Early history[edit]
Roman London (AD 47 - AD 410)[edit]
Main article: Roman London
Carausius coin from Londinium mint.
Medal of Constantius I capturing London (inscribed as LON) in 296 after defeating Allectus. Beaurains hoard.
Londinium was established as a civilian town by the Romans about four years[8] after the invasion of
AD 43. London, like Rome, was founded on the point of the river where it was narrow enough to
bridge and the strategic location of the city provided easy access to much of Europe. Early Roman
London occupied a relatively small area, roughly equivalent to the size of Hyde Park. In around AD
60, it was destroyed by the Iceni led by their queen Boudica. The city was quickly rebuilt as a
planned Roman town and recovered after perhaps 10 years; the city grew rapidly over the following
decades.
During the 2nd century Londinium was at its height and replaced Colchester as the capital of Roman
Britain (Britannia). Its population was around 60,000 inhabitants. It boasted major public buildings,
including the largest basilica north of the Alps, temples, bath houses, an amphitheatre and a
large fort for the city garrison. Political instability and recession from the 3rd century onwards led to a
slow decline.
At some time between AD 180 and AD 225, the Romans built the defensive London Wall around the
landward side of the city. The wall was about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) long, 6 metres (20 ft) high, and
2.5 metres (8.2 ft) thick. The wall would survive for another 1,600 years and define the City of
London's perimeters for centuries to come. The perimeters of the present City are roughly defined by
the line of the ancient wall.
Londinium was an ethnically diverse city with inhabitants from across the Roman Empire, including
natives of Britannia, continental Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.[9]
In the late 3rd century, Londinium was raided on several occasions by Saxon pirates.[10] This led,
from around 255 onwards, to the construction of an additional riverside wall. Six of the traditional
seven city gates of London are of Roman origin,
namely: Ludgate, Newgate, Aldersgate, Cripplegate, Bishopsgate and Aldgate (Moorgate is the
exception, being of medieval origin).
By the 5th century, the Roman Empire was in rapid decline and in AD 410, the Roman occupation of
Britannia came to an end. Following this, the Roman city also went into rapid decline and by the end
of the 5th century was practically abandoned.
Anglo-Saxon London (5th century – 1066)[edit]
Main article: Anglo-Saxon London
Until recently it was believed that Anglo-Saxon settlement initially avoided the area immediately
around Londinium. However, the discovery in 2008 of an Anglo-Saxon cemetery at Covent
Garden indicates that the incomers had begun to settle there at least as early as the 6th century and
possibly in the 5th. The main focus of this settlement was outside the Roman walls, clustering a
short distance to the west along what is now the Strand, between the Aldwych and Trafalgar Square.
It was known as Lundenwic, the -wic suffix here denoting a trading settlement. Recent excavations
have also highlighted the population density and relatively sophisticated urban organisation of this
earlier Anglo-Saxon London, which was laid out on a grid pattern and grew to house a likely
population of 10–12,000.
Early Anglo-Saxon London belonged to a people known as the Middle Saxons, from whom the name
of the county of Middlesex is derived, but who probably also occupied the approximate area of
modern Hertfordshire and Surrey. However, by the early 7th century the London area had been
incorporated into the kingdom of the East Saxons. In 604 King Saeberht of Essex converted to
Christianity and London received Mellitus, its first post-Roman bishop.
At this time Essex was under the overlordship of King Æthelberht of Kent, and it was under
Æthelberht's patronage that Mellitus founded the first St. Paul's Cathedral, traditionally said to be on
the site of an old Roman Temple of Diana (although Christopher Wren found no evidence of this). It
would have only been a modest church at first and may well have been destroyed after he was
expelled from the city by Saeberht's pagan successors.
The permanent establishment of Christianity in the East Saxon kingdom took place in the reign of
King Sigeberht II in the 650s. During the 8th century, the kingdom of Merciaextended its dominance
over south-eastern England, initially through overlordship which at times developed into outright
annexation. London seems to have come under direct Mercian control in the 730s.
