Historians believe that Bengal, the area comprising present-day Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, was settled in about 1000 B.C. by Dravidian-speaking peoples who were later known as the Bang. Their homeland bore various titles that reflected earlier tribal names, such as Vanga, Banga, Bangala, Bangal, and Bengal.

The first great indigenous empire to spread over most of present-day India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh was the Mauryan Empire (320-180 B.C.), whose most famous ruler was Asoka (273-232 B.C.). After the decline of the Mauryan Empire the eastern portion of Bengal became the kingdom of Samatata. The third great empire was the Harsha Empire (A.D. 606-47), which was short-lived. After a period of anarchy, the Pala dynasty ruled the region for four hundred years, followed by a shorter reign of the Sena dynasty.

In early thirteenth century Bengal fell to Turkish armies led by Bakhtiar Khilji. The region was ruled by dynasties of Sultans and feudal lords for the next few hundred years. By the 16th century, the Mughal Empire controlled Bengal, and Dhaka became an important provincial centre of Mughal administration. Bengal remained a Mughal province until the beginning of the decline of the Mughal Empire in the eighteenth century.

European traders arrived late in the 15th century, and their influence grew until the British East India Company gained control of Bengal in 1757. The bloody rebellion of 1857, known as the Sepoy Mutiny, resulted in transfer of authority to the crown, with a British viceroy running the administration. 

At the end of World War II, the United Kingdom granted independence to two successor states--India and Pakistan in June 1947. East Bengal joined Pakistan as a province called East Pakistan, with its capital at Dhaka. 

Bangladesh emerged as an independent and sovereign country in 1971 following a nine month war of liberation during which millions died at the hands of the Pakistani Army.