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The Settlers IV

2001 real-time strategy and city-building video game

Architectural plans, a scale model, maps and brass measuring instruments
Places and architectureInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionApr 30, 2026
Entity authorityQ2363298 ↗
Source-derived summary

The Settlers IV (German: Die Siedler IV), released as The Settlers: Fourth Edition in North America, is a 2001 real-time strategy video game with city-building elements for Windows, iOS, webOS, bada, Symbian, and Android. Developed by Blue Byte and published by Ubi Soft, the Windows version was released in Germany in February 2001, in the United Kingdom in March, and in North America in August. Also in August, Blue Byte released an expansion, The Settlers IV Mission CD, featuring new single-player campaign missions, new maps for both single-player and multiplayer modes, a random map generator and map editor, gameplay improvements, and bug fixes. In December, they released a second expansion, The Settlers IV: The Trojans and the Elixir of Power (German: Die Siedler IV: Die Trojaner und das Elixier der Macht), containing new single-player campaigns, additional single and multiplayer maps, improved graphics, and additional gameplay tweaks. In March 2002, The Settlers IV: Gold Edition was released, containing the original game and both expansions, plus fan-made maps for multiplayer mode, and two minigames. In November 2009, Gameloft ported the original game to iOS, under the title The Settlers. Although featuring updated graphics and utilising touch controls, the gameplay, game mechanics and storyline are identical to the original. In April 2010, The Settlers was released for webOS, specifically optimised for the Palm Pre. Gameloft later released HD versions for iPad, bada, Symbian and Android. In 2013, the Gold Edition was released on GOG.com.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “The Settlers IV” as 2001 real-time strategy and city-building video game. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Settlers, real-time and strategy.

Editorial reviewA valuable geographic starting point for tracing changing names, boundaries, uses and administrative responsibility. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—2001, 2002, 2009, 2010—that can be checked directly. The authority record carries competing date values—2001-02-15, 2001-03-29, 2001-08-06, 2009-11-07—which should remain separate until their references and qualifiers are resolved. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Settlers, real-time and strategy providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “The Settlers IV”, the useful work is to connect “2001 real-time strategy and city-building video game” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 30, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2363298. VIAF identifies the subject as 302240547. 9 of 11 selected statements include explicit references; 10 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2001, 2002, 2009 and 2010.

Critical limits

A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.

Best used for
  • Historic place names
  • Jurisdictional context
  • Routes into maps and plans
Verify next

Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “The Settlers IV”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow The Settlers IV primary sources, The Settlers IV archive and Settlers research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “The Settlers IV”?
  2. Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
  3. What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Subject index

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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “The Settlers IV” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.