History History

If the city of London seems to have been inhabited from prehistoric times by Breton island peoples, interested in the proximity of the river, the first traces of settlements in the city date back to the year 43 and the Romans. They invaded Great Britain and built a camp, Londinium, on the banks of the Thames. They imagined a new network of roads and took advantage of the highly strategic geographical location to develop trade and commerce. But only 18 years after the founding of the city, in the year 60, Queen Boadicea, at the head of a Celtic tribe, rose up against the Romans, who had difficulty imposing their authority. It was the great revolt of the Bretons against the Roman occupiers. London is plundered, destroyed, burned... Quickly rebuilt, it becomes around 140 the capital of the Roman province of Brittany and replaces Colchester. In the year 200, it had 50,000 inhabitants and was already a major city. At that time, Londinium was burnt down again several times and the Romans built fortifications to protect it. They are still visible next to the Museum of London or the Tower of London.

The Romans were called upon to reinforce the continent to save the declining Empire, so they left the city. In the middle of the ^5th century, London was in ruins, the Roman camp was deserted... But new Saxon colonizers, who had come from Germany from the North Sea, quickly arrived on the banks of the Thames and seized London.

The Saxons established a new city, this time called Lundenwic, located 1km upstream from the Roman city. These Saxons from Germany, settled in Great Britain, will become what we now call the Anglo-Saxons. They develop this new culture and develop a language called "Englisc". It is the oldest stage in the history of the English language. The Thames offers guarantees of prosperity and makes it possible to establish important trade routes.

Catholicism also arrived in England, and the very first Saint Paul's Cathedral was built. It will be rebuilt five times over the centuries.

Between 841 and 851, the Scandinavian Vikings invaded London and pillaged it entirely. When they finally leave the city, London is still completely to be rebuilt.

Alfred the Great, the new king of England and the Anglo-Saxons, finally restored peace. It takes over London for good in the hands of the Scandinavian peoples and moves the city within the ancient Roman walls. At the same time, he decided to rename it Lundenburg. New wooden houses are being built, streets are being laid out...

This date marks both the fall of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and the beginning of the Norman conquest. The King of England, Edward the Confessor, dies without leaving any children. His brother-in-law Harold was to succeed him, but William, Duke of Normandy, landed in England to retake the throne. The Battle of Hastings takes place on October 14 and sees William the Conqueror triumph. He enters the city and is crowned in Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day. He then had a fortress built on the banks of the Thames on the site of the ancient Roman fortifications, now known as the Tower of London. It enabled him to establish his power, to impose respect on the English people and to watch over the river. The city is constantly growing and expanding. London is truly entering the Middle Ages.

Henry Fitz Ailwyn, a draper from London, is elected first Lord Mayor of the city. He is appointed during a troubled period between King Richard I and the City of London. Richard I increases taxes and raises a loan from London merchants to finance wars abroad. The merchants of London, in return, demanded more autonomy, materialized by the creation of the office of mayor and first citizen of the City. Henry Fitz Ailwyn will occupy this position until his death in 1212.

The first tragic tragedies hit London. The city is facing a major outbreak of bubonic plague, The Black Death. More than a third of the 50,000 inhabitants have been decimated by this disease that came straight from Asia. Thanks to London's flourishing trade and industries, it was still able to recover.

After years of chaotic reigns, the famous Tudors dynasty came to power with King Henry VII, who succeeded Richard III, the last of the Plantagenets. The Tudors will retain power for more than 100 years. With them, London gradually emerged from the Middle Ages to fully enter the flourishing Renaissance period. It was at this time that it became one of the largest cities in Europe.

The most emblematic figure of this Tudor dynasty, immortalized in a famous television series, is undoubtedly Henry VIII, founder of the Anglican Church, of which he proclaimed himself head in 1534. He then rose up against the Catholic Church and the Pope, who refused him his divorce from Catherine of Aragon. Henry VIII closed the monasteries and spread the ideas of the Reformation throughout the country. Henry VIII built several important palaces such as Hampton Court, Whitehall and Saint James. He is also famous for his six marriages. After his death, his only son Edward VI took power for a short period, soon replaced by Mary, daughter of Catherine of Aragon, a convinced Catholic. She is nicknamed "Mary the Bloody" because she relentlessly persecuted the Protestants in the country.

Elizabeth^I, daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, acceded to the throne. Anglican, cultured and multilingual, she was seen as the symbol of the English Renaissance. Elizabeth^I was the most influential monarch of the Tudor dynasty. Twelve years later, she founded the Royal Exchange, making London the center of European trade.

This important date marks what is known as the Powder Conspiracy: a failed attempt on the life of the King, James ^I of England, and the English Parliament. It was led by a group of English provincial Catholics, including Guy Fawkes, who was arrested just as he was about to set fire to 36 barrels of gunpowder placed under the Westminster Houses of Parliament. These Catholics were reproaching the Anglican king for his intolerance of them. From then on, every November 5, the effigy of Guy Fawkes was burned at the stake. This is accompanied by a fireworks display.

