| 1844 October 15 |
Friedrich Nietzsche born at Röcken in the outskirts of Lützen, province of Saxony to Franziska Nietzsche, née Oehler, and Carl Ludwig Nietzsche, a pastor, who names his son after King Friedrich William IV of Prussia. |
| 1846 July 10 |
Birth of Elisabeth Nietzsche. |
| 1848 February |
Birth of Joseph Nietzsche. |
| 1849 July 30 |
Nietzsche's father (age 36) dies of a brain tumor. |
| 1850 January 4 |
Joseph Nietzsche dies. Franziska moves the family to Naumburg, close to relatives and friends. |
| 1858 October |
Enrolls at Schulpforta, near Naumburg, an elite school with only 200 students. |
| 1864 September 4 |
Graduation from Schulpforta. |
| 1864 October 16 |
Enrolls as student of theology and philology at the University of Bonn. |
| 1865 October 17 |
Continues his studies at the University of Leipzig, where he discovers the works of Schopenhauer in Rohm's second-hand bookshop. |
| 1866 |
Begins friendship with Erwin Rohde. |
| 1868 November 8 |
Meets Richard Wagner in Leipzig. |
| 1869 February |
Appointed professor of classical philology at the University of Basel. |
| 1869 May 28 |
Gives acceptance speech at the University of Basel on "Homer and Classical Philology." |
| 1869 |
Begins writing The Birth of Tragedy . |
| 1870 March |
Becomes tenured professor at University of Basel. |
| 1870 August |
Serves as a volunteer medical orderly in the Franco-Prussian war. |
| 1870 October |
Returns to Basel, and begins friendship with Franz Overbeck. |
| 1872 January 2 |
Publication of The Birth of Tragedy . |
| 1872 Jan.-Mar. |
Gives lectures on "The Future of Our Educational Institutions" (published posthumously). |
| 1872 May |
Spends time with Wagner. |
| 1873 April |
Writes the fragment "Philosophy in the Tragic Age of the Greeks." |
| 1873 May |
Meets Paul Rée.
Writes the fragment "On Truth and Lie in an Extra-Moral Sense." |
| 1873 August 8 |
Publication of the first Untimely Meditation: David Strauss, the Confessor and the Writer . |
| 1873 December |
Finishes the second Untimely Meditation: On the Use and Abuse of History for Life . |
| 1874 February 22 |
Publication of On the Use and Abuse of History for Life . |
| 1874 October 15 |
Nietzsche's 30th birthday: publication of the third Untimely Meditation: Schopenhauer as Educator . |
| 1875-1876 |
Writes the fourth Untimely Meditation: Richard Wagner in Bayreuth . |
| 1875 October |
Begins friendship with Heinrich Köselitz, a/k/a Peter Gast. |
| 1876 May 19 |
Requests leave of absence from University of Basel (granted June 2, 1876). |
| 1876 July-August |
Nietzsche in Bayreuth for the last time. First Bayreuth Festival. Meets Louise Ott. |
| 1876 July 10 |
Publication of the fourth Untimely Meditation: Richard Wagner in Bayreuth . |
| 1876 October 26 |
Arrives in Naples. Last meeting with Wagner. |
| 1876-1878 |
Writes the first part of Human, All Too Human . |
| 1876 December |
Winter in Sorrento with Paul Rée, Malwida von Meysenbug and Nietzsche's student, Albert Brenner. |
| 1877 May 8 |
Leaves Sorrento. |
| 1877 October 17 |
Requests extension of leave of absence from University of Basel. |
| 1878 January 3 |
Receives copy of Parsifal from Wagner. |
| 1878 January 10 |
Sends manuscript of Human, All Too Human to his publisher. |
| 1878 February 11 |
Requests extension of leave of absence from University of Basel. |
| 1878 May |
Publication of Human, All Too Human (Nietzsche sends a copy to Wagner; their last correspondence). |
| 1878 May 17 |
Death of Albert Brenner from tuberculosis. |
| 1879 March 20 |
Publication of Mixed Opinions and Maxims . |
| 1879 May 2 |
From Geneva, sends letter of resignation to the University of Basel. |
| 1879 June 14 |
University accepts resignation, and grants six-year pension. |
| 1879 Summer |
Writes The Wanderer and His Shadow . |
| 1879 October 18 |
Sends manuscript of The Wanderer and His Shadow to his publisher. |
| 1879 December 18 |
Publication of The Wanderer and His Shadow . |
| 1880 March |
Travels to Venice with Heinrich Köselitz. |
| 1880 June |
Leaves Venice. |
| 1880 July 5 |
Arrives in Marienbad. |
| 1880 Autumn |
Begins writing The Dawn. |
| 1880 November |
Arrives in Genoa. Continues work on The Dawn . |
| 1881 January 25 |
Sends manuscript of The Dawn to Köselitz. |
| 1881 May 1 |
Leaves Genoa. |
| 1881 July 8 |
Arrives in Sils-Maria. |
| 1881 July |
Publication of The Dawn . |
| 1881 October 1 |
Leaves Sils-Maria for Genoa. |
| 1881 November 27 |
In Genoa, attends performance of Bizet's Carmen . |
| 1881 Winter |
Begins writing The Gay Science. |
| 1882 February 4 |
Paul Rée visits Nietzsche in Genoa. They travel to Monte Carlo. |
| 1882 March 13 |
Paul Rée again travels to Monte Carlo. He loses his entire bankroll in one night. |
| 1882 March 15 |
Paul Rée travels to Rome where he meets Lou von Salomé at the home of Malwida von Meysenbug. |
| 1882 April 1 |
Nietzsche arrives in Sicily.
