By Tim Lambert Early Lithuania The ancestors of modern Lithuanians were a people called the Balts who arrived in the area about 2,000 BC. In c.1240 AD a man named Mindaugas united the Lithuanian tribes. In 1251 he converted to Christianity. However, Mindaugas was assassinated in 1263 and his people reverted to paganism. In 1316… Continue reading A Brief History of Lithuania
Category: Histories of countries and key towns and cities around the world
A Brief History of Madagascar
By Tim Lambert Early Madagascar Until about 2,000 years ago Madagascar was uninhabited. Then the Indonesian people arrived. About 800 AD the Arabs started sailing to Madagascar. The first European to reach Madagascar was a Portuguese called Diogo Dias in 1500. However, at first, Europeans showed little interest in the island although pirates used it… Continue reading A Brief History of Madagascar
A Brief History of Malawi
By Tim Lambert Ancient Malawi Two thousand years ago there was a simple stone-age culture in Malawi. The people lived by hunting and gathering. However, by the 4th century AD, Bantu people arrived in the area and introduced iron tools and weapons. They also introduced farming. In the 15th century, people who lived south of… Continue reading A Brief History of Malawi
A Brief History of Mexico
By Tim Lambert The story of modern Mexico began with the conquistadores. In 1492 the Spaniards discovered the new world. The end of the Aztec Empire came when the governor of Cuba sent an army under Hernan Cortes (1485-1547) to conquer Mexico. Cortes only had about 600 men yet he managed to conquer the Aztecs.… Continue reading A Brief History of Mexico
A Brief History of Mozambique
By Tim Lambert Early Mozambique After 100 AD Bantu Bantu-speaking people arrived in what is now Mozambique. They lived by farming and they made iron tools. They were organized into small kingdoms. By the 9th century, Arab merchants arrived at the coast of Mozambique. For centuries afterward, there was trade between Africans and Arabs. Then… Continue reading A Brief History of Mozambique
A Brief History of Myanmar
By Tim Lambert Early Myanmar By 300 BC a rich civilization existed in southern Myanmar. A people called the Mon lived in the estuaries of the rivers Sittang and Saliveen. The Indians called it the Land of Gold. This civilization in Myanmar was also known to the Chinese. Then after 100 BC, a people called… Continue reading A Brief History of Myanmar
A Brief History of Namibia
By Tim Lambert Early Namibia In 1487, a Portuguese named Bartholomew Diaz reached what is now Namibia. However, Europeans showed little interest in Namibia until the 19th century because of the desert along its coast. However, in 1884 Namibia became a German colony. Yet at first, the Germans showed little interest in Namibia. The number… Continue reading A Brief History of Namibia
A Brief History of Nicaragua
By Tim Lambert Early Nicaragua The agricultural revolution arrived in what is now Nicaragua in about 400 BC. Then in 1502, Christopher Columbus landed on the coast of Nicaragua. However, the Europeans didn’t explore inland until 1522 when Gil Gonzalez de Avila led an expedition to the region. The next year 1523 the Spanish landed… Continue reading A Brief History of Nicaragua
A Brief History of Norway
By Tim Lambert Ancient Norway The first people arrived in Norway after 7,000 BC when rising temperatures after the end of the last ice age made the country habitable. The first Norwegians lived by hunting (elk, deer, seals, and whales) and by fishing. After 3,000 BC farming was introduced into Norway. The earliest farmers made… Continue reading A Brief History of Norway
A Brief History of Panama
By Tim Lambert The first human beings lived in Panama about 11,000 BC. By 2,500 BC they had learned to make pottery and later people from the region traded with others as far north as Mexico and as far south as Peru. The first European to land in Panama was a Spaniard named Rodrigo Galvan… Continue reading A Brief History of Panama