After the dismissal and execution of King Charles I following strong religious and political tensions, London experienced a short period of republican government, a rare event in its history. It's called the Commonwealth, it's led by Oliver Cromwell. Unfortunately, this regime quickly turned into a dictatorship: theatres were closed, music was banned, church windows were destroyed... Cromwell even required to melt the royal jewels. After the death of the leader Cromwell and a short period of anarchy, the monarchy was finally restored. But two other dramatic events will compromise London's prosperity...

In 1665, a new epidemic of bubonic plague decimated 20% of the population, or 100,000 people. The following year, just as the city was recovering from this terrible epidemic, it experienced the greatest catastrophe in its history: the terrible Great Fire. It started in a bakery on September 2, lasted almost five days, and reduced to ashes over 13,000 houses, then built of wood, and 87 churches. Hundreds of Londoners lost their homes, and St. Paul's Cathedral was destroyed. The city took ten years to rebuild. In February 1667, The Rebuilding Act was signed, specifying how London was to be renovated. The architect Sir Christopher Wren played a fundamental role in this renovation, drawing up plans for the new city and the new cathedral. After the disaster, London slowly recovered and continued to expand, becoming a more modern city: streets and squares were created, neighborhoods such as Soho, Mayfair and Marylebone emerged, and new bridges such as Westminster Bridge were built..

The coronation of the highly renowned Queen Victoria in 1837 marked the beginning of what would later be called the Victorian era. This was a key period in the history of the United Kingdom and London, one of the high points in the history of England. The Victorian era was a period of expansion and culmination for the British Empire, which went hand in hand with the Industrial Revolution. London was radically transformed during these years, becoming a true world city. Between 1801 and 1925, London even became the largest city in the world and its population increased dramatically, reaching more than 6 million at the end of the 19th century. The legacy of this period can still be seen everywhere in the streets of the capital. The city is constantly expanding and new infrastructure is constantly being created to cope with its rapid development. It was at this time that the world's first underground metro line was born, opened in 1863. TheUnderground, therefore, made it possible to connect central London quickly without having to destroy the city's historic buildings. London was transformed by the development of public transport. The London Transport Museum cleverly goes back in time to understand this tremendous metamorphosis. In 1843, a tunnel under the Thames was also built, a true technical feat. London in the 19th century was overcrowded, and living conditions were difficult for the poorer classes, particularly because of the famous Smog, a thick black smoke from the city's factories. Efforts were therefore made to improve daily life, which gradually changed the city: a sewage treatment system was built, lampposts were installed, streets were paved... In addition to these more technical transformations, Victorian architecture also gave the city its main material, red brick, as well as superb neo-Gothic buildings. The St Pancras train station is the most beautiful example. It was also during the reign of Queen Victoria that the famous Tower Bridge was built, which has now become a symbol of London. The characteristic Victorian houses with their small porches, bow windows and red bricks were developed. They are now emblematic of London living. Walking towards Kensington or Chelsea, you will discover some very beautiful examples. The word pub is also invented at that time, in the 1870s we even speak of "pub boom". Most of the pubs that populate the streets of London and that we still frequent today date back to those Victorian years. Victorian pubs are refined places with rich interiors with mahogany panelling and exotic woods. You will see a beautiful example of this reconstructed in the Museum of London. The Victorian era was a period of expansion in all fields and the arts were not forgotten. How could we not mention Victorian literature, which crowned the genre of the novel, as with Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist, narrating the lives of the poorest people in Victorian London, or the masterpieces of the Brontë sisters?

After the death of Queen Victoria in 1901, London fully entered the 20th century and also plunged into conflict. This was a historic turning point for the city, which also marked the end of the British Empire. During the First World War, the German Zeppelins dropped their bombs on London. After the war, the city was largely destroyed, but its population continued to grow, quickly reaching 9 million inhabitants.

The Second World War was even more tragic for London, which suffered the "Blitz" in September 1940. German bombs rained down on the city for almost two months, killing 50,000 civilians and disfiguring the cityscape. The few medieval buildings that had resisted the Great Fire were destroyed... The reconstruction is done in haste, in a soulless style. London is devastated.

But London is also the capital of the Resistance and Free Europe. Like General de Gaulle, many political and military personalities from the occupied countries join London. Thanks to the help of Winston Churchill, de Gaulle launched his appeal of 18 June on the famous BBC and invited the French to continue the fight.

In December 1952, London was hit by a rare episode of air pollution, caused by a mixture of industrial fumes and thick fog. The air was rendered unbreathable, resulting in the deaths of thousands of people.

A few years after the Second World War, Elizabeth II ascended the throne. It was the beginning of the longest and most popular reign in British history. His coronation, on June 2, 1953 in Westminster Abbey, was one of the first ceremonies to be broadcast on television, and was watched by more than 100 million television viewers.

The double deckers, emblematic bright red double-decker buses, are entering circulation to facilitate the movement of London's ever-growing population.

