| Saint LuciaTimeline |
| The Timeline presents a chronology of key events from 1300 to present. |
200AD - Island first settled by Arawak Indians
800AD - Caribs took over; named island "Iouanalao", meaning "Island of the Iguanas"
1501 - Saint Lucia sighted by Christopher Columbus.
1550s - First European settlement established by buccaneer Francios le Clerc (aka Jambe de Bois or Wooden Leg)
1600s - Dutch arrived, established fortified base at Vieux Fort
1605 - Resident Caribs forced English colonists to flee
1635 - The French establish a colony on St Lucia
1639 - Resident Caribs forced English colonists to flee again
1660 - The French sign a treaty with the indigenous Carib people.
1780 - Twelve settlements, large number of sugar plantations established by French
1814 - France cedes Saint Lucia to Britain following the Treaty of Paris; Britain proclaims the island a crown colony and brings in African slaves to work on the sugar cane plantations. |
1834 - Slavery abolished.
1871-1956 - Saint Lucia a member of the Leeward Islands Federation.
1924 - Saint Lucia granted representative government.
1936 - Saint Lucia given a constitution providing for a majority of elected representatives in the legislative council. |
1951 - Saint Lucia granted universal adult suffrage. Saint Lucia Labour Party wins five of the eight seats in general election.
1954 - Saint Lucia Labour Party wins five of the eight seats in general election.
1957 - Saint Lucia Labour Party wins seven of the eight seats in general election.
1958-62 - Saint Lucia a member of the Federation of the West Indies. |
1960 - George F.L. Charles becomes first Chief Minister of Saint Lucia.
1961 - Saint Lucia Labour Party wins nine of ten seats in general election. George F.L. Charles continues as Chief Minister. |
| 1964 - Saint Lucia ceases sugar cane production. United Workers Party wins six of ten seats in general election. John Compton becomes Chief Minister.
1967 - Saint Lucia becomes fully self-governing in internal affairs, with Britain remaining in charge of external matters and defense. John Compton becomes first Premier of Saint Lucia.
1969 - United Workers Party wins six of ten seats in general election. John Compton continues as Premier.
1974 - United Workers Party wins 10 of 17 seats in general election. John Compton continues as Premier. |
| 1979 - Saint Lucia becomes independent with John Compton, leader of the United Workers Party as the country’s first Prime Minister. Learn more » |
| 1979 - Allan Louisy becomes Prime Minister after his Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP) wins 12 of 17 seats in the first post-independence general election. |
| 1981 - Louisy resigns following a split in the SLP and is replaced by the attorney-general, Winston Cenac. |
1982 - John Compton returns to office as Prime Minister after his UWP wins a decisive victory in the general election winning 14 of 17 seats.
1987 - The UWP wins a narrow victory in the general election with nine of 17 seats in the 6 April election. A second election on 30 April produced the same results.
1992 - The UWP wins a third successive general election with 11 of 17 seats.
1992 - Derek Walcott, a native of the capital, Castries, wins the Nobel Prize for literature.
1993 - Fall in the price of bananas leads to unrest and strikes by farmers and agricultural workers. |
| 1996 - John Compton resigns and is succeeded by Vaughan Lewis as Prime Minister. |
1997 - Kenny Anthony becomes Prime Minister after his SLP-led coalition wins the country's biggest ever landslide in the general election with 16 of 17 seats.
1997 September – Saint Lucia’s first woman Governor-General, Dr Pearlette Louisy, was appointed, following the resignation of Sir George Mallet.
2001 – Kenny Anthony led Saint Lucia Labour Party with second consecutive term with 14 of 17 seats.
2002 September - Tropical Storm Lili destroys about half of the banana crop. In some places entire plantations are wiped out.
2003 July - Parliament amends constitution to replace oath of allegiance to British monarch with pledge of loyalty to St Lucians.
2003 November - New criminal code passed, with controversial clauses on imprisonment for spreading "false news" and legalisation of abortion in some circumstances.
2004 July - Volcanic twin peaks - the Pitons - are declared a UNESCO world heritage site. |
2006 December - Sir John Compton's UWP wins general elections with 11 of 17 seats. At age 81, Compton becomes Prime Minister of Saint Lucia.
2007 April - Saint Lucia says it will re-establish diplomatic ties with Taiwan, 10 years after it broke off relations in favour of China. |
| 2007 September - Prime Minister Sir John Compton dies, is replaced by Stephenson King.
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2011 December - Kenny Anthony becomes Prime Minister after his SLP wins a snap general election with 11 of 17 seats.
2016 May – PM Kenny Anthony calls elections for 6 June 2016. |
