Londinium – The Roman London
It is impossible to make a minimal comparison between early London and today’s London. However, we can place it on the banks of the Thames, north of London Bridge and about six meters below the current street level. There, we can find the first origins of Roman London. You cannot imagine how the English capital has changed in these two thousand years of history.
However, it is curious how some of the houses that were built in this area of London were built on the old foundations of Roman London. That is why a city like this must be known from its earliest years.
The Celtics, and the birth of the Westminster area
It is believed that before the arrival of the Romans to London, which was for them the old Londinum, small Celtic tribes lived here, but little else. Unfortunately, there are no archaeological traces today to attest to this. It is said that the only thing before London that is really known is its name, as it seems to come from a Celtic word, plowonidonjon, which means where the gold flows.
Back in 55 B.C. the first Roman incursions into the lands of Britain took place, which were executed by the emperor and brilliant strategist Julius Caesar, while fighting for the annexation of the Gauls to Rome. But there was no definitive conquest of Britain, only a change in the balance of powers ruling the island, when the only opponent to the Roman presence, King Casivelono, was betrayed by Mandubratius (regent of the Trinovantes), being forced not to return to conflict with one or the other.
For almost a century new attempts to invade Britain were prepared in Rome, although they remained merely in the plans since none were carried out, none until Claudius decided to carry it out in the year 43 B.C., when the Romans truly arrived to Britain.
And of course, they were not received with much cordiality. The tribes of the area wanted to defend themselves against the invasion, even reaching the grounds of what would today be the city of London. But at that time the capital of Britain was Colchester.
Before entering Colchester, the Romans had to set up camp to wait for the Emperor Claudius, who was traveling at the time from Rome to Britain to participate in the invasion. Claudius forced the Britons to retreat to the north bank of the Thames, and consolidated his position by building a fort from which to control the south of the island. This fort was approximately where Southwark is today, and bore the name Londinium, including a bridge over the river that allowed and facilitated access for troops and goods.
It is believed that this is how the first settlement in the city of London came about, and that bridge over the Thames in what is now the Westminster area.
Boadicea’s Rebellion and Roman Resurgence
But the fate of Londinium was sealed in the year 60 due to the barbaric customs of Emperor Nero, who found no better way to demand the payment of taxes from Queen Boadicea than to whip her naked in public and force her to watch as legionaries forced her two daughters. The queen managed to gather about one hundred thousand men, women and even children, with the intention of ending the Roman presence in Britain.
Upon their arrival at Londinium, the Roman troops, aware of this movement and the fact that they could not defend the place, had already abandoned the fortification, leaving the city it guarded at the mercy of fate. As you can see, London, that Londinum, had in its origins hardly any military component. Especially because, upon the arrival of Emperor Claudius, the Roman troops abandoned the place, leaving only a few relatives who wanted to take advantage of the farmland along the Thames.
Because of this, Boadicea’s army did not find much resistance when it came to ravaging the city and then setting it on fire, as evidenced by the layer of red ash that has been found in the excavations of the site.
But this situation did not last long, the Romans retook the place a year later, with an army inferior in number to that of Boadicea, but much better versed in combat. After being defeated, the queen was forced to flee so as not to end up humiliated in the streets of Rome or serving as entertainment in the circus, the fates that the emperors used to save for the rebels.
A few years after the Roman invasion of Britain it was concluded that a constant Roman presence in the area was important to maintain control. It was precisely the moment when they observed that the strategic and geographical location of Londinum was very interesting to have under control the province of Britannia. In addition, they could take advantage of the passage of traders along the Thames. This is how the city of London began to emerge and grow.
After this episode, the city was rebuilt and entered a period of prosperity, and was further fortified, building walls around the settlement that left more space than necessary, possibly for future expansions. Its influence was growing, partly due also to the strategic location of its river port, which made it the favorite to be the capital of Roman rule in Britain, an honor that until then held the city of Camulodumun.
The Decline of the Roman Empire
With the advent of the decline of the Roman Empire, the capital of Britain went through an uncertain period of occupations, forced independence and isolation from the imperial capital.
Evidently, Londinium experienced a contraction in both size and population during the latter part of the 2nd century AD. The precise cause remains elusive, though prevailing historical consensus leans towards attributing this decline to the Antonine Plague, a rampant affliction afflicting mainland Europe during that period.
Several years later, Roman military forces orchestrated a campaign that effectively reclaimed Britain in 296 AD. This endeavor included a clash between Roman legionaries and Allecuts’ forces within Londinium, further exacerbating the state of a city already undergoing a period of moderate decline. The subsequent administrative reshuffling of the island further diminished the city’s significance.
The Decline of Romans in Londinium
Come the 4th century AD, Londinium, and the broader province of Britannia, saw a decline in importance as the Roman Empire grappled with more immediate issues in different regions. The rise of so-called barbarian tribes—like the Gaels, Picts, and Saxons—posed an escalating challenge on the island.
By the onset of the 5th century AD, the Roman presence in Londinium had dwindled considerably. Between 407 AD and 409 AD, Gaulic warriors seized substantial territories encompassing present-day Spain and France, creating a rift between Rome and its colonies in Britain. This rupture severely disrupted trade, significantly diminishing Londinium’s significance within the Roman Empire.
Around 410 AD, Emperor Constantine III recalled all Roman legionaries from the island and instructed the Britons to fend for their own defense, signifying the formal end of Roman influence in Londinium.
By the 450s AD, large-scale invasions were underway, laying the foundation for Anglo-Saxon Britain. In response to these incursions, many Britons sought refuge in Londinium, yet the city’s fate remained uncertain. By the beginning of the 6th century AD, Londinium lay in ruins and was largely abandoned. The Anglo-Saxons established a new settlement called Lundenwic nearby, supplanting Londinium and marking the conclusion of the era commonly referred to as Roman Britain, ushering in the Heptarchic period of English history.
Nevertheless, London exhibited resilience, bouncing back relatively swiftly. By 680 AD, the city had once again assumed prominence as a vital port town.
