Britney Spears shot to superstardom in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but it did not come with ease. Signed to Jive Records since she was 15, Britney has been subjected to media scrutiny for several years. From her well-documented love triangle with Justin Timberlake to unfortunate run-ins with the law, the Princess of Pop has never experienced a quiet year away from media attention.

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Unfortunately, Britney's early success cost her much of her life, to the point where her father, Jamie Spears, has controlled her life and her $59 million fortune for over 13 years now with his conservatorship. Over the last decade, fans have initiated the #FreeBritney movement in support of the pop star. Here's the simplified timeline of the movement, explained.

10 1990s & Early 2000s: Early Success

Britney Spears emerged as one of the most "bankable" teens in Hollywood in the late 1990s. Her debut and sophomore albums, Baby One More Time (1999) and Oops, I Did It Again (2000) catapulted her as a teen idol and revived teen pop to the mainstream genre. The latter album even held a 15-year record for the fastest-selling album in the U.S. by a female artist, scoring a whopping 1.3 million copies within the first week.

9 2006: Britney Divorced Kevin Federline

While her infamous love-hate relationship with former NSYNC member Justin Timberlake was a part of every tabloid's headlines in the early 2000s, it was her divorce from Kevin Federline that drove the singer to the edge. In 2004, Britney and Kevin were engaged before tying the knot the same year. The marriage, unfortunately, only lasted for two years as the two finalized their divorce papers in 2006.

8 2007-2008: A Series of Mental Breakdowns

After a series of nasty breakups and non-stop media scrutiny, Britney Spears' mental health started deteriorating rapidly. Between 2006 and 2008, the singer admitted herself to rehab facilitation, shaved her head, got sued by Louis Vuitton, and attacked a paparazzi with an umbrella.

Just weeks prior to her meltdown, Britney's beloved aunt, Sandra Covington, passed away after a long battle with ovarian cancer, and a picture of Britney in a car holding her son on her lap instead of putting him on a car seat came to surface, bringing more negativity into her life than she could handle.

Related: Britney Spears Fans Speculate She Is Being 'Heavily Medicated' After Strange Selfie

7 2008: Court Approved Jamie Spears' Conservatorship Petition

As Britney's mental health started worsening during this tumultuous period, her father petitioned for a "temporary conservatorship." Known as "legal guardianship," the legal process advantaged her father and her lawyer, Andrew Wallet, as the two were in total control of the singer's estate, health, and financial affairs.

While it was initially intended as a way to prevent Spears from making poor financial and personal judgments until she became mentally stable, many believed the two had too much control over the singer's private life.

6 2009: Fans Started 'Free Britney' Movement

Soon after Jamie Spears was granted conservatorship of Britney, the first wave of the "Free Britney" movement started spreading. A fan site in 2009, addressed at FreeBritney.net, had unofficially started the movement, citing that the conservatorship has done more harm than good for the pop star.

"Her conservators decide whether or not she works, as she cannot enter into contracts for herself because she is legally not her own person. Britney Spears needs permission from her conservators to leave her house or spend any of her own money," the website writes.

5 2010s: More Success, More Problems

However, despite being in a strict conservatorship, Britney's career started to smooth over once again. In the 2010s, the Princess of Pop released several albums with banger after banger, including Femme Fatale, Britney Jean, and Glory. She even ventured into talent shows and she replaced The Pussycat Doll's Nicole Scherzinger to join Simon Cowell in the second season of The X Factor in the U.S.

4 2019: Britney Admitted Herself To Mental Health Facility

As the singer re-admitted herself to a mental health facility in 2019, the "Free Britney" movement started to see the limelight again. The singer announced an indefinite hiatus after her father suffered a near-fatal colon rupture in January 2019, and her attorney, Andrew Wallet, took a step back from being one of her co-conservators.

Related: Paparazzi Who Stalked Britney Spears Are Claiming She Asked Them To

However, a fan podcast called Britney's Gram released a discreet voicemail message from a former member of the singer's legal team. According to the podcast, the singer has been held in the facility against her will since January 2019.

3 2019: Britney's Mom Supported The #FreeBritney Movement

Britney Spears' mother, Lynne, was also present during one of the hearings in 2019. As reported by TMZ, Lynne, who divorced Jamie in 2002, was present and even engaged with the #FreeBritney campaign on social media. Fan blogger Anthony Elia from the Absolute Britney fansite was also sued.

2 2020: Britney's Conservatorship Was Extended

In February 2020, as noted by The Blast from the original legal documents, an LA county judge extended the conservatorship while the involved parties, meaning her father and other entities involved, "figure out what is best" for the singer.

Per-August 2020, instead of amen-ing her demand of removing her father from being the sole conservator, the judge extended the conservatorship once again until February 1, 2020 and then to September 2021.

1 2021: 'Framing Britney Spears,' Court Hearings

In February 2021, Hulu released a documentary detailing the ongoing lengthy legal battle between Britney and her father, Framing Britney Spears, in partnership with The New York Times. Many fellow stars, including Jessica Parker and Miley Cyrus, have poured out their support for the pop star. Since then, the singer's legal team have repeatedly asked the court to remove Jamie Spears from the position, yet their request has always been declined.

Next: Britney Spears Fans Tell Dad Jamie 'To Go To Hell' As He Says 'Control' Is Necessary