Explore the historical and cultural significance of Dublin, Edinburgh, and Hanoi in Civilization V. Learn about their founding, development, and key events that shaped them.
This section details the historical background and significance of three cities in Civilization V: Dublin, Edinburgh, and Hanoi. It covers their founding, key historical events, and cultural development.
Dublin
State and Dublin was again firmly under British rule by 1603. The city expanded rapidly under the British and for a short time was the second largest city in the Empire. At this time the small harbor and river tributary giving the city its name was buried and built over, and for the most part was forgotten by the city's inhabitants.
In 1759 a small brewery was founded at St. James Gate, Dublin, which would form the economic backbone of the city for centuries to come. Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000-year lease for the brewery with an annual rent of 45 pounds for the four acre complex, using the money bequeathed to him in his godfather's will. His intelligence and business sense were questioned at the time, but the Guinness brewery soon became the largest employer in the city and substantially bolstered the growing city's economy.
After 1800 the city entered a period of decline when the seat of government was moved to Westminster. Dublin, and the rest of Ireland for that matter, had no natural source of coal and played no major part in the Industrial Revolution gripping Europe in the 19th century, and this greatly contributed to its steady decline.
Dublin's fortunes changed with the Easter Rising of 1916 when Irish republicans hoped to end British rule of the country and gain their independence. While the city sustained heavy damage from the ensuing battles, when the Irish Free State was finally recognized by the British in 1920 it started to rebuild the city center and moved the seat of government back to Dublin. Although painfully slow at times, the rebuilding of the city has gradually made Dublin the historical and contemporary cultural nexus of Ireland. More recently, the large-scale influx of euros into the city has helped it become a leading center for the sciences, education, and industry.
Edinburgh
Founded - Late 6th Century
Location - South-Eastern Scotland
Population - 772,400
Situated upon a towering crag of rock in Scotland, Edinburgh and the surrounding areas have been settled from as early as 3300 BC. The city is most likely Celtic in origin, contradicting a popular folk myth stating that it was named for a King Edwin of Northumbria. The first recorded mentions of the city date back to the late 6th century AD in the heroic poems of the Gododdin, a sect of Brittonic people. The massive outcropping of volcanic rock protected the early city from most invaders, and it wasn't until 950 AD that the last vestiges of the Gododdin were overtaken and the city fell to the Scots. The city would remain under Scottish jurisdiction from this time on.
In 1492, King James IV moved the royal court to Edinburgh and made it the official capital of Scotland. Edinburgh flourished economically and culturally from this time and throughout the Renaissance. In 1639 religious disputes between a sect of Presbyterians and the Anglican Church and a later occupation of the city by Oliver Cromwell led to fundamental changes for both Edinburgh and Scotland. In 1707 the Act of Union was passed, combining Scotland and England into the larger Kingdom of Great Britain and dissolving the Scottish Parliament in the process. The people of Edinburgh rioted at the decision.
Following the controversial joining of the two states, the people of Edinburgh worked to preserve their national identity and culture, their efforts blossoming into the period known as the Scottish Enlightenment later in the century. Easily the most influential and successful time in the city, Edinburgh became a beacon for the multitude of famous Scots gracing Europe, great men and women such as Walter Scott, Robert Burns, and Adam Smith. Edinburgh also earned its nickname the "Athens of the North" during the Enlightenment.
Edinburgh began to fall behind during the Industrial Revolution; while it did begin to modernize, it was soon eclipsed by the faster growing Scottish city of Glasgow. It wasn't until much later in 1992 when Edinburgh hosted the European Union Treaty Summit that it once again moved to the forefront of importance in the country. In 1999 the Scottish Parliament was finally reinstated, and in more recent years there are signs that the Scots are considering giving full sovereignty to the Parliament as well. Regardless of whether Scotland will achieve independence in the coming years or not, the recreation of the governing body in Edinburgh has revitalized the city and given power and importance to the capital for the first time in nearly 300 years.
Hanoi
Founded - 1010 AD
Location - Northern Vietnam
Population - 6,232,940
Located on the banks of the Red River in Vietnam, the area surrounding Hanoi has been inhabited from at least the third millennium BC. One of the first recorded permanent structures at the site was the Co Loa citadel, built sometime around 200 BC. However, it is not until 1010 AD that the official founding of Hanoi is recorded - the current ruler of the land, Ly Thai To, moved the capital to the site and renamed it Thang Long, or "ascending dragon". Thang Long remained the capital of Vietnam until 1397.
The city continued to grow quietly for the next few centuries, even while briefly occupied by the Chinese in the early 1400's. In 1831 Emperor Minh Mang renamed the city, giving it the more literal name of "Between Rivers". Shortly thereafter, the French occupied the city and surrounding area in 1873, later making Hanoi the capital of their new colony - French Indochina - in 1887.
After World War II the city was the scene of deadly fighting as the country was contested between the independent nationalists and the French government. North Vietnam finally won its independence in 1954 and made Hanoi the capital of the country. The city remained the capital once North and South Vietnam were reunited and unified in 1976.
Since then, Hanoi has boomed into a vibrant metropolitan area, exponen
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