The 1960s arrived, called Swinging London, according to a phrase used by Time Magazine in 1966. It was at this time that London burst out on the musical and fashion scene, becoming the capital of pop culture. And this excitement will continue into the 1970s. The Beatles are an international success, Mary Quant imagines the miniskirt in a Chelsea store. We listen to the Kinks, the Small Faces, the Who or David Bowie....

After the musical effervescence comes the time of political rigour. Margaret Thatcher, an emblematic figure of the 20th century, was elected Prime Minister and nicknamed the Iron Lady. She transforms the economic landscape: the gap between rich and poor widens, companies are privatized... A social malaise sets in and gives rise to a series of riots in Brixton in 1981 and again in 1985. Margaret Thatcher's government abolished the Greater London Council, making it the only European capital without local government. It was also during this period that the bloody conflict between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland broke out, lasting more than three decades. Even in the face of the Republican prisoners' hunger strike, Margaret Thatcher remained inflexible and refused to compromise. The IRA (Irish Republican Army) then set the first bomb in front of the Harrods department store in central London, then detonated a bomb at the Grand Hotel in Brighton where Margaret Thatcher's Conservative party was meeting. She continues to refuse all discussions with armed groups. Numerous attacks took place throughout the 1990s, especially in 1992 and 1993, causing hundreds of millions of pounds of damage.

The 2000s marked the opening of the Tate Modern, the London Eye and the Millenium Bridge, many of which are now emblematic of the city's architecture. They give London its status as a living and avant-garde capital. Norman Foster is definitely the 20th century architect.

Another black year for London, hit by a wave of terrorist attacks on its underground and buses the day after the International Olympic Committee designated London for the 2012 Summer Games. On July 7, 2005, just under four years after the fatal attacks on the World Trade Center in the middle of rush hour, four explosions, almost simultaneously, in three subway trains and a bus killed 56 people and injured more than 700.

After hosting them in 1908 and 1948, London will host the Summer Olympics for the third time in July 2012. The organisation of these games cost the city nearly £9 billion, but it is also helping to revitalise East London, where the Olympic Village is located.

Sadiq Khan is elected Mayor of London in the face of Conservative Zac Goldsmith. It was the victory of the Labour Party, which won with more than 56.9% of the vote. Sadiq Khan is a child of immigrants, from a working class background. He is the first Muslim mayor in the history of the United Kingdom. Its objectives are simple: to fight against inequalities and precariousness.

Brexit is voted by the British on this historic day, in a referendum organized by David Cameron. The turnout is a record 72%. In the end, the Leave camp narrowly won with 51.9% of the vote. David Cameron announced his resignation on the day of the results. The situation is completely unprecedented: it is the first time in the history of Europe that a Member State leaves the Union. Less than a year after the vote, on 29 March 2017, Theresa May, then British Prime Minister, officially launched the process of leaving the European Union.

In October 2019, the UK requests a postponement of the Brexit date, in order to avoid a no-deal situation. Thus, the date is set for January 31, 2020. In order to strengthen his parliamentary majority and bring the Brexit to a successful conclusion, Boris Johnson calls for an early general election. This is the last chance for the British people to oppose Brexit. During the campaign, Labour, the Liberals, the Democrats and Scottish independence fight relentlessly to cancel the Brexit. Despite their best efforts, Boris Johnson and the Tories won the election hands down: the way was clear for Brexit. On January^1, 2020, the United Kingdom officially leaves the European Union. After this date, the country and the European Union continue their negotiations to establish the foundations of their future relationship, which is not without its difficulties. Negotiations last almost a year and are heavily impacted by the Covid-19 crisis, but finally, after much disagreement, a deal between London and Brussels is validated on December 24, 2020.

On May 6, 2021, Labour Party representative Sadiq Khan was re-elected as Mayor of London. In his second term, he pledges to make the city greener. Indeed, he wants London to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 - a real challenge for this highly polluted city. In addition, the mayor is committed to reducing inequality and poverty in the capital, and wants to launch the construction of 10,000 social housing units in the city, as well as more accommodation for the homeless. It remains to be seen what will be done in the coming years.

London is taking part in the celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee - 70 years of reign, the like of which has never been seen in the UK before.

The capital is inaugurating a new subway line, the Elizabeth Line, a sort of equivalent to our local RER, linking 100 km from Reading to Heathrow.

Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader Boris Johnson resigned in September 2022. Liz Truss was elected as his successor, but resigned in her turn in October. By making certain mistakes and wanting to go too fast with her economic reform, the government didn't want to follow her.

Since October 25, Rishi Sunak has been Prime Minister of Great Britain.

Queen Elizabeth II of England died on September 8, 2022 in Balmoral Castle, Scotland. She had acceded to the throne in 1952 at the age of 25, and died at the age of 96. Her 75-year reign was the longest of any monarch. Loved by all, the whole country was in mourning.

She was succeeded by her son Charles III, who became King of England at the age of 74.