HISTORY OF LONDON
London is situated on the banks of the Thames. It's the seat of the Government of the United Kingdom and the country’s financial center. The town has used its privileged location in southeastern England to its advantage, having always been a densely populated and wealthy area.
London's foundation
The City of London was founded by the Romans and their rule increased from 43 AD to the fifth century AD, when the Empire fell. During the third century, Londinium, the name given to the town by the Romans, had a population of fifty,000, mainly thanks to the influence of its major port.
As a consequence of repeated Anglo-Saxon invasions during the fifth century, Londinium declined and through the eighth century, it became the capital of the Kingdom.
During the ninth century, the town suffered numerous Viking attacks. As a consequence, Danish settlers established themselves within the area, encouraging trade and opening businesses within the town, transforming it into the primary urban center of England. The town’s wealth and power attracted the Danish Great Heathen Army, which besieged the town until it was captured by King Alfred the Great in 886.
In 1067, following the Norman invasion and conquering of England, the city's existing rights, laws, and prerogatives were established by the newly crowned King of England, William, Duke of Normandy. The Tower of London was built during William's reign.
In 1199, John reinforced the city's self-government, and in 1215 the town could elect a different mayor every year.
For many years, England had no capital city. However, the institutions of the central government were moved to Westminster, near London. This and therefore the rise of trade in the area were two decisive factors in London's emergence as the capital of England.
An ever-growing city
During the fourteenth century, London’s port became an EU hub for the distribution of goods. This activity was strengthened during the fifteenth century because of its relevant textile industry.
From the sixteenth to mid-seventeenth century, London benefited from the centralized politics and therefore the maritime trade expansion developed by the Tudors and continued by the Stuarts. During Henry VIII’s reign, London had 100,000 inhabitants. In the mid-seventeenth century, it had over 500,000.
In 1665, the town was still held inside the ancient walls although large-scale urban planning had already started. The population’s poor living conditions were liable for the Great Plague, killing 70,000 people, and therefore the following year, an enormous fire burnt down most of the city. The reconstruction of London supported the area we now call "The City", took over 10 years to end. The architect Christopher Wren’s masterpieces like St. Paul’s Cathedral increased the plead of London, and thus the capital became the center of English social life with palaces, halls, theatres, and societies (Royal Society, 1662) and museums (British Museum, 1753).
London continued to grow because of the foundation of the Bank of England in 1694. it had been the second central bank in the world, rapidly following the Swedish Sveriges Riksbank, and arguably the foremost successful: it provided the financial flexibility which would be the foundation of the empire's power and whose vestiges can be seen today in London's prominence as a financial center.
Most of current London is from the Victorian period. Up until the first years of the nineteenth century, the capital was confined to the boundaries of the first Roman city, also as Westminster and Mayfair, and was surrounded by fields. Be that because it may, the economic Revolution drew millions of people to London, expanding the town. However, the overcrowded conditions led to grave problems just like the 1832 cholera epidemics, or the good stink of 1858, an occasion that took place during the hottest months of the summer, exacerbating the smell of the sewers that were dumped within the river Thames, which led to the suspension of the parliamentary sessions.
From 1750, the population increased from 700,000 to over 4,500,000 in 1901 (6,600,000 if we include the suburban areas). At the top of the nineteenth century, London had become a serious international trade and finance capital.
The administrative needs of a city with so much commercial activity led to the creation of a new autonomous territorial unit in 1888, the County of London, ruled by the "London County council". This county was divided into twenty-nine electoral units (the city and 28 metropolitan boroughs), but the progressive expansion soon overflowed outside the county boundaries to the suburban areas. After a gentle period, the population of the capital began to say no at the end of World War I and fell below 3.5 million by 1950. In contrast, the suburb grew steadily.
In 1963 a replacement division of London was made, comprising the old town and 32 metropolitan boroughs, and these are the divisions that may be seen today.
Brexit
The most important event in London's recent history was the UK's departure from the European Union. Although the referendum on leaving the EU happened in 2016, the method took some time. the United Kingdom officially left the EU on 31st January 2020. A transformation period was then established, during which final trade agreements were reached, which ended on 31st December 2020.
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