarkation of Greek troops at Kolybari, Chania. Clashes between Greeks and Turks at Akrotiri. The fleet of the Great Powers bombarded Akrotiri (February 9). The Administrative Committee of the Akrotiri Revolutionary Camp protested to the Admirals of the European fleet against the bombardment in a memorandum written by Eleftherios Venizelos.
The Great Powers announced that autonomy was granted to Crete (March 15).
Outbreak of the Greek-Turkish war and defeat of Greece.
A Revolutionary Assembly of Cretans convened at Armeni, a village in the province of Apokoronas, Chania.
Meeting of the Revolutionary Assembly in Archanes, Heraklion. Venizelos elected as its president.
Clashes between "autonomists" and "unionists" and an assassination attempt against Venizelos (August 5).

1898: Meeting of the Revolutionary Assembly of Cretans in the village of Plakoures, Akrotiri, Chania (July). Election of a five-member Executive Committee under the presidency of J. Sfakianakis, Venizelos being one of its members.
Massacres of native Christians and of English soldiers by the Turks in Heraklion (August 25). Harsh retaliations by the British.
Evacuation of the Turkish army from Crete as a result of Great Powers' ultimatum (November 3). Prince George, son of George I, King of Greece, appointed High Commissioner in Crete (November 18).
Arrival of Prince George at Souda Bay (December 9). Beginning of the period of the autonomous Cretan State.

1899: Venizelos appointed Chancellor (Minister) of Justice in the Prince¢s government (April 17).

1900: Venizelos carried out significant legislative work. The first signs of friction between Venizelos and Prince George appeared.

1901: Confrontation between the Prince and Venizelos on account of the Prince's handling of the Cretan affair and of his totalitarian rule. Venizelos dismissed (March 18).

1903: Venizelos, sentenced to a seven-day term in prison for offence, served his sentence in the prison of Idjedin Castle, following a lawsuit filed against him by Eumenius, the Archbishop of Crete, who had taken sides with the High Commissioner.

1905: Venizelos led the revolution of Therisso (March 10). Prince George and the Great Powers reacted. The High Commissioner employed Russian troops against the revolutionaries.

1906: George fled Crete. Alexander Zaimis, Greece's former Prime Minister, appointed as the new High Commissioner.

1908: Revolution in Crete. Venizelos, Minister of Justice and of Foreign Affairs, persuaded the Great Powers to recognise the new revolutionary government.

1909: Departure of the international forces of occupation from Crete (July 13). Military coup in Athens (in the barracks of Goudi). Venizelos invited to Athens by the Military League.

* Unless otherwise stated dates prior to 1923 are in the Julian calendar.

1910: Eleftherios Venizelos became the President of the Cretan Assembly and Prime Minister of the Cretan State on May 2. Venizelos¢s political friends submitted his candidacy in the Greek elections (August 8). He was elected first deputy for the constituency of Attica-Boeotia and was sworn in office as Prime Minister of Greece on October 6. New elections followed on November 28, in which the old traditional parties abstained and Venizelos gained a triumphant victory.

1911: Venizelos's government initiated reforms and the economic and military reorganisation of the country. A new constitution and a state of law in Greece were established.

1912: March: Electoral victory of the Liberal Party. Defensive alliance signed between Greece and Bulgaria. Ultimatum presented by Serbia and Bulgaria to Turkey (October 4). The First Balkan war. Victories of the Greek army. Thessaloniki liberated (October 26). Naval battle of Elli won by Greek fleet (December 3).

1913: Naval battle of Lemnos won by Greek fleet (January 5). Ioannina liberated (February 21). Assassination of King George in Thessaloniki (March 5). Peace treaty signed in London (May 17).
  Alliance treaty signed between Greece and Serbia (May 19). Bulgarian attack against Greece and Serbia (June 13), signalling the outbreak of the Second Balkan war. Bulgaria defeated. Treaty of Bucharest signed (July 28). The Greek State doubled its territorial surface. Venizelos's increased popularity. Union of Crete with Greece (December 1).

1914: Outbreak of World War I. Eleftherios Venizelos foresaw the victory of the Entente and supported Greece's entrance into the war.

1915: Venizelos's proposal for the participation of Greece in the expedition of Gallipoli (February 16). Disagreement between Venizelos and King Constantine. Resignation of the government (February 21). Gounaris government. Elections (May 31), in which the Liberals obtained a significant victory. Serious dissension between the Crown and Venizelos concerning Greece's commitment towards Serbia. Venizelos resigned. Formation of a government under Zaimis. British and French troops disembarked at Thessaloniki following a request of Venizelos. Cyprus offered to Greece by Britain on condition that the former would participate in the war on the side of Entente. The proposal was rejected by the royalist Greek government.

