| 1828 | Henrik Johan Ibsen born on March 20th in Stockmannsgården in Skien. Parents: Marichen (née Altenburg) and Knud Ibsen, merchant. |
| 1835 | Father has to give up his business. The properties are auctioned off.
The family moves to Venstøp, a farm in Gjerpen. |
| 1843 | Confirmed in Gjerpen church.
Family moves to Snipetorp in Skien.
Ibsen leaves home on December 27th. |
| 1844 | Arrives in Grimstad on January 3rd to be apprenticed to Jens Aarup Reimann, chemist. |
| 1846 | Has an illegitimate child by Else Sophie Jensdatter, one of Reimann`s servants. |
| 1847 | Lars Nielsen takes over ownership of the chemist`s, moving to larger premises. |
| 1849 | Ibsen writes Catiline. |
| 1850 | Goes to Christiania to study for the university entrance examination.
Catiline is published under the pseudonym Brynjolf Bjarme.
Edits the Students` Union paper Samfundsbladet and the satirical weekly Andhrimner.
First Ibsen staging in history: the one-act The Burial Mound is performed at Christiania Theater on September 26th. |
| 1851 | Moves to Bergen to begin directing productions at Det norske Theater.
Study tour to Copenhagen and Dresden. |
| 1853 | First performance of St. John`s Night. |
| 1854 | First performance of The Burial Mound in a revised version. |
| 1855 | First performance of Lady Inger. |
| 1856 | First performance of The Feast at Solhoug.
Becomes engaged to Suzannah Thoresen. |
| 1857 | First performance of Olaf Liljekrans.
Is appointed artistic director of Kristiania Norske Theater. |
| 1858 | Marries Suzannah Thoresen on June 18th.
First performance of The Vikings at Helgeland. |
| 1859 | Writes the poem "Paa Vidderne" ("Life on the Upland") and the cycle of poems "I billedgalleriet" ("At the Art Gallery").
His son Sigurd is born on December 23rd. |
| 1860 | Writes "Svanhild" - a draft for Love`s Comedy. |
| 1861 | Writes the poem "Terje Vigen". |
| 1862 | Kristiania Norske Theater goes bankrupt.
Ibsen goes on a study tour to the valley of Gudbrandsdalen and to the West Country to study folklore.
Love`s Comedy is published (first performance at Christiania Theater on November 24th 1873).
Is appointed consultant to Christiania Theater. |
| 1863 | The Pretenders is published.
Writes the poem "En broder i nød" ("A Brother in Need").
|
| 1864 | The Pretenders has its first performance at Christiania Theater.
Leaves for Italy and lives in Rome for four years. |
| 1865 | Writes "The Epic Brand". Revises it with the title Brand.
|
| 1866 | Brand is published and is a success.
Ibsen is awarded one of the state stipends for artists. |
| 1867 | Publishes Love`s Comedy in a revised version.
Writes and publishes Peer Gynt (first performance at Christiania Theater on February 24th 1876).
|
| 1868 | Moves to Dresden, where the family lives for seven years.
|
| 1869 | The League of Youth is published and given its first performance at Christiania Theater.
Ibsen takes part in a meeting on Scandinavian spelling in Stockholm.
Goes to Egypt and is present at the opening of the Suez Canal.
|
| 1870 | Writes the poem "Ballongbrev til en svensk dame" ("Balloon Letter to a Swedish Lady"). |
| 1871 | Publishes a collection of poems (Digte) for the first and last time. |
| 1872 | A large part of Emperor and Galilean is written. |
| 1873 | Completes and publishes Emperor and Galilean.
Is a member of an international art jury at the world exhibition in Vienna. |
| 1874 | Visits Norway (Christiania). Goes on to Stockholm.
Publishes Lady Inger in a new version. |
| 1875 | Publishes Catiline in a new version.
Moves to Munich, where he lives for three years.
Writes the poem "Et rimbrev" ("A Rhyme-letter").
|
| 1877 | Pillars of Society written and first staged at Odense Teater.
Awarded an honorary doctorate at the University of Uppsala. |
| 1878 | Moves to Rome again and stays there for seven years except for several breaks.
|
| 1879 | Writes and publishes A Doll`s House, which is first staged at Det Kongelige (Royal) Teater in Copenhagen.
|
| 1881 | Ghosts written and published (staged at the Aurora Turner Hall in Chicago on May 20th 1882). |
| 1882 | An Enemy of the People written and published (first staging at Christiania Theater on January 13th 1883). |
| 1883 | Publishes The Feast at Solhoug in a new edition. |
| 1884 | Writes and publishes The Wild Duck (first staging at Den Nationale Scene in Bergen on January 9th 1885).
|
| 1885 | Visits Norway (Christiania, Trondhjem, Molde and Bergen).
Moves to Munich and stays there for six years. |
| 1886 | Writes and publishes Rosmersholm (first staging at Den Nationale Scene on January 17th 1887). |
| 1887 | Spends the summer in Northern Jutland (at Sæby). Goes on to Gothenburg, Stockholm and Copenhagen. |
| 1888 | Writes and publishes The Lady from the Sea (first performed at Hoftheater in Weimar and at Christiania Theater on the same day, February 12th 1889). |
| 1889 | Last summer in Gossensass. Gets to know Emilie Bardach. |
| 1890 | Writes and publishes Hedda Gabler (first performed at the Residenztheater in Munich on January 31st 1891). |
| 1891 | Returns to Norway and settles in Christiania.
Meets Hildur Andersen. |
| 1892 | Writes and publishes The Master Builder (first performance at the Lessingtheater in Berlin on January 19th 1893).
Sigurd Ibsen marries Bergliot Bjørnson. |
| 1894 | Writes and publishes Little Eyolf (first staged at the Deutsches Theater in Berlin on January 12th 1895). |
| 1895 | Moves into the apartment on the corner of Arbiensgate and Drammensveien in Christiania and stays there for the rest of his life. |
| 1896 | Writes and publishes John Gabriel Borkman (first performed simultaneously at Det svenske (Swedish) and Det finske (Finnish) Teater in Helsingfors on January 10th 1897). |
| 1898 | 70th birthday - large-scale celebrations in Christiania, Copenhagen and Stockholm. |
| 1899 | Writes and publ ishes When We Dead Awaken (first staged at the Hoftheater in Stuttgart on January 26th 1900). |
| 1900 | Suffers his first stroke. |
| 1906 | Dies on May 23rd. |
