| 1873 | Born 8 September in Laval, France. |
| 1879 | Moves with his mother and sister to Saint-Brieuc. |
| 1885 | Writes his first plays and poems. |
| 1888 | Moves to Rennes. Forms the Théâtre des Phynances with his sister and his classmates Charles and Henri Morin; performs the Morins’ play Les polonais with marionettes, featuring an early incarnation of Père Ubu based on their high-school physics teacher. Writes poems and plays, including a version of Ubu cocu. |
| 1891 | Moves to Paris. Attends preparatory classes at the Lycée Henri-IV. |
| 1892 | Studies philosophy with Henri Bergson. Meets Léon-Paul Fargue. |
| 1893 | Receives prizes from magazines for poems and for the puppet play Guignol, in which Ubu and pataphysics are first mentioned. |
| 1894 | Meets Paul Gauguin and Henri Rousseau. Writes art reviews and creates his first woodcuts. Publishes Les minutes de sable mémorial. Cofounds L’Ymagier with Remy de Gourmont. Becomes friends with Rachilde and Alfred Vallette. Recites portions of Ubu plays at their salons and performs versions of the drama at home using puppets. |
| 1895 | Briefly enters the military. Publishes César-antechrist. |
| 1896 | Breaks with Gourmont and founds Perhinderion. Publishes the serialization and first edition of Ubu roi. Works at the Théâtre de l’OEuvre as a publicist and acts in Henrik Ibsen’s Peer Gynt. Ubu roi premieres on 10 December. |
| 1897 | Forms the marionette company Théâtre des Pantins with Claude Terrasse and Pierre Bonnard. Publishes Ubu roi, texte et musique and the autobiographical novel Les jours et les nuits. |
| 1898 | Adapts Ubu roi for marionettes at the Pantins. Meets Oscar Wilde. Publishes L’amour en visites and Almanach du Père Ubu illustré, illustrated by Pierre Bonnard. Writes Gestes et opinions du docteur Faustroll, pataphysicien. |
| 1899 | Publishes the novel L’amour absolu and an essay on time machines. |
| 1900 | Publishes the play Ubu enchaîné. |
| 1901 | Adapts Ubu roi for hand puppets at Cabaret des Quat’z’Arts. Publishes Almanach illustré du Père Ubu and the novel Messaline. |
| 1902 | Publishes the novel Le surmâle. |
| 1903 | Meets Guillaume Apollinaire and F. T. Marinetti. |
| 1906 | Creates the series Théâtre mirlitonesque, which issues Ubu sur la butte and Par la taille. |
| 1907 | Publishes the operetta Le moutardier du pape and Albert Samain (Souvenirs). Dies 1 November. |