The the information in this timeline was supplied by the book Meiji 1868: Revolution and Counter Revolution in Japan by Paul Akamatsu
1823-1837:The last great famine of the Tokugawa period/ Reform movements in the fiefs
1839-1842: Opium War in China
1853: Perry's arrival in Japan/Death of the Shogun Ieyoshi
1854: Peace treaties with the United States, Russia and Great Britain
1856: Arrival of Harris, the first American Consul
1857: Death of the roju, Abe Masahiro
1858: Ii Naosuke appointed tairo/July 29:Signature if the commercial treaty with the United States/Death of the shogun Iesada/Repression of Hitotsubashi's supporters
1859 July 1: Yokohama, Nagasaki, and Hakodate opened to the United States, Neatherlands, Russia, Great Britain and France
1860: First embassy sent to the United States/March 24: Assassination of Ii Naosuke
1861: Murata Seifu, Choshu reformer, advises imperial court to open Japan
1862: First embassy sent to Europe/First imperial envoy to Yedo/Second imperial envoy to Yedo, escourted by Tosa and supported by Choshu
1863: Council of daimyo formed in Kyoto/Shogun's first visit to Kyoto/Imperial decision to drive out the foreigners/June 25: Choshu bombards a Dutch ship/ August 15: Battle of Kagoshima between Satsuma and the English fleet/September 30: Anti-extremist coup d'etat at Kyoto/
1864: Shogun's second visit to Kyoto/Xenophobes revolt at Moti/August 20: Battle around the imperial palace at Kyoto between the Choshu and the Aizu and Satsuma Armies/September 5-7: Battle of Shimonoseki between Chosu and the allied fleet of Great Britain, France and the United States/Autumn: First Bakufu campaingn against Choshu
1865 January: Revolt of Takasugi Shinsaku at Choshu/Shogun’s last visit to Kyoto/Allied fleet at Bay of Osaka/November 22: The emperor authorizes the opening of the ports/March: Alliance of the Satsuma-Choshu officals.
1866 June: Signature of the convention for the revision of the customs tariffs/ July/September: Second Bakufu campaign against Choshu/August 29: Death of the shogun Iemochi,
1867 January 10: Investiture of Yoshinobu as shogun/January 30: Death of Emperor Komei/June 26: Imperial court authorizes Hyogo to be opened on January 1 1868 and agrees to be indulgent to Choshu/July 23: Satsuma-Tosa alliance/October: New Satsuma-Choshu alliance. Hiroshima joins in/ November 8-9: Yoshinobu surrenders his power to the court, whereas the court orders Satsuma and Choshu to fight the Bakufu
1868 January 3: “Return to the old monarchy” proclaimed/January 27-30: Battle of Tobu Fushimi;Yoshinobu flees to Yedo/March: Imperial army leaves Kyoto to conquer the shogunal domain/April 6: Oath in Five Articles/April: Imperial army occupies Yedo/September/November: Imperial army conquers the north/October 23: Proclaimation of Meiji.
1869 April: Imperial capital moved to Tokyo (Yedo)
