This is a timeline of significant events in comics prior to the 20th century.

15th century 1450–1516 Life of Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch, who paints various paintings with sequential narratives which can be considered prototypical comics (The Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things, Death and the Miser, The Garden of Earthly Delights, The Haywain Triptych, The Last Judgment, Triptych of the Temptation of St. Anthony, Hell and the Flood).

1494 Hans Holbein the Elder paints the Grey Passion, which will be finished in 1500. The work depicts the life of Jesus in a sequential illustrated narrative.

1499 Hans Holbein the Elder paints the Epitaph der Schwestern Vetter, depicting Jesus' life and death in a sequential illustrated narrative.

16th century

1502 Hans Holbein the Elder paints the Kaisheim Altarpiece, depicting 16 scenes from Jesus' life in a sequential illustrated narrative.

1504 Hans Burgkmair's painting Saint Croce depicts Jesus' life in panels and uses speech balloons. Hans Holbein the Elder paints an altarpiece about St. Paul, the Basilica San Paolo Fuori Le Mura, which is a sequential illustrated narrative about St. Paul.

1521 Lucas Cranach the Elder illustrates the Passional Christi und Antichristi, a book by Martin Luther, Philipp Melanchton and Johann Schwertfeger. It compares and contrasts the life of Jesus with that of the Pope, making it a prototypical graphic novel.

1523 Hans Holbein the Younger starts working on his Totentanz (Dance of Death) series. These sequential illustrations, based on the Danse Macabre concept, are notable for being a prototypical graphic novel.

1526 Erhard Schön makes the engraving Bauernhochzeit (Peasant Wedding), which uses several panels.

1527 Hans Burgkmair's woodcut Wechselndes Glück (Changing Luck) is a picture story about luck/bad luck in life.

1529 Lucas Cranach the Elder's painting Law and Grace depicts the life of Adam in a sequential narrative.

1530 Erhard Schön makes the engraving Szenen aus dem Leben des Hl. Dominicus (Scenes From The Life of St. Dominique), which visualizes the life of Saint Dominic as a picture story. His Narrenkäfig (Fools' Cage) makes use of speech balloons.

1535 Erhard Schön makes the engraving Die Sechs furthereflichen geistlichen gaben (The Six Excellent Spiritual Gifts), which uses several panels. His drawing Teufels Dudelsack (The Devil's Bagpipe) is an early example of a political cartoon.

1560 Pieter Bruegel the Elder paints Seven Wise and Seven Foolish Virgins, a biblical painting which shows a sequential narrative with clearly separated images. He also paints Twelve Proverbs, which frames twelve proverbs with a text underneath each image, making it an early example of a text comic.

1565 Pieter Bruegel the Elder paints The Four Seasons, a series consisting of the works The Gloomy Day, The Harvesters, The Hay Harvest and The Return of the Herd, which are a conceptual series of paintings following an established pattern, albeit not in a particular reading order.

1567 A cenotaph devoted to emperor Maximilian I of Austria with a picture story, designed by Bernhard, Arnold, and Florian Abel, is finally completed. By this point both Maximilian I and the Abel brothers have all died. The project is finished by Alexander Colyn.

1572 Hans Rogel the Elder prints the engraving Die Erscheinung weisser Kreuze über drei Kirchen in Konstantinopel (The Appearance of White Crosses above the Churches of Constantinople), which describes a real-life strange sky phenomenon, observed above Constantinople. The event is visualized in a two-panel picture story.

1576 Frans Hogenberg makes an engraving depicting the Spanish Fury in Antwerp, which is notable for its use of illustrated sequences, with text underneath the images.

1577 Hans Rogel the Elder makes the engraving Riesenwalfish bei Antwerpen, about a real-life beached whale found in Antwerp. The event is visualized in a two-panel picture story.

1586 Hans Schultes the Elder prints the engraving Zwei sonderbare menschenfressende Tiere (Two Wondrous Man-Eating Animals), which shows two monsters in two separate panels.

1589 Frans Hogenberg makes an engraving depicting the assassination of Henry III of France, notable for its use of illustrated sequences, with text underneath the images. Caspar Krebs makes an engraving, Mord in Neuburg an der Donau, depicting a real-life account of a murder in the German town Neuberg an der Donau. The work is an early example of a sequential illustrated narrative. Hans Schultes the Elder prints the engraving Die Hinrichtung von Hans Alewekher, Mörder aus Augsburg (The Execution of Hans Alewekher, Murderer From Augsburg'), a picture story about a real-life murder.

1591 Georg Kress brings out an engraving, Nachricht von 300 Hexen und ihrem Pakt mit dem Teufel, about a witchcraft trial. The work is notable for its use of sequential illustrated narratives.

1593 Bartholomäus Käppeler prints an engraving based on a real-life murder, Der Mörder von Lungenetz. The engraving is told in separate panels.

1595 Caspar Krebs makes an engraving, Mord in Ildorf, depicting a real-life account of a murder in the German town Ildorf. The work is an early example of a sequential illustrated narrative.

1599 Antonio Tempesta makes The Life of St. Laurentius, a sequential illustrated narrative, with text underneath the images.

17th century

1602 Hans Rogel the Younger makes the engraving Mord in Itzenhausen, a picture story about a real-life family murder.

1605 Jeremias Gath prints the engraving Nachricht von einem Mord und Zerstückelung in Halle, Sachsen (News about a Murder and Mutilation in Halle, Sachsen), a picture story about a real-life robbery and murder.

1606 Georg Kress brings out an engraving, Missetat einiger Totengräber, about a murder committed by a gravedigger in Silesia. The work is notable for its use of sequential illustrated narratives.

