1812 - Following years of war, the Treaty of Bucharest awards Romania and western Moldova to the Ottoman Empire while Russia is given eastern Moldova, known as Bessarabia

1878 - Romania, then including western Moldova, is declared independent

1917 - A Republic of Moldova is declared within Bessarabia

1918 - Moldova rejoins Romania. But a strip of land on the east side of the Dniestr river - once an autonomous area within Ukraine - is still claimed by Soviet Russia, which does not recognise Romania's move

1920 - Union of Moldova with Romania is recognised by the Treaty of Paris, but not by Soviet Union

1924 - Group of communists declare the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (MASSR) on the east bank of the Dniestr river, within Ukraine

1940 - Under the terms of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, Soviet troops seize Bessarabia and reunite it with MASSR, choosing the latter name for the whole region. Romania is forced to cede the territory

1941 - Romania wins back Bessarabia during Second World War

1944 - Bessarabia recaptured by Soviet Union

1947 - During Paris peace talks, Romania acknowledges Bessarabia is part of Soviet Union

1989

Aug -Tensions increase after USSR gives Romanian (known locally as Moldovan) official language status within Moldova

1990

Jun - Moldovan politicians call for greater autonomy within USSR

Aug - The Turkic Gagauz people declare independence from Moldova and USSR

Sep - Pro-Soviet Union Slavs east of the Dniestr river declare independence from Moldova, forming the Transdniestrian Moldavian Republic

1991

Aug - Moldova declares independence from USSR

Dec - Igor Smirnov elected "president" of Transdniestria. Election declared invalid by Moldovan authorities. Moldovan troops open fire on separatist troops while defending government buildings in Dubossary, one of the oldest cities in the breakaway region

1992

Mar - Moldova joins United Nations. President Mircea Snegur declares state of emergency in Moldova as separatist troops battle government forces

Jun - Civil conflict culminates in fierce battle in contested city of Bendery. Several hundred die and tens of thousands flee

Jul - Moldova and Russia sign agreement to find peaceful solution. Ceasefire declared. Trilateral peacekeeping forces - Moldovan, Transdniestrian and Russian - deployed

1993

Feb - Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) establishes mission in Moldova to support a peaceful solution

1994

Feb - Snegur rules out Moldova becoming federal state containing three republics: Moldova, Dnestr and Gagauzia

Mar - Referendum results indicate majority of Moldovans favour independence over reuniting with Romania

Jul - Moldova proposes a law giving Transdniestria and Gagauzia special autonomous status

Dec - Moldova gives Gagauzia autonomy but talks fail on granting Transdniestria similar rights

1995

Feb - OSCE opens office in Transdniestrian capital Tiraspol

1997 - Moldova, Transdniestria and Russia resume talks

1999 - Russia agrees to withdraw troops and military equipment from Transdniestria by 2002

2001 - Communist politician Vladimir Voronin elected president of Moldova. Transdniestrian authorities block removal of Russian troops and artillery, as agreed two years previously

2002

Dec - OSCE extends deadline for withdrawal of Russian troops and equipment to end of 2003, and later into 2004

2004

Feb - Moscow insists it will only withdraw troops and equipment when settlement reached

May - Transdniestria closes six schools teaching in Romanian and using Latin rather than Cyrillic script - an act described by OSCE as "linguistic cleansing"

Jul - Moldova imposes economic sanctions in protest at school closures and pulls out of talks on region's future

2005

Mar - Transdniestria passes law prohibiting non-governmental organisations from receiving external funding

Apr - Voronin re-elected president

Jul - Transdniestria officially registers four Romanian-language schools

Sep - EU sends 50 monitors to observe and secure the Moldova-Ukraine border, which lies in the disputed territory

2006

Jan - Trilateral talks break down. OSCE mission head admits two sides still far apart

Mar - Ukraine and Moldova declare all goods entering Ukraine from Transdniestria should bear an official Moldovan stamp, in an attempt to stop smuggling. Smirnov and Russia denounce move as an economic blockade

Sep - Voters in Transdniestrian referendum back independence with a view to later joining Russia. Vote dismissed by Moldova and EU

Dec - Transdniestria re-elects Smirnov for fourth term as president

2007

Jan - Neighbouring Romania joins EU