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Jessica C.
Birth of Modern Europe- London (D-band)
The Economic History of London: From Roman Times to 1830
Though a few small prehistoric settlements existed in the area previously, modern London's history truly began with the Holy Roman Empire's invasion of Britain in 43 AD. After briefly traveling along the Kentish Coast, the Romans came to the London region by way of the Thames River. They found that the Thames, due to it's depth, was an ideal place for the berthing of ships and designated the area as their military headquarters in Britain. The Romans then began to construct a small city, complete with the first permanent London Bridge (constructed of wood and placed just a little bit east of where the present London Bridge stands today), an organized street grid, and a road system which made London, or Londinium as it was then called, it's focal point. Though the original intent was to create a purely military settlement, people from farmsteads and other settlements nearby began to travel to and settle in Londinium- most likely seeking Roman protection from various migrant tribes who frequently robbed and attacked those settlements they came across in their travels.
Thanks in large part to these settlers, trade and commerce began to flourish in Londinium until life was disrupted by revolts against the Romans. The Iceni Tribe, lead by the powerful Queen Boudicca, resented the Roman's presence in their territory. They spent almost a decade preparing for the attack and waiting for the right moment to strike. When in 60 AD, the majority of the Roman troops (even the governor of Londinium himself) left the city to fight off the Druids in North Wales the Iceni saw their chance and attacked. The Roman governor, Suetonius Paulinius attempted to return to save the city but saw the size of Queen Boudicca's army and decided to evacuate it instead. Those that were not able to escape were massacred and brutalized by the Icenis, who remained in control of Londinium until they lost interest and moved on. The Roman Army moved right back in, but the civilian population took years to reach the size that it had once been.
The Dark Ages brought about the decline of Early London, largely caused by the decline of the Roman Empire and Emperor Honorius' choosing to renounce his control over the Empire's British Provinces. This left the fate of London up to it's non-Roman inhabitants and the city certainly did not fair well. Throughout the Dark Ages the population of London drastically declined, trade and all commercial activity (with the exception of the slave trade) virtually ceased.
It was Anglo-Saxon settlers, who began to settle in Britain in around 450 BC, that pulled the city out of it's slump. At this time, London became part of the Kingdom of the East Saxons and under the direct rule of various different Essex overlords. These Kings of Mercia, Wessex, Kent, etc. all recognized the strategic and geographical importance of London and frequently fought with one another in order to have the privilege of controlling it. Due in part to it's constantly changing management, the set-up of London began to change. The linear street-grids that had been built by the Romans disappeared and London citizens began to move outside the walls that had been in place since the time of the Romans. Christianity was introduced into the city and large churches (St. Paul's Cathedral was the first) were built, causing massive influxes of pilgrims. The constant arrival of waves and waves of pilgrims allowed for trade to flourish and by the 640's a large (and ever-growing) trading settlement had developed in the area that is now the Strand and Charing Cross. London's trade was further benefited by the city's location on the boundaries of several different kingdoms, and therefore it's exemption from some of the trade regulations that existed at the time. By the 670's, London had become a bustling port and a center for European trade. Foreign ships sailed easily into the Thames, as the Roman-built London Bridge was now in ruins. As further evidence of London's vigorous international trade, archaeologists digging in London have frequently found French and German ware, such as pottery and millstones, dating back to this time.
In 842 AD and again in 851, Viking Raiders attacked London. The inhabitants of London fought back as hard as they could, but the Vikings eventually took London in 871. Trade was certainly halted by this, as the Vikings did not allow normal daily life to during their stay. Fortunately for London's economy, King Alfred the Great became the King of Britain in 878 AD and he was able to displace the Vikings. After the Vikings had retreated, King Alfred began a reconstruction and fortification campaign in London. He re-established the city (now called Lundenburg) within the old city walls and incorporated it into a newly formed system of defensive burghs, which he had strategically placed throughout England. He had the ditch re-cut, the city walls repaired, and constructed a South-Werk to protect the ferry crossing. When all this work was done Kind Alfred handed the city over to Ealdorman Aethelred of Mercia, under whom London slowly began to continue living their lives as they had before the invasion of the Vikings.
When Aethelred died in 1911, London officially came under the direct control of the British monarchy. But at this time, the monarchy did not try to regulate or control the economy of London. As a result of the monarchy's lax policies, London quickly became the center of British commerce. By the 920's the city boasted eight moneyers, a bustling port, a huge (and exotic) international trade market, and a high population of skilled craftsmen.