1609 An unknown artist from Prague, named Der Prager Meister von 1609 by historians, makes a woodcut engraving about a real-life murder, told as a multi-panel picture story.

1613 Otto van Veen makes De Bataafse Opstand, a series of sequential paintings about the Revolt of the Batavi.

1615 Hans Schultes the Elder makes an engraving, Zwo Newe und Erschröckliche Zeittungen von Vier Vbelthäteren (Two New and Frightening Reports about Four Law Breakers), a picture story about the trial and execution of a thief and three robbers.

1616 Lukas Schultes makes a picture story about a real-life family murder.

1633 Jacques Callot etches Les Grandes Misères de la guerre, a picture story depicting gruesome scenes and war atrocities during the Thirty Years' War.

1653 Johann Schubert makes an engraving, Schrecklike Mordtat des Georg Strange am Gründonnerstag (Horrible Murder by George Strange on Maundy Thursday), which is a multi-panel picture story.

1654 Elias Wellhöfer makes the engraving Geschichte einer vom Teufel besessenen Frau ("Story of a Woman Possessed by the Devil"), a picture story about a real-life woman accused of and executed for witchcraft.

1663 A sequence, depicting a complete narrative - from the first meeting of the "actors" to the final murder - can be seen in the thirty-chapter headings in John Reynolds' The Triumph of God's Revenge Against the Crying and Execrable Sinne of .... Murther. The resemblance to a comic strip in form (but not matter) is striking.

1666 Elias Wellhöfer makes the engraving Verurteilung und Hinrichtung eines Zauberers ("Sentence and Execution of a Wizard"), a picture story about a rare case of a man accused of and executed for witchcraft. The same year he makes another picture story, Der Prozess gegen Anna Schwaynhofer aus Augsburg wegen Gotteslästerung (The Blasphemy Trial Against Anna Schwaynhofer), about a real-life case where a woman was executed because of blasphemy.

1667 Romeyn de Hooghe becomes a political cartoonist. Several of his cartoons are notable for being picture stories.

1669 Elias Wellhöfer makes the engraving Hexenprozess in Augsburg ("Witch Trial in Augsburg"), a picture story about a real-life women executed on account of witchcraft.

1672–1673 Francis Barlow draws The Cheese of Dutch Rebellion, a political cartoon which features a text beneath the image, as well as speech balloons.

1677 Jan van den Aveelen makes sequential illustrations with text underneath the images, reporting about the marriage between Prince William of Orange and Princess Mary of England.

1681 Jan van den Aveelen makes sequential illustrations with text underneath the images, visualizing a Muslim prayer in four panels.

1682 Matthew Turner publishes A True Narrative of the Horrid Hellish Popish Plot, in which artist Francis Barlow uses panels and balloons for a historical account about the life of Titus Oates.

1688 Jan van den Aveelen makes sequential illustrations with text underneath the images, reporting about the coronation of William III of England.

1698 Jan van den Aveelen makes sequential illustrations with text underneath the images, reporting about Catholic violence against Protestants.

18th century 1717 Gijsbert De Groot publishes Afbeelding van de Geboorte, Lijden en Sterven van de Salighmaecker der Weereld

1724 William Hogarth draws A Just View of the British Stage, a cartoon notable for its use of speech balloons.

1731 William Hogarth paints A Harlot's Progress, a series of paintings which follow a sequential order.

1735 William Hogarth paints A Rake's Progress, a series of paintings which follow a sequential order.

1736 William Hogarth paints Four Times of the Day, a series of paintings which follow a sequential order.

1747 William Hogarth paints Industry and Idleness, a series of paintings which follow a sequential order.

1751 William Hogarth paints The Four Stages of Cruelty and Beer Street and Gin Lane, a series of paintings which follow a sequential order.

1755 William Hogarth paints Humours of an Election, a series of paintings which follow a sequential order.

1757 Mary and Matthew Darly create Now and Then, a cartoon with speech balloons and a before and after sequence.

1766 Benjamin Franklin creates the political cartoon The Colonies Reduced, which makes use of a sequence and speech balloons.

1773 Mary and Matthew Darly create Macaronies Drawn After The Life, a cartoon with a two-part sequence.

1781 In The Netherlands, Jan Oortman and, from the 1790s on, assisted by his son Gerrit, make catchpenny prints with picture stories.

1783 Joseph Franz von Göz publishes Leonardo und Blandine an adaptation of his play in pictures. Thomas Rowlandson publishes Two New Sliders for the State Magic Lantern

1784 Thomas Rowlandson publishes The Loves of the Fox and the Badger, or The Coalition Wedding

1790s In Sweden Carl August Ehrensvärd and Johan Tobias Sergel create sequential picture stories, depicting parties, drinking and sexuality. They are made for private use and only published later.

1792 James Gillray draws the two-sequential cartoon French Liberty, British Slavery.

1793 Richard Newton draws Progress Of A Player, which is an early narrative text comic. James Gillray draws the text comic John Bull's Progress.

1794 Richard Newton draws Sketches In A Shaving Shop, an early text comic built around conceptual vignettes rather than a story. He also draws Progress Of A Woman Of Pleasure and Giving Up The Ghost, Or One Too Many, both text comics which follow a narrative.

1795 Richard Newton draws Samples Of Sweethearts and Wives, Contrasted Husbands and Clerical Alphabet, early text comics built around conceptual vignettes rather than a story.

1796 David Hess writes and illustrates Hollandia Regenerata, a satirical pamphlet which consists of a thematically connected series of cartoony illustrations, with text under the images.

1797 James Gillray draws the two-panel cartoon The Tables Turn'd.

19th century 1800