Category: Histories of countries and key towns and cities around the world

By Tim Lambert Early Gdansk The story of Gdansk begins in the 10th century. At first, it was a small trading settlement but it soon grew. In 1224 it was formally made a town when it was granted certain rights. Then in 1308 the Teutonic Knights (an order of German knights) took over Gdansk. They… Continue reading A History of Gdansk

By Tim Lambert Early Guatemala In 1523 Pedro de Alvarado was sent with a force of Spaniards to Guatemala. The Spaniards had a great technological advantage over the indigenous people and by 1540 they ruled the whole area. The Spaniards then became the ruling class. Meanwhile, the indigenous people were converted to Christianity (although they… Continue reading A History of Guatemala

By Tim Lambert Early Halifax Halifax was founded in Canada in 1749. Colonel Edward Cornwallis led a group of British settlers. They build houses and a stockade. St Paul’s Church was built in 1750. The same year, in 1750 other settlers founded Dartmouth. However, the native people of the area, the Mi’Kmaq objected and they… Continue reading A History of Halifax

By Tim Lambert Early Krakow According to legend Cracow was founded by a hero called Krak who killed a dragon by feeding it animal skins filled with sulfur. In reality, Krakow was a thriving settlement and a center of trade by the 10th century. Krakow was first mentioned in 965 by a Spanish merchant who… Continue reading A History of Krakow, Poland

By Tim Lambert Viking Limerick The Vikings founded Limerick in 922 AD. It was an obvious place to build a town because it was an island between the Shannon and the Abbey River and so was easily defended. Limerick soon became a thriving little town. However, the Vikings fought each other as well as the… Continue reading A History of Limerick

By Tim Lambert Dedicated to Terry and Rhonda Luff Early Melbourne The first Europeans visited the site of Melbourne in 1803. A group of settlers landed at Port Phillip Bay but within a year they moved on to Tasmania. The city of Melbourne in Australia was founded in 1835. In that year a group of… Continue reading A History of Melbourne

By Tim Lambert Early Mongolia In 209 BC a great leader called Modun united the people of Mongolia. This early state was called Hunnu. The Hunnu was a powerful empire and they were often at war with China. However, the Hunnu state broke up in the 4th century AD. From the 6th century to the… Continue reading A History of Mongolia

By Tim Lambert Early Montreal In 1635 the French explorer Jacques Cartier reached the island of Montreal. Then in 1642, a group of French settlers led by Paul de Chomedey de Maisonneuve went to Montreal. The new settlement flourished on the fur trade. However, the early settlers met with hostility from the Iroquois until 1701… Continue reading A History of Montreal

By Tim Lambert Ancient Naples The city of Naples was founded by the Ancient Greeks, who settled in southern Italy. Soon Naples became a busy and important port. However, the Romans conquered Naples in 326 BC. Under Roman rule, the port of Naples continued to thrive and rich Romans built holiday villas on the nearby… Continue reading A History of Naples

By Tim Lambert The Foundation of Ottawa Samuel de Champlain visited the area where Ottawa now stands in 1613. Afterwards, the Ottawa River was a major transport artery. However permanent settlement did not begin until Philemon Wright founded a small town he called Wrightstown. (It is now known as Hull). Then in 1826, the Rideau… Continue reading A History of Ottawa