Maybe you’d like to travel to London because of its rich history. Or maybe you’re one of the many whose chief frame of reference is the singsong verse "London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down..." and thus you may hold in your breath a bit when you cross any bridge over the river that divides the city in two. Either way, it’s worth brushing up on your history lessons before heading over so you can appreciate just how this incredible city came to be in its present form: London is more than 1,000 years old. A brief overview follows.
The Romans invaded London in 43 AD, naming the fortified city Londinium from whence the current city derives its name (the River Thames is believed to be named for an ancient water god.) For the next 300 years or so, they ruled the area, building monuments and subjugating until they were eventually themselves invaded by the Anglo-Saxons and taken over. Until, of course, the Vikings and Danes arrived and battled it out for the power to rule (this is why York has never been quite the same.) Ultimately, it would be the Normans who gained power in 1066 under William the Conqueror, with the capital moving to London from Winchester in the 1100s.
In November of 1348 the plague which had up to that time spared the British Isles arrived in London: at the time, nobody knew that a bacterium now named yersinia pestis was carried on the backs of rats in their fleas and it was this that would spell the doom of 2/3 of England. Of 70,000 Londoners estimated to have originally inhabited the area, 30,000 lost their lives, with high mortality rates amongst the lower clergy, the poor, and the imprisoned. Making matters worse, locals believed that sin had brought God's wrath upon them and so public displays of self-flagellation were commonplace, in some cases lasting for days (and actually making the spread of the disease far worse.)
In the wake of the Black Death Chaucer wrote “The Canterbury Tales,” a series of stories that have haunted high school students ever since (and made men named Nicholas fear ever passing gas by moonlight.) Most of the Canterbury Tales satirized medieval Europe and in particular the feudal system in place at the time; most of the clergy, for example, is protrayed as hypocritical and corrupt. This attitude would, in time, fuel the flames of later centuries as the ideas presented collided with Renaissance ideals of humanism.
The golden age of prosperity arrived during the Tudor Age, preceded by the War of the Roses. The War of the Roses at its most basic form was an enormous fight between two noble branches of the royal family tree: the Yorks and the Lancastrians. For roughly thirty years the two dynasties fought over who had the better claim to the throne, with Henry Tudor (Lancastrian) winning over the notorious Richard III (York) at the Battle of Bosworth Field.
During the reign of the Tudor Dynasty, Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare had their day in the sunlight, as did scientist Francis Bacon. Art and literature flourished, as did the English Reformation, where Henry VIII broke with Rome to form his own church and lay the foundations of Anglicanism. Under his daughter, Elizabeth I (first successful female monarch) theAge of Exploration began and it was here in London that many treaties and compacts were signed and drawn up.
Unfortunately all was not well. After the death of "Good Queene Bess," Civil War broke out in 1642, with Parliamentarians (anti- monarchy) and Royalists (with the king) duking it out over whether His Majesty indeed was imbued with Divine Right to Rule. London, as always, was at the focal point of this and it was here that Charles I was put on trial and beheaded, sparking the war and eventually leading to Oliver Cromwell ruling as a de-facto leader. His reign and influence did not last, and Charles II came to the throne.
In 1665 came a recurrence of the bubonic plague that had bedeviled the city 300 years earlier. The Great Plague quickly followed a year later by the Great Fire of 1666, wiped out roughly 80% of London both in terms of population and in terms of actual physical buildings. Christopher Wren rebuilt St. Paul’s Cathedral and the city moved outward, superceding the medieval/Roman walls that had cooped it up for so long.
London expanded vastly during the next couple centuries and became the capital of a vast empire. Although its weath was unpecedented there was a vast underclass supporting it, and all the social problems that such divisions create: the entire East End of London was a giant powderkeg of strife, prostitution, and skulduggery. London became home to the first ever underground railway, with the completion of the Metropolitan Line.
As the 20th century set in, London became the face of Europe when it comes to war. During WWI, it suffered during the German air raids and during WWII, the Blitz rained 57 days of consecutive bombings on London, which left the city in ruins. Many tube stations were used as air-raid shelters due to their location deep underground.
London has long been a melting pot, with people from all over the globe settling down within its city limits. London keeps on changing and growing with the times, but its history is what makes it such a unique city to visit.
Some great historical sites include:
The Tower of London - a 1000 year old castle built by the Normans in the 11th Century.
The Cabinet War Rooms - a museum in the former offices of Winston Churchill, Prime Minsister of Britain, during the Second World War
Westminster Abbey - final resting place of, among other former monarchs Edward the Confessor and Queen Elizabeth I. A guided tour is the best way to see Westminster Abbey.