1389: Ottoman Turks defeat Serbian Prince Lazar at Kosovo Polje (The Field of Blackbirds). Kosovo remains under Turkish rule until 1912.
1912: Serbia and other Balkan states drive the Turks from Kosovo. Serbia takes control of Kosovo. Kosovo's ethnic Albanians view the Serbs as occupiers while Kosovo Serbs see them as liberators.
1918: After World War I, Kosovo is integrated into a new nation called Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes; that nation is renamed Yugoslavia in 1929.
1941-45: During World War II, most of Kosovo becomes part of Greater Albania, which is controlled by Italy; other parts of Yugoslavia are occupied by Nazi Germany and Bulgaria. Josip Broz Tito leads guerrilla fighters against the Germans. After victory, Tito heads a Communist government in Yugoslavia until his death in 1980.
1974: Kosovo becomes an autonomous province within Yugoslavia; Albanian-language schools and observation of Islamic holy days are allowed.
1989: Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic strips Kosovo of its autonomous status and declares the Albanian language unofficial.
1991: Referendum shows most Kosovo Albanians favor forming an independent Republic of Kosovo.
1992: Kosovo Albanians elect parliament, electing Ibrahim Rugova president. Serbia, a republic of Yugoslavia that includes the province of Kosovo, refuses to recognize election.
1993: An underground organization, the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) is founded in Pristina, the capital of Kosovo. The group is dedicated to Kosovo independence and opposes Rugova's non-violence policy in dealing with the Serbs.
1996: The KLA, with about 30,000 armed fighters, launches a campaign against Serb rule in Kosovo
Recent Developments
February: The fatal shootings of two Serb policemen by militant Kosovo Albanians spark a heavy-handed police reprisal.
March: Serb police kill dozens in campaign against suspected Albanian separatists.
May: Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic and Kosovo Albanian leader Ibrahim Rugova hold talks.
July-August: The Kosovo Liberation Army gains control over a large area of Kosovo; Serbs counterattack with a devastating offensive.
September: Serb forces launch a fresh offensive in Kosovo; 22 Albanians are found massacred. The U.N. Security Council calls for an immediate cease-fire and dialogue.
October-December: NATO authorizes airstrikes against Serb military targets. U.S. envoy Christopher Hill attempts to broker a political settlement in Kosovo. Although Serbs agree to a truce, fighting and killing continues in the province.
January: The bodies of 45 ethnic Albanians are found slain outside Racak, Kosovo. Western allies demand that Serbs and Kosovo Albanians meet for peace talks.
February: Talks between warring parties take place in France. Fighting escalates in Kosovo.
March: Kosovo Albanians unilaterally sign peace agreement calling for interim autonomy and the use of NATO troops to implement the deal. The Serbs balk, then walk. Yugoslav forces launch offensive against KLA rebels. International peace monitors leave Kosovo. NATO begins a bombing campaign.
On a number of occasions since late 1998, the United States and NATO have threatened Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic with use of military force for failing to halt aggressive action in Kosovo.
Sept. 24: NATO issues ultimatum for Serbs stop violence in Kosovo.
Oct. 2: United States warns of air attacks within two weeks if Serb hostilities do not cease.
Oct. 13: Milosevic yields to threat of airstrikes and agrees to a peace accord ending his military campaign in Kosovo. In addition, Serbs allow 2,000 unarmed monitors to verify compliance.
Oct. 16: NATO extends its ultimatum deadline by 10 days for Serbs to comply with terms of peace deal.
Jan. 18: NATO declares new airstrike threat in wake of Serb massacre in Racak, Kosovo.
Jan. 30: NATO warns Serbs and Kosovo Albanians to reach a peace agreement or face consequences of a military strike. They are given three weeks.
Feb. 23: Partial peace deal reached by the parties extends deadline three weeks.
March 23: U.S. envoy Richard Holbrooke issues dire warning to Milosevic: Accept peace deal on the table or suffer a NATO attack.
