The history of Nancy, France, the capital city of Lorraine, dates back to at least 800 BC with the earliest signs of human settlement in the area. Early settlers were likely attracted by easily mined iron ore and a ford in the Meurthe River. A small fortified town named Nanciacum (Nancy) was built by Gerard, Duke of Lorraine around 1050.

Prior to 19th century

• 1140 – Tour de la Commanderie Saint-Jean-du-Vieil-Aître [fr] (tower, oldest building of Nancy) built.
• 1228 – Castle burns down.^[1]
• 1382 – Porte de la Craffe [fr] (gate) built.^[1]
• 1476 – Charles of Burgundy in power.^[1]
• 1477 – 5 January: Battle of Nancy; René II, Duke of Lorraine in power again.^[2]
• 1487 – Church of the Cordeliers, Nancy [fr] built.^[2]
• 1496 – Palace of the Dukes of Lorraine construction begins.^[1][2]
• 1633 – Town "taken by the French."^[2][1]
• 1697 – Peace of Ryswick & Leopold, Duke of Lorraine in power.^[1]
• 1731 – St. Sebastian's Church, Nancy [fr] built.^[1]
• 1736 – Stanisław Leszczyński becomes Duke of Lorraine.^[2]
• 1750 – Royal Society of Science and Humanities of Nancy^[3] and public library^[4] founded.
• 1753 – Palais du gouvernement de Nancy [fr] built (approximate date).^{[citation needed]}
• 1755 – Place Stanislas created, includes a statue of the eponymous Stanisław Leszczyński.^[2]
• 1763 – Great organ of Nancy Cathedral installed.
• 1766 – Nancy becomes part of France.^[2]
• 1777 – Roman Catholic Diocese of Nancy established.^[5]
• 1782 – Chapelle de la Visitation de Nancy [fr] built.
• 1784 – Porte Désilles (arch) built.
• 1790
  • 31 August: Military mutiny quashed.
  • Nancy becomes part of the Meurthe souveraineté.^[6]
• 1792 – Statue of Louis XV removed from the Place Stanislas.^[7]
• 1793 – Museum of Fine Arts of Nancy established.
• 1798 – Journal de la Meurthe newspaper in publication.

19th century

• 1814–1815 – Nancy occupied by allied forces during the Napoleonic Wars.^[2]
• 1844 – Lycée Henri-Loritz [fr] (school) founded.
• 1848 – Musée Lorrain [fr] established.
• 1852 – Covered Market, Nancy [fr] opens.
• 1856 – Gare de Nancy-Ville built.
• 1859 – Annual Foire de Nancy [fr] relocated to the Cours Léopold [fr].
• 1870 – Nancy "put to ransom by the Prussians."^[2]
• 1873 – Société des Sciences de Nancy [fr] active.^[8]
• 1874 – Saint-Epvre Basilica [fr] built.^[2]
• 1879 – Thiers statue erected in the Place Thiers (Nancy) [fr].
• 1884 – Orchestre symphonique et lyrique de Nancy founded.^[9]
• 1886 - Population: 79,038.^[10]
• 1889 – L'Est Républicain newspaper begins publication.

20th century

• 1906 - Population: 98,302.^[2]
• 1909 – Chambre de commerce et d'industrie de Meurthe-et-Moselle [fr] built on Rue Henri-Poincaré (Nancy) [fr].
• 1911
  • Brasserie Excelsior [fr] built.
  • Population: 119,949.^[11]
• 1914 – September: Battle of Grand Couronné.^[12]
• 1919 – Opera house rebuilt.
• 1923 – Comité Nancy-Paris [fr] art group formed.
• 1944 – September: Battle of Nancy (1944).
• 1951 – Marriage of Archduke Otto von Habsburg-Lothringen, crown prince of Austria-Hungary and Duke of Lorraine, with Princess Regina of Saxe-Meiningen, at the Church of Saint-François-des-Cordeliers. The marriage was attended by his mother Empress Zita of Bourbon-Parma and high nobility.^[13]
• 1964 – Musée de l'École de Nancy opens.
• 1970 – Henri Poincaré University, Nancy 2 University, and School of architecture of Nancy established.^[14]
• 1972 - Académie de Nancy-Metz [fr] active.
• 1978 - Livre sur la place [fr] literary festival begins.
• 1982 – Nancy becomes part of the Lorraine region.
• 1983 – André Rossinot becomes mayor.
• 1988 – Radio Caraïb Nancy [fr] begins broadcasting.
• 1991
  • Metz–Nancy–Lorraine Airport opens.
  • Sister city relationship established with Cincinnati, USA.^[15]
• 1996 – Festival du film de chercheur de Nancy [fr] begins.
• December 2012 – Archduke Christoph of Austria, son of Archduke Carl Christian of Austria, marries in the Basilica of Saint-Epvre^[16]

21st century

• 2005 – Kinepolis Nancy (cinema) opens.^[17]
• 2006 – Teranga Festival [fr] begins.
• 2012 – Population: 105,067.
• 2014 – Laurent Hénart becomes mayor.
• 2016 – Nancy becomes part of the Grand Est region.