- First humans (38,000 years ago)
- Tambapanni kingdom (543 - 437 BC)
- Anuradhapura kingdom (377 BC - 1017 AD)
- Chola Empire occupation (933 - 1070 AD)
- Polonnaruwa kingdom (1055-1232)
- Jaffna kingdom (1215-1619)
- Dambadeniya (1220-1345)
- Gampola kingdom (1341-1408)
- Kotte kingdom (1412-1597)
- Kandy kingdom (1469-1815)
- Sitawaka kingdom (1521-1594)
- Portuguese Ceylon (1597-1658)
- Dutch Ceylon (1640-1796)
- British Ceylon (1796-1948)
- Kandyan Wars (1796-1818)
- Uva-Wellassa uprising (1817-1818)
- Matale rebellion (1848)
- Attempted military coup d'état (1962)
- Ceylon gains independence (1948)
- Ceylon (1948-1972)
- JVP insurrection (1971)
- Renamed to Sri Lanka (1972)
- Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (1976-2009)
- Constitution of Sri Lanka (1978)
- Sri Lankan Civil War (1983-2009)
- JVP insurrection (1987-1989)
- Easter bombings (2019)
(This post includes any nation or civilization that occupied at least a portion of Sri Lanka at some point. Unless specified otherwise, the dates correspond to when a nation or civilization existed, but do not necessarily correspond to occupation of Sri Lanka.)
