From ancient London to nowadays one

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ancient London

 

According to Medieval chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth, today’s city of London was founded by Brutus of Troy, a Trojan War hero who named the city Caer Troia (New Troy), giving the British a sense of pride in their ‘mythical’ origin, until the era of the English poet John Milton (1608–1664). The area of London was first settled by the Trinovantes, and later the Romans. It is said that after the town was named Caer Troia, it was renamed CaerLudein by King Lud in 73 BC, which was eventually changed to ‘London’. Geoffrey adorned the history of ancient London with many legendary kings and myths.

Prehistoric discoveries have been made in the area of London, but generally there is no evidence of a major prehistoric settlement. Finds include evidence of farming and burial places. In antiquity, London was a sparsely settled rural area. However, such discoveries as the bronze, 300 BC Battersea Shield, found in the river Thames near Chelsea, indicate that this was an area of significant history. The Battersea, displayed at the British Museum, features enamel decorations and Celtic motifs. Historians believe that the shield was a ritual gift to the river spirits. Many other pieces of bronze and iron were also found in rivers throughout Britain. Settlements may have also existed at Brentford and Egham, but there was no city on the present-day site of London.

In Roman times, London was called ‘Londinium’, founded after Roman Emperor Claudius invaded these lands in AD 43. Scholars disagree as to the origin of the name ‘Londinium’, with theories ranging from ‘fierce’ and ‘flowing river’ to ‘settlement on the wide river’. Researcher Richard Coates suggests that the ‘river’ was called Plowonida down river, and Thames up river. Yet another opinion is that the city took its name from King Lud, whom some consider a mythical king. It is believed that Lud planned the first roads in the city.

The first spoken language in London was Latin. Greek was also widely spoken, as Greek-speaking soldiers and merchants lived in the city. London developed into a civilian settlement around AD 50. In early Roman times, London was approximately the size of Hyde Park. Shortly after its founding, the city was sacked by the army of the British Queen Boudica. A layer of red ashes was discovered under the city, dating back to about the same time, indicating destruction by fire. The historian Tacitus states that the Romans retaliated by killing 80,000 Britons at King’s Cross, after which Boudica poisoned herself. The city recovered and its population peaked at some 60,000 about AD 120, and became the capital of Britannia, or Roman Britain (formerly Colchester).

The Romans erected fortifications around London about AD 200, which designated the city’s boundaries for the next several centuries, parts of which survive to this day. London had become a wealthy, heavily fortified city by the 4th Century. The Romans had left London by AD 410, and the Roman city was practically abandoned 40 years later. However, the city was used as a base for military operations by the Roman administration during the bloody battles against the Jutes, a Kentish tribe. Kent was abandoned in AD 456, and extensive measures were taken to repel the Saxons thereafter. London was evacuated in the 6th Century and remained in ruins for more than a generation. 

 

 

The Saxon Era and Middle Ages

 

The old city of London was not resettled, but the surrounding areas were captured by the Saxons. Britons and Saxons battled actively for territory, but eventually the Saxons triumphed. The first bishop of the city was Mellitus, appointed in the early 7th Century, when Saeberht of the East Saxons accepted Christianity. It is said that the first St Paul’s Cathedral was founded by Mellitus on the site of a Roman temple dedicated to the pagan goddess Diana. Saeberht was succeeded by pagans and St Paul’s Cathedral, initially only a chapel, was destroyed. A Saxon village, named Lundenwic, was founded in the area of Londinium (named London Fort by Saxons). The estuary of the river Fleet of the area was probably used as a port for merchant ships and fishing boats.

 

The Mercian tribe took control of the new town in the 8th Century, after which the West Saxon kingdom of Wessex became dominant in the area, as Mercian power waned and tribal dialects transformed to local and regional dialects. Four tribes existed in the area during this time: Mercians, West Saxons, Kents and Northumbrians. The Northumbrians settled in the area north of the river Humber. The Kents, comprised of Jutes and Frisians, settled in the south. 

Recent discoveries in the area of Covent Garden include a 600,000 sqare metres, 7th Century Anglo-Saxon settlement. In the late 9th Century, the city of London experienced administrative changes made by Alfred the Great, following his defeat of the Danes. Alfred established two fortified boroughs to defend London’s bridge, which had been reconstructed. The Vikings attacked the city in 1013, and London eventually fell.

The Norman conquest of 1066 marked the beginning of the Middle Ages. William the Conqueror granted city rights to London. During his reign, a number of royal forts were built on the riverfront of London, including the Tower of London, Montfichet’s Castle and Baynard’s Castle, to protect the city from incessant incursions of Vikings. The son of William the Conqueror, William Rufus, began building Westminster Hall in 1097, which was the foundation of the Palace of Westminster that became the main royal residence in the Middle Ages. William the Conqueror upheld the previous Saxon laws, privileges and rights.

