History of London (lecture 1/25)

The history of London goes back to over 2,000 years. A history of invasion, plague, devastating fires, civil war, terrorist attack, etc.- that has equated to making London and its citizens a city of resilience. Some of the earliest recordings mention it was destroyed in AD 61 by the Iceni lead by their queen Boudica. Even though the Romans re-built their city, eventually in 410 AD the Romans left and London began to wither. Then the Saxons settled Lundenwic but eventually settled in (re-populated) London because Lundenwic was prominant to being easily attacked.

In 1066 Britain was invaded by the Norman whom took over Anglo Saxon clergy and nobility. They built castles and cathedrals and set a feudal system. Around that time the population was at 20,000. During Medieval London the population grew to 50,000. There were 126 churches and 13 monasteries. Guilds and ivory companies had major control at that time since there was a lack of central power. At that time a lot of people were heavy drinkers and London was in constant danger of fires. Around 1601 the Globe and Rose theater were built, London was home to the King and Parliament and became the capital city. The population around 1600 grew to 200,000 and it was said that the rich went west and por went east. In 1655 the Great Plague hit London- its first outbreak being in April that killed about 360. In June there were 725 casualties, in July about 1000 died each week. In August 2,020 deaths were recorded the first week then in September the first week 8,297 died. After September the death toll slowly started decline. In 1666 the fire of London struck which was the worst fire seen and led to a huge losss of property but luckly only a few people died. Sir Christopher Wren built a monument to the fire where ironically more people have jumped to their deaths than were killed in the fire.

By 1700 the population was at 600,000- twenty times the size of the next largest ity. By the 1800's and onwards railways were built which led to easier travel and the cities being shrunk. in 1801 the first census took place and reported the population being at 959,310. By 1851 the population was at 2,363, 431 and London was officially the largest city within West Europe. Currently London has a very diverse population of approximately 7,600,00. It is a leading global city and one of the world's largest financial centres. It hosted the 1908 and 1948 summer Olympics and will host the 2012 summer Olympics. Even though London has gone through many tragic events its has become one of the greates cities with a diverese range of peoples, cultures and religions- it is said that more than 300 languages are spoken within its boundaries. It's no wonder London is such a tourist attraction- it has an extensive and rich history and it's quite diverse!