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Roman London: A brief history
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London began as a Roman settlement around AD50
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After invading Britain in AD43, the Romans strengthened their position. They made Colchester, a British tribal centre, their capital. Then, seven years later, they started to build a new settlement - London.
The first London lasted little more than ten years. It spanned both sides of the river Thames. The largest sea-going ships could reach it, making it an excellent centre for trade with the rest of the Roman Empire. It seems probable that once the army had established a crossing point, foreign merchants, traders and land speculators moved into the area. Local people, displaced by the invasion, must also have been enticed by the opportunities the new settlement offered.
The town that grew up was named Londinium by the Romans. The word is partly pre-Roman in origin and may have been derived from the original British placename.
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After the destruction of the first London during Queen Boudica's revolt in AD60, the Roman emperor Nero sent Julius Classicianus, a civilian administrator ('procurator') to work alongside the military governor to re-establish peace in Britannia.
London was rebuilt as a planned Roman town, boasting major public buildings and administrative centres north and south of the river. The new town rapidly expanded and by AD100 replaced Colchester as capital of the province of Britannia.
By AD122, when the Emperor Hadrian visited Britain, and probably London, both the Roman Empire and Londinium were at their height. But, by the 3rd century AD, political instability and economic recession were to cause London to decline. Whole areas of the city were dismantled and not redeveloped.
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The 3rd century was one of international uncertainty and worsening inflation. Many troops stationed in Britain were withdrawn to fight in Europe. Political unrest led Britain and Spain to declare an independent Gallic Empire in AD 259-74, but this probably had little effect on the daily life of the provinces.
From about AD200 London was no longer the only capital city in Britain, although as capital of Upper Britain, it remained the administrative and commercial centre. A wealthy community continued to prosper in London, although the cost of public building programmes became more burdensome to a decreasing population.
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General political upheaval and attacks by barbarian pirates led Britain to break from the empire again in AD286. But, after ten years of British home-rule, Roman troops re-established the empire's authority. The systematic demolition of London's major public buildings early in the 4th century may have been a punishment for the rebellion.
London was now capital of one of the four provinces in Britain. It remained the financial centre for the whole country, at times minting coins. Its link with the Empire's central administration was further strengthened with the removal of local government powers by central government.
London was granted the honorary title of 'Augusta' in the mid-4th century. Work on the defences continued. Both settlements - north and south of the river - were getting smaller, but they still contained wealthy private houses and public buildings. Evidence from the cemetery areas testifies to continued prosperity
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Over the years, soldiers were repeatedly withdrawn from Britain. The last remaining troops were recalled by Emperor Constantine III in AD407 to deal with barbarian invasions in France. In AD410 Britain sent an appeal for further troops to the Emperor Honorius, but he refused and suggested that the British towns organise their own militias. This marked the end of official Roman rule.
By the end of the 4th century, London's southern settlement had been abandoned. On the northern side, large parts of the city inside the wall had been cleared of buildings and the sites covered with layers of dark grey soil. It is uncertain whether this earth was used for gardens or fields, or was wasteland. Houses remained in the south-east corner of the city, and some people were still living in London in the Roman style, still able to import luxuries.
By the mid-5th century the Roman settlement was empty. Londinium was a deserted ruin.
Jenny Hall
Department of Early London History and Collections, Museum of London
February 1996
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For more information...
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Visit the Roman London gallery in the Museum.
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