The city of London has a history that dates back to over 2000 years. This ancient city has experienced devastating events like the plague, fire, civil war, onslaught and terrorist attacks. The Black Plague spread in Europe in the late 1340’s and is believed to have killed nearly two- thirds of Europe’s population. The Historia Regum Britanniae written by Geoffrey of Monmouth says that this city was founded by Brutus of Troy. An overview of pre- historic London is given by Geoffrey in the book where he talks about all the legendary kings and especially about King Lud, who renamed the city CaerLudein (after it was named Caer Troia by Brutus of Troy). In prehistoric times London was almost a rural area and archaelogical finds suggest that the area was quite important.
In the Norman and Medieval period, a great event in English history took place in the form of the crowning of William the Conqueror. The king developed cordial relations with his citizens by granting them various privileges while he built a castle in the south east corner of the city. This castle was expanded by kings who succeeded William the Conqueror and is actually what we now know as the Tower of London. During the time of William the Conqueror’s reign England saw the construction of the Westminster Hall and also witnessed the growth of the city of London in terms of trade and commerce.
The late 16th century witnessed the famed defeat of the Spanish Armada and the early 17th century saw James VI of Scotland take to the thrown, his enactment of rigid laws and the failed assassination attempt on him- the famous Gunpowder Plot. The late 17th century bore truth of the Great Plague and the Great Fire of London.
London rose as a city only in the 18th century and it was the world’s largest city from 1831 to 1925. The city rapidly grew and so grew the problems around it like rising traffic congestion, the reason behind the creation of the London Underground, the world’s first metro system. The other major happening in the history of London is the Blitz that took the city off guard during World War II. This event lasted from 7 September 1940 to 10 May 1941 that resulted in the death of nearly 45, 000 civilians and the destruction of millions of houses.
After World War II the city of London has come a long way culturally and racially since large scale immigration from the Commonwealth countries took place. Though there were communal hitches like the Brixton Riot, the intermingling among immigrants here was better than anywhere else.
From the 1980’s London has managed to get recognized again as a major international center courtesy an economic revival that took place. Despite problems like the terrorist attacks on 7 July 2005, London has managed to bounce back bravely. London is yet to be honored by another historical event that is about to take place in 2012 in the form of the Summer Olympics.
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