1916: Rupel fortifications handed over to the Bulgarians. Outbreak of a coup of the National Defence Movement in Thessaloniki (August 29). Expansionist designs of Germans and Bulgarians tolerated by the royalist government in Athens. Venizelos left Athens to settle in Thessaloniki. A Provisional Government was set up in Thessaloniki exerting authority over Northern Greece, Crete and the islands of the Eastern Aegean Sea. Formation of an army fit for combat and its participation in the war. Skirmishes between Anglo-French troops and Greek army faithful to the King. Atrocities perpetrated by royalists at the expense of Venizelos's supporters (the "November incidents", November 18). Athens besieged by British and French armed forces.

1917: Abdication of King Constantine (May 30). King Alexander named as his successor. Venizelos arrived in Athens and took over authority as Prime Minister (June 14).

1918: Significant victories of the Greek army in Macedonia. Capitulation of Bulgaria (September 17) and Turkey (October 17). Armistice signed at Moudros.

1919: Paris Conference. Venizelos's contribution to the victory of the Allies internationally acknowledged. Landing of Greek army at Smyrna (May 2).

1920: Advance of Greek army to the interior of Asia Minor (conquest of Brussa) and to Chataldja in Eastern Thrace. Signature of the Treaty of Sevres by Eleftherios Venizelos (July 28). Annexation of Eastern and Western Thrace and of the High Commission of Smyrna to Greece. «Greece of the two Continents and of the five Seas» achieved. Assassination attempt against Venizelos in Paris (Lyon railway station) by two royalist ex-officers. Death of King Alexander. General elections and defeat of the Liberal Party (November 1). Self-exile of Venizelos in Paris.

1921: Despite pre-electoral promises, Venizelos's opponents continued the expedition in Asia Minor. Large-scale attack of the Greek army in Turkey's hinterland (June 28), culminating in the battle by River Sakarya.
His marriage with Elena Skylitsi.

1922: Counter-attack of Turkish forces along the entire front under the leadership of Kemal Atatürk (August 13); Smyrna seized (August 27) and set on fire. 1,200,000 Greeks aban¬doned their ancestral homes in Asia Minor and fled to Greece as refugees. Outbreak of a military coup under Nicholas Plas-tiras (September 12). King Constantine¢s abdication in favour of his son George II. "Trial of the Six" officials accused of treason on account of the defeat held in a heavy atmosphere culminating in their execution despite strong international pressure.

1923: Negotiations in Lausanne, Switzerland. Eleftherios Venizelos headed the Greek delegation. Convention for the exchange of populations between Greece and Turkey (January 30) and Treaty of Lausanne (July 24), defining the new borders of Greece with Turkey. Elections for the Fourth National Constituent Assembly of Greece (December 16). King George II expelled from the throne; Admiral Paul Koundouriotis appointed Regent.
 
1924: Government under Venizelos (January 11). His resignation on account of his disagreement with certain liberals over the character of the regime (February 2). Greece declared a Republic by the National Assembly (March 24). Venizelos left for Paris, where he began his translation of Thucydides.

1925: Dictatorship under Pangalos.

1926: Pangalos overturned (August 12). Elections (November 7). All-party government formed under Alexander Zaimis.

1927: Return of Venizelos from Paris (May) and settlement in his house at Chalepa, Chania.

1928-1932: Venizelos returned to active politics, obtaining a resounding victory in the elections of August 19, 1928. Greek-Italian Treaty of Friendship (September 23, 1928).
  Venizelos's government remained in power for four years. The Bank of Greece, the Agricultural Bank of Greece, the Council of State and the National Theatre of Greece, the construction of 3.000 schools and important infrastructure projects were among his major achievements. Economic progress and progressive legislation despite the 1929 international crisis. The Greek-Yugoslav friendship, reconciliation and judicial settlement treaty was signed on March 27, 1929, resolving the problem of the free zone of Thessaloniki. Greek-Turkish Treaty of Friendship, Neutrality, Conciliation and Arbitration signed on October 30 1930 at Ankara.

1932: Resignation of Venizelos (May 21). Elections and defeat of the Liberal Party (September 25).
  A Popular Party government formed under P. Tsaldaris (November 4).

1933: Last Venizelos government (January 16). Elections and new defeat of the Liberals.
  Coup by Plastiras; appointment of a government under General Othoneos who handed over the government to P.Tsaldaris. Assassination attempt against Eleftherios Venizelos in Kifisias Avenue, Athens (June 6).

  1935: Military coup organised by Venizelist officers to avert the restoration of the monarchy (March 1); failure of the coup and departure of Venizelos from Greece (March 12). George Kondylis appointed Regent. Trials and executions of prominent Venizelists; abolishment of the Greek Republic and return of King George II to the throne, as a result of a rigged referendum.
 
1936: Venizelos lived in exile in Paris in bad health, continuously occupying himself with the political situation in Greece. He died on March 18. Funeral not held in Athens for the avoidance of riots.
 Body carried to Chania in the destroyer "Paul Koundouriotis". Unprecedented demonstrations of deep mourning throughout Greece. Burial at Akrotiri in an atmosphere of a nation-wide mourning.