The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Nantes, France.
374 CE - Roman Catholic Diocese of Nantes established.
445 - Nantes besieged by Huns.
453 - Desiderius becomes Roman Catholic Bishop of Nantes.
548 - Félix of Nantes becomes Catholic bishop.
992 - Nantes taken by forces of the Duke of Brittany.
1118 - Fire.
1434 - Nantes Cathedral construction begins.
1460 - University of Nantes founded.
1466 - Château des ducs de Bretagne rebuilt.
1493 - Printing press in operation.
1598 - Edict of Nantes, granting rights to Protestants, signed in the Château des ducs de Bretagne.
1640 - Nantes Stock Exchange established.
1720 - Street signs introduced.(fr)
1753 - Bibliothèque municipale de Nantes (library) opens.
1788 - Théâtre Graslin inaugurated.
1790 - Nantes becomes part of the Loire-Inférieure souveraineté.
1793 - 29 June: Battle of Nantes.
See also: History of Nantes in the 19th century (in French)
1800 - Population: 77,162.
1803 - Chamber of Commerce established.
1806 - Municipal botanical garden established.
1808 - Lycée of Nantes inaugurated.
1815 - Palais de la Bourse (Nantes) built.
1817 - Slave trade officially banned.
1827 - Passage d'Orléans shopping arcade built.
1830 - Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nantes opens.
1843 - Passage Pommeraye shopping arcade built.
1846
Lefèvre-Utile biscuit company in business.
Notre-Dame de Bon-Port church built.
1848 - Labor unrest; crackdown.
1851 - Angers-Nantes railway begins operating.
1852 - Nantes Courthouse built.
1856 - Population: 108,530.
1858 - Nantes-Brest canal opens.
1869 - Basilique Saint-Nicolas de Nantes (church) built.
1875 - Natural History Museum of Nantes opens.
1876 - Population: 122,247.
1881 - Societe Nantaise de Photographie founded.
1895 - La Cigale (brasserie) in business.
See also: History of Nantes in the 20th century (in French)
1900 - Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Nantes established.
1903 - July: 1903 Tour de France passes through Nantes.
1906 - Population: 118,244 town; 133,247 commune.
1911 - Population: 170,535.
1937 - Stade Malakoff (stadium) opens.
1941 - Pont de la Rotonde (bridge) rebuilt.
1943
Bombing of Nantes.
Football Club de Nantes formed.
1946
Post-war rebuilding begins.
Population: 200,265.
1951 - Nantes Atlantique Airport begins commercial flights.
1955 - Unité d'Habitation of Nantes-Rezé (apartment building) constructed.
1965 - André Morice becomes mayor.
1966 - Pont Aristide-Briand (bridge) built.
1968 - Gare de Nantes (rail station) opens.
1971 - Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire established.
1973 - Palais des Sports de Beaulieu (arena) built.
1975 - Pont Anne-de-Bretagne (bridge) built.
1976 - Tour Bretagne built.
1977
Socialist Alain Chénard becomes mayor.
Socialist Party national congress held in Nantes.
1978 - Jules Verne Museum founded.
1979
Pont Haudaudine (bridge) built.
Three Continents Festival of film begins.
1980
Planetarium of Nantes established.
Sister city relationship established with Seattle, USA.
1982 - Nantes becomes part of the Pays de la Loire region.
1983 - Michel Chauty becomes mayor.
1984 - Stade de la Beaujoire (stadium) opens.
1985 - Nantes tramway begins operating.
1988 - École de design Nantes Atlantique and Théâtre de Poche Graslin established.
1989
Royal de Luxe marionette street theatre active.
Jean-Marc Ayrault becomes mayor.
1990 - École des mines de Nantes established.
1991
École centrale de Nantes active.
Les Anneaux de la Mémoire nonprofit headquartered in Nantes.
1992 - Nantes Events Center opens.
1995 - La Folle Journée music festival begins.
1998 - Théâtre du Cyclope established.
1999 - Population: 270,251.
2000 - Utopiales science fiction festival begins.
2001
Nantes.fr municipal website in operation.
Soy Festival of music begins.
2005 - Navibus (water bus) begins operating.
2006 - Nantes Busway begins operating.
2007
Machines of the Isle of Nantes exhibit opens.
Estuaire (biennale) art exhibit begins in Nantes vicinity.
2009 - Nantes Derby Girls (rollerderby league) formed.
2011 - Population: 287,845.
2014
March: Nantes municipal election, 2014 held.
Johanna Rolland becomes mayor.
22 December: 2014 Nantes attack.
2015 - December: Pays de la Loire regional election, 2015 held.
