History Line

814 BC Foundation of Qart Hadasht (Carthage) by Phoenician Queen Dido, followed by the establishment of key trading posts, like Hippo Diarrhytus (Bizerta), Utica (Utique) and Hadrumete (Sousse).

480 BC Carthage becoming more independent from the Phoenician homeland in Tyre after the latter defeated to the Greeks in the battle of Himera in Sicily.

310 BC Greek invasion, resulting in even more weakening and the partial destruction of Carthage.

263 BC The start of the three Punic Wars against Rome, marked by the elephant-mounted expedition by Hannibal across the Alps (218-202 BC).

146 BC The end of the Punic Wars, Carthage is destroyed, and establishment of the first Roman Colony, Africa, and its attachment to the Roman Empire.

105 BC The Roman settlers defeat Jugurtha and North-Africa was named Africa Proconsularis.

44 BC Re-prosperity of North-Africa economically growth, mainly in agriculture with grain and later olive oil.

312 The Roman Empire becomes officially Christian.

439 Takeover of Carthage by the Vandals and destruction of many Roman cities.

533 The decline of the Vandal kingdom and takeover by the Byzantine general Belisarius. The region was renamed Numidia.

646 Prefect Gregory declares Numidia independent from Byzantine.

670 Foundation of Kairouan by Oqba lbn Nafaa and take over of Carthage.

761 The Berbers are driven to the south of Tunisia.

800 Establishment of the Aghlabid Dynasty and Tunisia became independent from the Abbasids.

827 Invasion of Sicily and Malta.

909 Fatimid dynasties and foundation of Mahdia.

961 Fatimid ruler, Al-Moez, conquers Egypt and the start of the Fatimid decline.

977 The Zirid dynasty is established.

984 The Fatimids of Egypt sent the Banu Hillal tribes into Tunisia where most cities were highly damaged.

1148 Mahdia is conquered by the Normans that marked the end of the Zirid regime.

1159 Almohads starts to unify North-Africa and Andalusia.

1230 The Hafsids break away from Almohads and establish new dynasty in Tunis.

1229 The Hafsids declare independence from the Marrakech-based Almohads.

1534 The Ottoman Pirate Barbarossa captures Tunis, but the Spanish recapture the city few years later.

1574 Tunisia becomes part of the Ottoman Empire.

1705 Husseinite Dynasty takes power in Tunisia. This brings prosperity to Tunisia and more autonomy from the Ottomans.

1801 The United States of America starts a disciplinary actions against the organized piracy staged from Tunisia. They attacked many cities including Tunis.

1878 The congress of Berlin, in which Britain claims Cyprus, and France Tunisia.

1881 The Bardo Treaty is signed and the French Protectorate is established.

1920 Several nationalist groups formed the Destour Party, which called for extensive democratic reforms of Tunisia.

1925 The Destour Party is disbanded by the French authorities.

1934 Habib Bourguiba forms The Neo-Destour Party.

1942 The Germans land troops in Tunisia, in order to fight back the Allied forces.

1946 Tunisia gets the status of being a semi-autonomous state in the French Union. Local government includes many Tunisian ministers.

1952 The UN Security Council rules against independency of Tunisia, since the situation is regarded as a domestic political conflict.

1956 Independence from France.

1957 Proclamation of the Republic. Habib Bourguiba becomes first President of Independent Tunisia.

1963 The last French soldiers evacuate Bizerta.

1975 Bourgiba is appointed president for life by the National Assembly.

1987 In conformity with the Constitution, Prime Minister Zine El Abidine Ben Ali succeeds President Bourguiba who is declared by his physicians unable to continue assuming the duties of the Office. President Ben Ali is sworn-in by Parliament.

1989 Presidential and legislative elections. Zine El Abidine Ben Ali elected President.

1994 Re-election of President Ben Ali and accession of the opposition to Parliament, for the first time in the history of independent Tunisia.

1999 President Ben Ali is re-elected by an overwhelming majority for a third term. Women occupy more than 10% of the Parliament.