65000 av. J.-C.
First human traces (microlithic tools unearthed at Niah in 2017).
4000 av. J.-C.
Farmers from Indochina reach the peninsula by land. They mix with the aboriginal populations and form the ethnic group of the Senoïs.
1000 av. J.-C.
The Proto-Malays, probably coming from Yunnan in China, are spreading throughout the archipelago. They are repelled by the Deutero-Malays who came from Cambodia around 300 BC. The latter are said to be the direct ancestors of the Malays.
100–600
Indian kingdoms. As early as the 2nd century, the Indians shipped goods to be exchanged and set off south. They landed on the peninsula and "indianized" the local populations. They transmitted their religions (Buddhism and Hinduism), their social organization, and their language. They replace the local chiefs of the rajas of divine origin "with supernatural powers". The archaeological site of Gunug Jerai and its Hindu temples bear witness to this period.
600–1200
The Srivijaya empire. The powerful kingdom of Srivijaya, founded in central Java, set out to conquer new territories. Its political and commercial influence extended as far as Cambodia. In Malaysia, it founded trading posts in Kelantan, Terengganu, Malacca and Kedah. At the end of the 13th century, the kingdom of Srivijaya collapsed, giving way to the kingdom of Modjopahit. At the same time, a Thai kingdom was created in the north of the country. China began trading with Southeast Asia. It was in this context that the Thais and Javanese clashed for possession of the peninsula. The Malays, for their part, turned to the Chinese for protection.
1398
Foundation of the city of Malacca, on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula.
1511
The Portuguese take Malacca.
1641
The Dutch take Malacca from the Portuguese.
1786
The British bought the island of Penang and set up a free port to break the Dutch hegemony.
1819
Sir Stamford Raffles occupied the island of Singapore, which was then just a fishing village. He acquired trading rights in 1824 and made it the British economic and political centre in the region. As in Penang, the island is a free port and gradually it is populated by the Chinese.
1824
Signing of the Anglo-Dutch treaty. The Dutch cede Malacca to the British in exchange for the town of Bencoolen in Sumatra. They completely abandoned the Malay Peninsula. The British now hold the three most important ports in the region and have complete control of the Strait of Malacca.
1838
The British explorer James Brooke landed in Kuching and helped the Sultan of Brunei to quell a revolt. In 1841, the sultan enthroned him as the White Rajah of Sarawak. He and his dynasty expanded their territory at the expense of Brunei, until the British seized the territory in 1946.
1867
The British East India Company abandons the administration of the Colonies of the Straits in favour of the Colonial Office based in London.
1874
Signing of the Treaty of Pangkor. The rivalry between the Chinese and the Malay for control of the mines forces the Sultan of Pangkor to request British protection. The signing of the treaty legitimizes the control of the British, who bring down the Malay sultanates one by one. They give them advice, reorganize their administration and de facto colonize the region.
1882
The British Company of North Borneo is created to administer the Sabah region. It expands the territory, again at the expense of the Sultanate of Brunei.
1888
North Borneo becomes a British protectorate and two years later Labuan is annexed to it.
1895
The Sultanates of Pahang, Selangor, Perak and Negeri Sembilak form the Federated States of Malaysia under British rule. Their capital is Kuala Lumpur. The British bring in tens of thousands of Indians and Chinese to develop the country. The Malaysian mosaic is set up.
1909
The Kingdom of Siam cedes the states of Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis and Terengganu to the British, but they retain some autonomy.
1914
The Sultanate of Johor, in spite of its historical relationship of equality with the Crown, joins the 4 States inherited from the Kingdom of Siam, in the non-federated Malaysian States.
1941
The Japanese take Kelantan by surprise. In January 1942, they reached Kuala Lumpur by bicycle and on February 15, it was still an army of bicycles that landed in Singapore.
1945
The presence of the Japanese has given rise to a predominantly nationalist feeling among the Malaysian people. As for the Chinese, they are turning to communism. It was this new situation that the British Crown had to face when it recovered Malaysia at the end of the war.
1946
The British are working for the independence of Malaysia. They propose the creation of a Malaysian Federation based on equal rights and integration of non-Malays. The Malay people, who refused to consider themselves equal with the Chinese and the Indians, were in revolt. They found the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) to create a political opposition.
1948
The Communist Party of Malaysia went underground and started a guerrilla war against the colonial power. It has little support from the Chinese community. But the armed struggle will last 9 years and slow down the independence process.
1949
Rich Chinese businessmen founded the Malayan Chinese Association (MCA) to counter the local Communist Party and represent the community at the independence table.
1955
The UMNO, the MCA and the Malayan Indian Congress (MIC) are forming a coalition for the parliamentary elections. They won all but one seat. This victory laid the foundation for a coalition, inclusive and multi-ethnic political system.
1957
On 31 August, Merdeka (Independence) was proclaimed and the Federation of Malaysia was formed. The UMNO wins the most important portfolios. The sultans of each state occupy the throne in rotation.
1958
Discovery of a 35,000-year-old female skull in Niah, Sarawak.
1963
Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak join the Federation. Singapore's integration threatens to tip the Malaysian population into ethnic minorities. Tensions between the Chinese and Malay communities intensify. Brunei chooses to remain under British protectorate.
1965
Singapore secedes.
1969
Riots between Chinese and Malaysian communities cause hundreds of deaths in Kuala Lumpur. The government creates the concept of bumiputra ("sons of the soil") which gives special status to the Malay and aboriginal populations.
1981
Dr. Mahathir Mohamad becomes Prime Minister. He puts in place a strong democracy accompanied by unbridled industrialization.
1984
Brunei achieves independence on January1.
1997
Malaysia is severely affected by the global economic crisis. Mahathir refuses to comply with IMF demands to get his country out of the crisis.
2000
The economic crisis is creating a serious political crisis. Anwar Ibrahim, Mahathir's heir-designate, criticizes the decisions taken by the Prime Minister to counter the currency crisis. He finds himself accused of sodomy and corruption and ends up in prison.
2003
Abdullah Badawi is appointed Prime Minister and takes over as Mahathir's successor. He gets Anwar released.
2008
Unable to deal with the corruption, Badawi is forced to resign. Najib Razak takes over. Faced with the rise of radical Islam and inter-ethnic tensions, he promotes a philosophy of Satu Malaysia, "One Malaysia", without much success.
2012
The Man of Perak, a skeleton dating back to 11000 B.C. is discovered in the Lenggong Valley. The valley includes 4 sites that allow us to trace the history of the hominid from 1.83 million years ago to 300 BC. The site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
2013
For the parliamentary elections, Malaysians have to choose between the still dominant but increasingly contested UMNO and opposition parties led by Anwar. UMNO narrowly won the elections and Najib Razak remained in office.
2016
A gigantic case of corruption shakes the power. Malaysian leaders are suspected of having embezzled billions of ringgits from a hedge fund. Major protests lead to Najib's dismissal.
2018
For the first time since independence, the opposition came to power. Pakatan Harapan (PH) won 113 of the 222 seats. It is in fact a party founded by Mahathir, who thus became the oldest incumbent Prime Minister in the world at the age of 92!
2020
Following the political crisis that led to the resignation of Prime Minister Mahatir, Yassin Muhyiddin, of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) party, was elected head of state.
2021
Ismail Sabri Yaakob was elected Prime Minister in August 2021 following a multi-party coalition.
2022
Pakatan Harapan (PH) leader Anwar Ibrahim is sworn in as the 10th Prime Minister of Malaysia on November 24, 2022.
2023
On October 27, 2023, Ibrahim Ismail was appointed 17th Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King of Malaysia), replacing Abdullah of Pahang.