The Romans founded London in AD 50, bringing people and goods from all over Europe to the new port. Native British people adopted the Roman lifestyle and lived alongside Roman administrators, soldiers, merchants and slaves.
The Romans quit London in 410, leaving the town vulnerable to Anglo Saxon invaders.
The Romans established the first city of London around AD 50 and a thriving port developed supplying goods to Britain from the Roman empire.
The earliest Londoners also came from all over the empire. They included soldiers, government officials, merchants quick to see the potential of new markets, craftworkers with new skills, and slaves.
For the first 150 years, military staff were recruited from outside Britain, as Roman policy was against stationing soldiers in their country of origin.
Roman officials in London included Gaius Julius Classicanus from Germany. He was sent by the Emperor Nero to resolve the situation arising from Boudicca’s rebellion in AD 60, when she marched on London and burned down the city.
Throughout the empire, Romans encouraged talented people from the populations they conquered to apply for positions in their army and civil service. The most ambitious and best educated British people were employed in Roman institutions and adopted Roman cultural and religious practices.
The inscriptions and graffiti Roman Londoners left behind show that some inhabitants came originally from modern day Italy, France, Germany and Greece. People from other parts of the empire, such as Spain and North Africa, may also have lived in the city.
The Roman administration officially withdrew from Britain in 410, as the Roman empire was beginning to collapse.
In the 4th and early 5th centuries, the rulers of Britain employed foreign mercenaries to protect the country from raiders. These mercenaries rebelled, leaving the way open for their fellow Anglo-Saxons to invade and settle London.
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