The formation of London

 

London began as the Roman town of Londinium, founded around 47–50 CE on the north bank of the Thames as a strategic trading and administrative centre. [1][2] Over time it declined after Roman rule, revived under the Anglo‑Saxons, and gradually evolved into England’s political capital in the medieval period. [1][3]

Roman Londinium

- The Romans established Londinium soon after their conquest of Britain, building a bridge over the Thames and laying out a planned town with streets, forum, and river port. [1][3][2]

- In the 2nd century, Londinium was enclosed by a substantial defensive wall and functioned as the province’s main commercial centre. [4][2]

Post‑Roman and Anglo‑Saxon phases

- After Roman withdrawal in the early 5th century, the town’s population and structures declined, though the defensive walls remained a landmark. [1][5]

- From the 7th century, an Anglo‑Saxon settlement grew nearby (often called Lundenwic), and by the 9th–10th centuries the old walled area (Lundenburh) was reoccupied and fortified against Viking attacks, restoring London as a major trading and political hub. [3][5][6]

Medieval capital and later growth

- By the 11th–12th centuries, especially after the Norman Conquest of 1066, London had effectively become the principal city of the English kingdom, with Westminster developing as the royal and governmental centre. [4][1]

- In the later medieval and early modern periods, London expanded beyond the old walls into suburbs, becoming the dominant financial, commercial, and cultural centre of England, and later of Britain’s global empire. [1][3][7]

Citations:

[1] History of England https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_England

[2] England https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/England

[3] The Development of England https://historyguild.org/the-development-of-england/

[4] Kingdom of England https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_England

[5] History of Anglo-Saxon England - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Anglo-Saxon_England

[6] How The Anglo-Saxons Created England - History Insights https://historyinsights.com/how-the-anglo-saxons-created-england/

[7] United Kingdom | History, Population, Map, Flag, Capital, & Facts https://www.britannica.com/place/United-Kingdom