Construction of London Bridge began on the site of several older wooden bridges in 1176, and was completed in 1209. It would last for 600 years as the only bridge across the Thames until 1739. The right to self-government was firmly established when King John granted election rights in 1199 and 1215. The First Barons’  War, a civil war in England in 1216, after the signing of the Magna Carta, was the last time the city was occupied by a continental armed force. The barons supported King Louis VIII of France. However, when King John died, the barons moved their support to an English ruler. London gradually began to shed the heavy French linguistic and cultural influences, present since 1066. Between 1350 and 1475, the Age of Chaucer saw a mixed London dialect become the main language of literature; French began to disappear in favor of English. During the Middle Ages, the city of London became a centre of trade, while the nearby town of Westminster became the seat of government. The area between them had become completely urbanised by the 17th Century.

 

The 18th Century

 

In the 18th Century, London grew rapidly, both in terms of territory and population. Its economic situation ensured a foundation for the Industrial Revolution, and the city assumed a central role in the evolving empire.

The Scottish and English Parliaments merged into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. One year later, St Paul’s Cathedral, the masterpiece of architect Christopher Wren, was completed; although the first service in the church had taken place over a decade before.

During the Georgian era, new districts of London, such as Mayfair, developed in the wealthy, lavish West End. The Port of London expanded downstream, and South London began to enjoy an accelerated pace of development as well. London Bridge had been the only bridge over the Thames prior to 1750, the same year Westminster Bridge opened, and Fleet Street was established as the centre of the British press in the same century. King George III bought Buckingham House (Palace) from the duke of Buckingham in 1762. Architects, such as John Nash, enlarged the palace over the next 70 years, which became the main royal residence in the 19th Century. London, though, also developed a crime problem. Heavy sentences were meted out quite frequently, often for minor crimes, such as pickpocketing. Nearly every day witnessed a public hanging, with people flocking to watch and be entertained.

Protestants in London rebelled against Catholic emancipation in 1780, an uprising known as the Gordon Riot, named after its leader Lord George Gordon Byron, better known as one of great poets of the British Romanticist movement. Catholic churches were extensively damaged and 285 rioters were killed. The 18th Century in London was relatively prosperous, but also difficult in some ways. The American colonies broke away, and there were enormous cultural changes as a result of the Enlightenment.

 

The London of Dickens

 

London in the 19th Century was the world’s largest city, and the capital of a mighty empire. Its population grew from one million to 6.7 million between 1800 and 1900. London was the commercial, financial and political hub of the world, and retained this status until the second half of the century, when New York and Paris began to rival it.

As British territories and holdings expanded, London grew wealthy, but at the same time it was also a city of poverty. Charles Dickens’ works, such as 'Oliver Twist', where he described the social conditions of London, are heralded as spiritual autobiographies of the age. Dickens was extremely critical of both the government and the church, which operated workhouses for the poor. In 'Oliver Twist', Dickens describes the poor as having two choices in the 19th Century: choose not to live in a workhouse and starve quickly, or starve slowly in one.

Prime Minister Robert Peel introduced the Metropolitan Police Service of London in 1829. This force covered the urban area of the city, and soon gained the nickname ‘peelers’, after their founding father. The 19th Century invention of railroads established a network in the UK, enabling the development of suburbs in neighboring counties. Both the rich and middle class could use the trains to travel to the city. The first railroad line, opened in 1836, extended from London Bridge to Greenwich. Construction of train terminals followed, which included Waterloo, Paddington, Euston, and King’s Cross stations. The first lines of the subway (metro) also opened about this time.

As the urban area continued to expand, a special city board was created to provide adequate infrastructure in London, with its main task related to sanitation problems. Sewage was being pumped directly into the river Thames. After a summer of overwhelming stench and severe health hazards of London’s citizens, authorities decided to try and resolve this problem, dubbed the Great Stink of 1858.

 

The 20th Century

 

The 20th Century was a difficult period for London. The city entered the century as an influential capital of the largest empire in history, yet suffered bomb attacks by dirigibles (Zeppelins) during the First World War, which killed almost 1,000 people. Unfortunately, this only foreshadowed what was to come.

During the period between the two World Wars, London expanded even further due to suburban development, and suffered from skyrocketing unemployment during the Great Depression. When the Second World War broke out in 1939, London’s population peaked at 8.6 million. The city suffered extensive damage during the war, with the East End Docklands hit the hardest. Some 35,000 Londoners died in the war, and 50,000 injured.

London’s Wembley Stadium hosted the Summer Olympics in 1948, when the city began to recuperate from the war. But housing was a major problem in the post-war years, as most of the tenement buildings had been destroyed. Authorities introduced a policy encouraging people to move into new towns near London.

In the 1960s, rock bands, such as the Beatles and Rolling Stones, transformed London into an international centre of youth culture. The city found itself in the same role with the Brit Pop trend of the 1990s.

The city has been targeted by both the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and al-Queda. The city was the object of numerous attacks by the IRA throughout the second half of the 20th Century. On July 6, 2005, London was selected to host the 2012 Olympic Games, but the joy was short lived, as the next day over 50 Londoners were killed and 700 wounded in four bombings on the subway and aboard a double-decker bus in the city. These attacks were attributed to al-Queda.

