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History of London, United Kingdom
Historical records for London begin with the Romans, who established a small settlement in AD 50. Ten years later, the settlement was destroyed by Queen Boudicca (Boadicea). After Boudicca's rebellion was put down, the Romans rebuilt the settlement, and it increasingly became the the principal town in Roman Britain.
By the 2nd Century AD, Londinium (London) had become the capital city of Roman Britain and came to have a basilica, bath houses and a defensive wall (the London Wall). When the Romans left, the city was almost abandoned for a short while, only to be re-populated by the incoming Saxons, although they initially settled in the areas adjacent to the Roman city. The next 600 years saw various Anglo-Saxons and Viking rule London. The victory of King Alfred over the Vikings also saw the establishment of the first of London's Boroughs. Two cities developed during the medieval period. The City of London became the centre for trade and commerce and Westminster grew up as the centre of Government. Medieval London saw the growth of the guilds that controlled commerce and trade. Tudor London (1485-1603) saw a fundamental change in the city's population with the Reformation. This coincided with its rise as a major European commercial centre, before and during the time of Shakespeare.
London continued to expand further, geographically and commercially, during the Stuart years, despite being subject to the Civil War (1641-1651), plague and the Great Fire (1666), which destroyed most of the City. After the Great Fire many of London's landmarks were re-built, especially St Paul's Cathedral. The 18th century marked London's growth to prominence as a trading and commercial capital, which coincided with the industrial revolution and the growth of the British Empire. This continued in the 19th century, to the extent that London became the centre for world trade and commerce. The century was also marked by a huge rise in its population, from 1 million in 1800 to 6.7 million at the end of the century.
The coming of the railways saw also the rise of suburban London. The 20th Century has seen further expansion of the transport system and suburbia, but London suffered extensive bomb damage during in World War II (1939-1945). After the War, London's population started to decline until the 1980s, but has been on the increase in recent decades. The post-war years also marked the beginnings of immigration from Commonwealth countries, and from elsewhere in more recent years. This contributes to London's uniqueness as a diverse world city.
