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

By Tim Lambert Early Derry Derry is an ancient settlement. Its name is believed to be derived from the Gaelic word doire meaning a grove of oak trees. From the 6th AD onwards century there was a monastery in Derry. (Tradition says St Columba founded it). In time a settlement grew up by the monastery.… Continue reading A History of Derry

By Tim Lambert Viking Dublin Dublin was founded by the Vikings. They founded a new town on the south bank of the Liffey in 841. It was called Dubh Linn, which means black pool. The new town of Dublin was fortified with a ditch and an earth rampart with a wooden palisade on top. In… Continue reading A History of Dublin

By Tim Lambert The Foundation of Edmonton The great Canadian city of Edmonton began as a trading post called Fort Edmonton, built in 1795. It was named after Edmonton, England, which was then a town north of London. However, in the late 19th century the settlement began to spread outside the fort. Then in 1892,… Continue reading A History of Edmonton

By Tim Lambert Early Florence The great city of Florence was founded by the Romans in 59 BC. It was a colonia, a settlement for retired soldiers and it was called Florentia. The new town flourished and grew under Roman rule. However, in the 4th century, the Roman Empire split into two, East and West.… Continue reading A History of Florence Italy

By Tim Lambert Galway in the Middle Ages Galway was first recorded in 1124 when a fort was built there. However, the town was founded in the 13th century. In 1170-71 the English invaded eastern Ireland and in 1232 a baron named Richard de Burgh took this area and created a town. After 1270 walls… Continue reading A History of Galway

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 Halifax Halifax was founded in Canada in 1749. Colonel Edward Cornwallis led a group of British settlers. They built 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 The Etruscans The first civilization in Italy was the Etruscan, which arose about 800 BC in central Italy. The Etruscans built cities on a grid pattern. Some of these cities still exist (including Arezzo, Chiusi, Cortona, Perugia, and Cerveteri). The Etruscans were also engineers who drained marshes and built roads. They were… Continue reading A History of Italy

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

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