The population of greater London dropped from 8.6 million in 1939 to 6.8 million in the 1980s. However, after the 80s, the population began to steadily climb, encouraged by the flourishing economy. Many ‘millennium projects’ were launched in London at the turn of the 21st Century, which included the exhibition venue, the Millennium Dome, and the 450-ft Ferris Wheel, the Millennium Wheel or the London Eye, both celebrating the coming of a new age. The Millennium Wheel was first intended as a temporary structure, but became permanent, drawing four million visitors per year. It is estimated that the population of London will reach 8.1 million by 2016 and continue to rise thereafter.

 

 

London Chronology

 

“This melancholy London- I sometimes imagine that the souls of the lost are compelled to walk through its streets perpetually. One feels them passing like a whiff of air.” said William Butler Yeats once about the British capital. And indeed you can literally sense history in the streets and squares of this amazing metropolis.

 

 

 

Early history
1066	William the Conqueror is crowned the king of England at Westminster Abbey.
1097	William II begins the construction of Westminster Hall.
12-15th Century
early 12th Century	The population of London amounts to approximately 8,000.
1123	St Bartholomew’s Priory is founded in the city.
1176	The first stone bridge in London is built and it remains the only one until 1739.
1191	Richard I acknowledges the right of London to self-government.
1192	Elections for the first mayor of London are held.
1245	Henry III begins reconstruction works at the Westminster Abbey.
1280	The Old St Paul’s cathedral is finished.
1381	London is invaded by peasants during the Peasant’s Revolt lead by Wat Tyler.
1461	Edward IV grabs the throne supported by the London merchants.
1477	William Caxton prints the first book on his printing press.
1411-1440	Representatives of various guilds gather at the Guildhall.
1348-1665	16 outbreaks of plague are recorded during this period.
1485	Henry VII takes the throne. The population of London is 75,000.
16-17th Century
1566	An international exchange is founded by Thomas Gresham so that London could compete for financial power with Amsterdam.
1560	It becomes the Royal Exchange and today is housed in a Victorian building near the Bank of England Museum.
1598	A retired tailor, John Stow, writes a survey of London which gives a historic snapshot of Tudor London and its history. Every year a ceremony in his honour is held at St Andrew Undershaft church, where he is buried.
1599	The globe Theatre, staging many of Shakespeare’s plays, is built on the South Bank.
1600	By that period the population of London has risen to 200,000.
November 5, 1605	The Houses of Parliament opens. Catholic conspirators are planning to kill the new king but the plot, called the Gunpowder Plot, fails and is commemorated with the celebration of Bonfire Night today.
1613	The Globe Theatre burns down.
1631	Inigo Jones designs Covent Garden piazza.
1637	The royal reserve of Hyde Park is opened to the public by Charles I. It becomes the first public park.
1660	Charles II is brought to the throne by the Restoration of the Monarchy. The theatre is earns royal approval and is no longer banned.
1665	Theatre Royal Drury Lane gains the royal warrant. The same year, the Great Plague bursts out, brought from Holland by ship. It is estimated that the pandemic claimed 70,000 – 100, 000 lives.
September 2, 1666	The Great Fire started in the baker's shop and raged for four days among the wooden houses till the wind carrying it stopped. Most of the city was totally destroyed.
Modern History 19-20th Century
1800	The population is one million
19th Century	The population increases to six million.
1829	Sir Robert Peel founds the Metropolitan Police, which becomes known as 'Bobbies’. They are to handle law and order outside the City proper.
1830	Trafalgar Square is created and two years later the National Gallery is erected there.
1834	The Houses of Parliament burn down.
1836	The first railway is built from London Bridge to Greenwich.
1850	Major station at King’s Cross is built.
1851	The Great Exhibition takes place. This is the first world fair that shows manufacturing and technology from all countries. It is held at Hyde Park and is attended by more than 200,000 people.
1859	Big Ben - the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament, is built.
1863	The first underground railway from Paddington to Farringdon Road in London is completed.
1870	Laws providing compulsory education for children from five to twelve years are passed.
1904	The first motor bus service begins in London.
1905	Knightsbridge store at Harrods opens.
1906	The first underground electric train is in service. The Ritz hotel opens the same year.
1907	Selfridges opens.
Fall of 1915	Zeppelin bombs fall near Guildhall and kill 39 people.
1921	The population of London reaches 7.5 million.
1926	General Strike erupts because of labour unrest.
1930’s	Large numbers of Jews come to London.
1936	The Crystal Palace burns to the ground.
1938	Many people escape to the countryside because of the threat of German invasion.
1951	The centenary of the Great Exhibition is celebrated with the Festival of Britain.
1946	Heathrow airport is opened for commercial flights.
1956	The first double-decker bus appears in London.
1972-1982	The Thames Barrier is built to control flooding.