Birth of Modern Europe

Mr. Meyers

Daniel Berger

Unit II

5/17/2004

Paper

The Unstable History of London

By tracing the political history of London from its Roman beginnings through the end of the Georgian period, London’s security is brought into serious question. The city seemingly changed hands every century; it would not become secure from invaders or internal threats until the people were given rights and the city’s facilities modernized. London emerged as a modern city only when it reached a political safe-haven by appeasing its citizens’ demands.

The Roman beginnings of London can be traced back to 43 AD, during the invasion of Aulus Plautius. His invasion was first stalled at the Thames River, where a bridge was built; surrounding this bridge was the town of Londinium, which quickly emerged as a trading center for goods passing through the Thames. The of many rebellions involving London occurred only 18 years after the Romans arrived, when the Queen of East Anglia launched a rebellion that failed, killing thousands of London’s first citizens and destroying all of the new city. London was quickly rebuilt; by approximately 150 AD Londinium had the largest basilica west of the Alps, a governor’s palace, a temple, bathhouses, and a large fort; it was of increasing influence. As the Roman Empire deteriorated, Londinium’s guards were removed and the city went into a few centuries’ of decline, featuring political instability.

London’s trade returned approximately in the 7^th Century; by the 9^th Century London was a prosperous trade center. In year 851, London was attacked by the Danes and once again burnt to the ground. The next hundred years featured large turmoil; English, Danish, and Norman Kings all ruled London within this span. In 1014 a group of Anglo Saxons and Vikings sailed up the Thames and attacked London; three years later a Danish King, Cnut, came to power by uniting the Danes with the Anglo Saxons, thus increasing commerce. London became a solely Anglo-Saxon town under Edward the Confessor, a largely influential Frenchman.

William the Conqueror, after finishing his attack of England following the Battle of Hastings, was named King Christmas Day 1066. His reign was short lived; no dynasty was formed as the heirs to the throne, Stephen and Maud, argued much ultimately forcing Maud into exile. In 1191 Richard I granted Londoners the right of self-government, and allowed a mayor of London. The peasants revolted in Wat Tyler’s Peasant Revolt of 138, in which the major claims were aimed at Richard II’s advisors as houses were looted throughout London. Wat Tyler was ultimately murdered by the Major of London.

In 1461, Edward IV took the throne, and assembled a new government. This government included a Mayor and a council elected by the merchants. The merchants effectively ran the city, controlling trade; each set of Merchants, known as a guild, had their own coat of arms. During the 16^th Century, Henry VII took control of London, and the population tripled in the next hundred years. Despite the relative political and social security of the Tudor period, they lost power in the 17^th Century to the Stuarts.

The Stuarts reign in England was started by a rebellion; they planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament when the new building opened on November 5, 1605, but their plan was foiled. Charles I took the throne in 1637; the monarchy was restored back to Charles II in 1660; riots ensued throughout London; the Stuart period was marked by two major catastrophes; The Great Plague in 1665 and the Great Fire, a 4 day fire that destroyed much of London's infrastructure.

The Georgian period began in 1714, as Kind George took over the crown. Human Rights were increased in 1780 as an act of Parliament; The Gordon riots, in which 285 people were killed, ensued due to the improved civil rights of Roman Catholics. The Victorian period of London then continued.

In the Victorian period, the civil rights of the Georgian period were still present sewage pipes were modernized, which aided the stopping of cholera outbreaks. Despite the rocky beginnings of Queen Victoria’s ascension to the throne in 1855, her rule was marked by England’s supremacy in the world as a political and economic power. She managed to quell the people by repealing the Corn Laws, winning the Crimean War, and managed to keep the people of London happy and patriotic.

Despite London’s long-term political instability, England as a whole became far more secure and stable after the demands of the people began to be met. Over the past 200 years, the countries that have failed have been the countries that do not meet the needs of their citizens; Gandhi and his rebellion in India, for instance, is a perfect example of this situation. The citizens’ needs were not met, and slowly but surely Great Britain began to lose control over its citizens. As civilization progresses and the urge to seek peace has become an international and worldwide goal, the urge to conquer through greed has become an antiquated one; those who seek to conquer solely for Greed have routinely lost. London, unlike Paris and Vienna, has managed to stay in the control of a single ruler because it realized early on that the happiness of its citizens was the best way to stay intact. London realized that it needed to reform earlier rather than later, and its development of its Representative Monarchy is indicative of this knowledge.

Bibliography

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Chuchill, Winston S. A History of the English Speaking Peoples, Volume IV: The Great Democracies. New York, Dodd, Mead & Company. 1958.

Sullivan, Richard E. A Short History of Western Civilization. New York. McGraw-Hill. 1994.

Willcox, William B., Arnstein, Walter L. The Age of Aristocracy: 1688-1830. Lexington, Massachusetts. D.C. Heath and Company. 1983.

author’s last name, first name. book title in italics, place of publication, publisher, date of publication.