A chronology of key events:
AD 301 - According to tradition, San Marino is founded by Marinus, a Christian stonemason seeking refuge from religious persecution on Mount Titano.
1243 - The first captains regent - acting as joint heads of state - are appointed.
1463 - The Pope awards the towns of Fiorentino, Montegiardino and Serravalle to San Marino. The town of Faetano joins the republic in 1464, defining its present-day borders.
1503 - Cesare Borgia occupies San Marino for several months until his death.
1599 - San Marino's constitution, which provides for a parliamentary government, is laid out in the Statutes of 1600.
1631 - Papacy recognises San Marino's independence.
1739 - Cardinal Alberoni's forces occupy San Marino. But after a civil disobedience campaign and appeals to the Vatican, the Pope restores San Marino's independence.
1797 - Napoleon invades Italy, but respects the rights of San Marino.
Independence recognised
1815 - Congress of Vienna, which follows the Napoleonic Wars, recognises San Marino's independence.
1849 - San Marino gives refuge from Austrian forces to Italian soldier and nationalist, Garibaldi.
1862 - San Marino signs customs union and treaty of friendship and cooperation with Italy.
1940 - Italy enters World War Two. San Marino remains neutral during the war, hosting some 100,000 refugees from neighbouring parts of Italy.
1944 September - San Marino is briefly occupied by German forces, who were defeated by the Allies in the Battle of San Marino
1945-57 - San Marino, unlike Italy, has democratically elected communist governments - a coalition between the Sammarinese Communist Party and the Sammarinese Socialist Party.
1957 - The Rovereta Affair, a constitutional crisis between San Marino's then main parties - the Christian Democrats and the Communists - triggered by Socialist Party's withdrawal from the coalition following the 1956 crushing of the Hungarian revolution.
The year sees competing governments, armed militias, US and Italian intervention and an Italian blockade of San Marino. The Communist government eventually steps down and Christian Democrats take power.
1988 - San Marino joins the Council of Europe.
1992 - San Marino joins the United Nations.
Tax haven status
2002 - San Marino signs treaty with OECD to provide greater transparency in banking and taxation, as a result of which it is removed from the OECD's blacklist list of tax havens and placed on the "grey list" (consisting of countries that have pledged to comply with rules on sharing tax information but have yet to do so).
The Cesta - one of the three fortresses on Monte Titano
2008 July - UN adds San Marino's historic centre and Mount Titano to its World Heritage List of protected sites.
2008 November - Centre-right coalition wins parliamentary election.
2009 April - G20 leaders agree on tougher measures against tax havens in response to global financial crisis.
2009 May - Five senior executives at San Marino's largest bank and oldest financial institution, the Cassa di Risparmio, are arrested on suspicion of money laundering.
2009 July - In an effort to discourage tax evasion, Italy announces a tax amnesty for its citizens who repatriate assets held in offshore bank accounts.
2009 August - San Marino government says it is taking steps to ensure the country complies with OECD rules on financial transparency so as to be removed from tax haven "grey list".
2013 October - A narrow majority of Sammarinese vote to join the EU, but because of a low turnout the measure fails to reach the necessary quorum of 32% of registered voters, and fails.
2022 August - San Marino legalises abortion. It is one of the last European countries to have had a complete ban on abortions.
