Brief History of London

 It must be taken into account in order to understand the history of the city of London, and that of the whole country, the fact that the river Thames is the longest one in Great Britain and it was the spinal column of the city for centuries.

Stonehenge, England, erected by Neolitic peoples 4500 - 4000 years ago. It is located in the English county of Wiltshire. It is included in UNESCO's World Heritage Site.

ROMAN LONDON (1st-5th centuries)

London began as a Roman settlement around 50 AD. The Roman London was initially a temporary riverside base and it was set in the north bank of the river. But soon "Londinum" -as Romans used to call it- flourished and became the capital city of the most northern province of the Roman Empire.

The Roman built a wall around the city to protect it from invasions and they also built public houses such as baths, temples, gardens, a church and a forum. In spite of that there are just a few remains of Romans in the actual London.

This photo shows a piece of the wall that the Romans built in Londinum and that remains at present.

This is the statue of a Roman general.

However, London went into a gradual decline caused by the fall of the Roman Empire and by mid 5th century they began to leave the city and their way of life could no longer be sustained.

ANGLO-SAXON LONDON (6ht-11th centuries)

Following the abandonment of the Roman city, London's strategic location over the river Thames meant that the site was not deserted for long. Thus, different tribes of Saxons and Vikings struggled for its control, as London was at an important trading situation, and they destroyed many parts of the city.

The most important character in the British history in this period is the Anglo-Saxon king Edward the Confessor. One thousand years after the arrival of the Romans he built his new palace and monastery in the riverside, en the west, in the Westminster marshes, giving London the status of capital of the country. In this way the second city of London was born.

NORMAN AND MEDIEVAL LONDON (12th - 15th centuries)

After Edward's death his cousin the Duke William of Normandy claimed the throne and England was invaded by French people, the Normans.

The year 1066 is marked as the beginning of medieval period and the Norman (French) domination, when William the Conqueror consolidated the role of Westminster as the political and religious support of the country. He began to build the Tower of London so as to control the merchants of the city and also Westminster Hall, which was to become the basis of the Palace of Westminster.

With the past of the years other Norman kings built London Bridge and many churches and palaces inside and outside the walls of London, from Hampton to Greenwich.

TUDOR LONDON (1485-1603)

Later in the Tudor time the river Thames would give the city its international power as an important place for merchant ships and warships and London became the capital of what it would be a large empire.

It is popular known the Tudor king Henry VIII, who separated from the Roman Church and began Anglicanism in order to marry again to have a male descendant for his throne. He married six times, being his first wife Catalina of Aragon, the Spanish Isabel of Castile and Fernando of Aragon's younger daughter; they had a daughter, Mary of Tudor, who finally became the Queen of England.

At this time William Shakespeare lived (1564-1616). He was an English poet and playwright and regarded as the greatest writer in the English Language. He wrote so famous plays as Hamlet, King Lear and Macbeth.

William Shakespeare, 1564 - April 23th 1616.

STUART LONDON (1603-1714)

London grew quickly and towards 1700 it became the largest city en Europe. But before that London suffered two important events that changed its history and those of Londoner people: the Great Plague in 1665 and the Great Fire in 1666.

The Black Death or Black Plague was suffered in all Europe from 14th to 18th centuries. The Great Plague of London diminished London's population to a fifth of the total figure.

The Great Fire lasted four days and it is estimated that it destroyed the homes up to 70,000 of 80,000 inhabitants of the City, 87 parish churches, Saint Paul's Cathedral and most of the buildings of the City authorities, that is, 80 per cent of the medieval London. Sir Christopher Wren designed the Monument to commemorate the Great Fire of London.

The Monument (1668), designed by Christopher Wren, a famous architect at his time, London to commemorate the Great Fire.

18TH CENTURY LONDON

Rebuilding London took over ten years under the direction of the famous architect and designer Sir Christopher Wren and from now on building with brick was recommended.

This was a period of rapid growth for the city, reflecting an increasing national population, the beginning of the Industrial Revolution and London's role at the centre of the evolving British Empire.

The Kingdom of Great Britain was established with the union of the Scottish and English Parliaments. In 1708 Wren finished his masterpiece, St Paul's Cathedral, which was destroyed in the Great Fire.

19TH CENTURY LONDON

During the 19th century, London was transformed into the world's largest city and capital of the British Empire. Its population expanded from 1 million in 1800 to 6.7 million a century later. During this period, London became a global political, financial, and trading capital. In this position, it was largely unrivalled until the latter part of the century, when Paris and New York began to threaten its dominance.

This is the period of Charles Dickens (1812-1870), considered one of the English language's greatest writers; he was acclaimed for his rich storytelling and memorable characters, and achieved massive worldwide popularity in his lifetime. In his novel Oliver Twist, a social and realistic novel, he described the life of normal people at this time in London.

20TH CENTURY AND PRESENT LONDON

London entered 20th century at the height of its influence as the capital of a largest empire in history, but the new century was to bring many challenges, as in many other capital cities in Europe: World War I, the Great Depression, World War II, the Summer Olympics in 1948, the groups of music the Beatles and the Rolling Stones in the 1960s and in 21st century the largest observation wheel in the world, the "Millennium Wheel" or the London Eye. In 2005 London won the bid to host the 2012 Olympics.