New World Order: The Arrival of the English

In 1566, Elizabeth I sent her Lord Deputy into Ulster to disrupt the power of the Gaelic Clans.  As part of the operation, 1000 men and horses occupied  Derry for nine months but withdrew after their powder magazine blew up.

In 1600, the English tried again as part of a pincer movement against O'Neill and O'Donnell - then the heads of the Cenel Eoghain and the Cenel Connail- the two great clans that had their border along the river. This was more successful and led to a permanent settlement of 'The Derrie'.

By 1613, the settlement was designated as a city and  was the focus for the most ambitious  scheme of colonisation ever attempted by the English in Ireland.  It was renamed 'Londonderry' to acknowledge the investment and involvement of the City of London in the endeavour.

During the rest of the century, the city endured two sieges and very turbulent times but by 1700 a  new order had been established.