Writes Idylls From Messina . |
| 1882 April 24 |
Nietzsche arrives in Rome. |
| 1882 April 25 |
Nietzsche meets Lou Salomé. |
| 1882 June 15 |
Finishes The Gay Science . |
| 1882 June |
Publishes Idylls From Messina . |
| 1882 September |
Nietzsche in Leipzig. |
| 1882 Sept. 10 |
Publication of The Gay Science . |
| 1882 October 1 |
Paul Rée and Lou Salomé arrive in Leipzig for a one-month visit; Nietzsche's friendship with Rée and Salomé deteriorates. |
| 1882 November 5 |
Rée and Salomé travel to Paris. Nietzsche makes plans to join them; he never sees them again. |
| 1882 Winter |
Nietzsche stays in Rapallo. |
| 1883 February |
Begins to write Thus Spoke Zarathustra . |
| 1883 February 13 |
Richard Wagner dies in Venice. |
| 1883 February 14 |
From Genoa, Nietzsche sends manuscript of Thus Spoke Zarathustra , Part I to his publisher. |
| 1883 May 3 |
Nietzsche travels to Rome for a five-week visit. |
| 1883 June 14 |
Leaves Rome. |
| 1883 June 18 |
Nietzsche arrives in Sils-Maria where he writes Part II of Thus Spoke Zarathustra. |
| 1883 August |
Publication of Thus Spoke Zarathustra , Part I. |
| 1883 August late |
Receives proofs of Thus Spoke Zarathustra , Part II. |
| 1883 Sept. 5 |
Leaves Sils-Maria for Naumburg. |
| 1883 Sept. 7 |
Arrives in Naumburg for a five-week visit. Elisabeth engaged to Bernhard Förster, a leader of the German anti-Semitic movement. |
| 1883 November 23 |
Nietzsche arrives in Nice. |
| 1883 Winter |
Meets Dr. Josef Paneth, a Viennese zoologist, from whom Sigmund Freud first learned of Nietzsche. |
| 1884 January 18 |
Completes Thus Spoke Zarathustra , Part III (partially written in Eze). |
| 1884 April 10 |
Publication of Thus Spoke Zarathustra , Part III. |
| 1884 April 21 |
Leaves Nice for a seven-week visit in Venice. |
| 1884 June 15 |
Arrives in Basel. |
| 1884 July |
Meets Meta von Salis in Zurich. |
| 1884 August 26 |
Heinrich von Stein visits Nietzsche in Sils-Maria. |
| 1884 November 2 |
Arrives in Menton; begins to write Thus Spoke Zarathustra , Part IV. |
| 1884 December 1 |
Leaves for Nice; continues to write Thus Spoke Zarathustra , Part IV |
| 1885 April 9 |
Leaves Nice for Venice. |
| 1885 April 10 |
Arrives in Venice. |
| 1885 May |
Publication of Thus Spoke Zarathustra , Part IV (privately printed for select friends). |
| 1885 May 22 |
Elisabeth Nietzsche marries Bernhard Förster. |
| 1885 June 7 |
Arrives in Sils-Maria; begins to write Beyond Good and Evil . |
| 1885 June |
Sues his publisher, Ernst Schmeitzner, to gain control of his works. |
| 1885 November |
Wins lawsuit against Schmeitzner. Uses part of the proceeds to buy a marble slab for his father's grave. Arrives in Nice. |
| 1886 Spring late |
Last meeting with Erwin Rohde in Leipzig. |
| 1886 June |
Arrives in Sils-Maria. |
| 1886 August 4 |
Publication of Beyond Good and Evil. |
| 1886 August |
Sends "Attempt at a Self-Criticism" to his publisher for the new edition of The Birth of Tragedy . |
| 1886 October |
Arrives in Ruta Ligure. Finishes prefaces for the second edition of Human , All Too Human . Begins writing preface for second edition of The Dawn and preface and Book Five for The Gay Science . Leaves Ruta Ligure for Nice. |
| 1886 November 14 |
While in Nice, finishes new prefaces for The Dawn and The Gay Science . |
| 1887 October 20 |
Publication of "Hymn to Life, for Mixed Chorus and Orchestra" (Heinrich Köselitz's orchestration). |
| 1887 November 11 |
Last letter to Erwin Rohde. |
| 1887 November 16 |
Publication of On the Genealogy of Morals . |
| 1888 April |
Arrives in Turin. |
| 1888 Spring |
Georg Brandes lectures on Nietzsche at the University of Copenhagen. |
| 1888 Summer |
Writes The Case of Wagner and Dionysus Dithyrambs . |
| 1888 August |
Writes Twilight of the Idols (published January 24, 1889). |
| 1888 September |
Writes The Antichrist (published November 1894). |
| 1888 Autumn |
Writes Ecce Homo (published posthumously April 1908). |
| 1888 December |
Writes Nietzsche contra Wagner: Out of the Files of a Psychologist (published February 1889). |
| 1889 January |
Mental breakdown in Turin. |
| 1889-1897 |
Under the care of his mother in Jena and Naumburg. |
| 1897 Easter |
Death of Nietzsche's mother. Elisabeth moves him to Weimar. |
| 1900 August 25 |
Nietzsche dies in Weimar. |