Due to the wealth of the city and it's citizens as a result of this trade, London began to have greater political power than ever before. Besides the fact that quite a few buildings essential to the government lay within it's walls, the people of London had the power to make or break a politician; or even a king. They had been given this power as a result of King Henry I's charter, which generously gave Londoners many privileges-- the ability to elect their own sheriff being one of them. This privilege was completely unique to London; no other place in Great Britain was allowed this sort of freedom.
In Medieval times, trade in London was revolutionized once again. While international trade was still very important to the British economy, trade between regions within the country began to flourish. Regulations allowing non-Londoners to come to the city in order to sell produce from their farms and the creation of outdoor markets, such as the Smithfield Market (which still exists today) benefited both farmers and city-dwellers. In addition, the number of skilled craftsmen, both British-born and foreign, within the city doubled during the 1100s. In order to compensate for this, a highly complex system of craftsmen guilds began to develop.
These guilds had a positive effect of the lives of urban craftsmen; it ensured decent pay and helped to get rid of the cutthroat competition that had previously dominated the profession.
The Tudor dynasty, which began with Henry VII and ended with Queen Elizabeth I, began as chaos but ended in a period of calm, peace, and prosperity for the people of Great Britain. It was during the Tudor family's reign that the cloth-making industry in England prospered, making the building of brand new wharves in London necessary. In addition to needing space for arriving foreign boats to land in the ports of London, British boats needed to be able to stay and wait for their hulls to be loaded with British goods bound for other European countries and colonies of the expanding British Empire. In addition, more loading docks and storage warehouses were built which in turn forced residential areas to be demolished to make way for these structures. The people displaced more often than not were poor and had a difficult time finding new homes that they could afford. Overcrowding-- particularly in slums-- became a huge problem, worsened by horrible sanitary conditions and disease.
The 1603 accession of King James VI of Scotland to the British throne lead to an increase in the amount of Scottish citizens coming to England, and London in particular, in search of jobs. This influx of Scottish immigrants put a great strain on the already heavily overcrowded city of London. The King tried to remedy this by applying Inigo Jones' city planning tactics to London but the majority of Jones' plans, for example the construction of Lincoln Inn's Fields, were interrupted by the Civil War.
The Civil War broke out largely due to the trade restrictions that King Charles I imposed upon England, which were extremely unpopular with merchants and many others. The majority of London citizens, because they felt these laws were incredibly unjust, heavily supported giving Parliament more power in order to keep the King in check-- and possibly get rid of his trade restrictions. The King refused to give up any of his power and eventually had to flee London. When King Charles finally returned, it was for his own execution.
The period following the execution of Charles I, known as the Cromwellian Period, is characterized by an influx of Jews into the city of London. The majority of these Jews came from Spain and were highly skilled in a number of different fields. They had a positive affect on the economy of London; many became successful merchants and craftsmen.
The Great Fire of London (in September of 1666) and the return of the Black Death, both of which occurred during the reign of King Charles II, had a severe and lasting impact on the city. The fire left only a fifth of London standing while the plague left 68,000 Londoners dead. The citizens of London spent an enormous amount of time and energy rebuilding their city but in the end, London was never the same. It was still the financial and commercial center of England, but now many people were reluctant to live within the city limits. The upper-class was particularly eager to make the move to the suburbs. Many feared that a mass exodus out of London would cause huge problems for the average shopkeeper but in the end, buisness continued as usual. In addition the actual physical appearance changed drastically as new building regulations banned wooden houses and thatched roofs.
The beginning of the 19th century brought about a series of events which almost made Londoners forget the losses endured due to the Great Fire and the plague. The 1805 victory of Admiral Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar made the superiority of Britain's naval fleet over all others in Europe crystal clear to the entire world and invoked an infectious sense of national pride and confidence in the people of Great Britain. The printing presses came into heavy use, creating jobs, and large-scale tram systems and railways were constructed. These railways and trams not only made travel easier and more affordable but enhanced the efficiency of trade. It was now easier to transport goods from and to far away places then ever before. Around the same time, factories began to emerge throughout the country. No longer was industry based entirely within the small workshop, now it was something done in a huge factory, with heavy machinery, and in most cases outside of the actual city of London.
However, there were two sides to industrialization. Workers within factories were often horribly exploited; paid very little, forced to work in unsanitary, unsafe, or even life-threatening conditions, and hardly given any time off. Officials and legislators struggled to deal with this worsening problem, while at the same time trying to deal with rising crime rates and widespread poverty.
Sources: Burrell, Roy "The Oxford Children's History Volume 1: Earliest Times to the Last Stuarts"
The Oxford University Press, Oxford, England Copyright 1992
http://britannia.com/history/londonhistory
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