Californian Reacts | London, England's MEGACITY: The Empire Capital

London, a true Megacity!

Additional History:
The city of London was founded by the Romans and their rule extended from 43 AD to the fifth century AD, when the Empire fell. During the third century, Londinium, the name given to the town by the Romans, had a population of 50,000, mainly due to the influence of its major port.

As a consequence of repeated Anglo-Saxon invasions during the fifth century, Londinium declined and during the eighth century it became the capital of the Kingdom of Essex.

During the ninth century, the town suffered numerous Viking attacks. As a consequence, Danish settlers established themselves in the area, encouraging trade and opening businesses in the town, transforming it into the first urban centre of England. The town’s wealth and power attracted the Danish Great Heathen Army, which besieged the city until it was captured by King Alfred the Great in 886.

In 1067, following the Norman invasion and conquering of England, the city's existing rights, laws and privileges were established by the newly crowned King of England, William Duke of Normandy. The Tower of London was built during William's reign.

In 1199, King John reinforced the city's self-government, and in 1215 the city could elect a different mayor every year.

For many years, England had no capital city. However, the institutions of central government were moved to Westminster, close to London. This and the rise of trade in the area were two decisive factors in London's emergence as the capital of England.

An ever-growing city
During the fourteenth century, London’s port became a European hub for the distribution of goods. This activity was strengthened during the fifteenth century thanks to its relevant textile industry.

From the sixteenth to mid-seventeenth century, London benefited from the centralized politics and the maritime trade expansion developed by the Tudors and continued by the Stuarts. During Henry VIII’s reign London had 100,000 inhabitants. In mid-seventeenth century it had over 500,000.

In 1665, the city was still held inside the ancient walls although large-scale urban planning had already started. The population’s poor living conditions were responsible for the Great Plague, killing 70,000 people, and the following year, a huge fire burnt down most of the city. The reconstruction of London, based on the area we now call "The City", took over 10 years to finish. The architect Christopher Wren’s masterpieces such as St. Paul’s Cathedral increased the appeal of London, and thus the capital became the centre of English social life with palaces, halls, theatres, societies (Royal Society, 1662) and museums (British Museum, 1753).

London continued to grow thanks to the foundation of the Bank of England in 1694. It was the second central bank in the world, rapidly following the Swedish Sveriges Riksbank, and arguably the most successful: it provided the financial flexibility which would be the foundation of the empire's power and whose vestiges can be seen today in London's preeminence as a financial centre.

Most of current London is from the Victorian period. Up until the early years of the nineteenth century, the capital was confined to the boundaries of the original Roman city, as well as Westminster and Mayfair, and was surrounded by fields. Be that as it may, the Industrial Revolution drew millions of people to London, expanding the city. However, the overcrowded conditions led to grave problems like the 1832 cholera epidemics, or the great stink of 1858, an event that took place during the hottest months of the summer, exacerbating the smell of the sewers that were dumped in the River Thames, which led to the suspension of the parliamentary sessions.

From 1750, the population increased from 700,000 to over 4,500,000 in 1901 (6,600,000 if we include the suburban areas). At the end of the nineteenth century, London had become a major international trade and finance capital.

The administrative needs of a city with so much commercial activity led the creation of a new autonomous territorial unit in 1888, the County of London, ruled by the "London county council". This county was divided into twenty-nine electoral units (the city and 28 metropolitan boroughs), but the progressive expansion soon overflowed outside the county boundaries to the suburban areas. After a steady period, the population of the capital began to decline at the end of World War I and fell below 3.5 million by 1950. In contrast, the suburban area grew steadily.

In 1963 a new division of London was made, comprising the old town and 32 metropolitan boroughs, and these are the divisions which can be seen today.

[heartofoak]

In my earlier years living in London with my new partner from 1975-80. I found it a vibrant inexhaustible city and enjoyed every moment. I returned to the North of England but never forgot those heady days of the 70s. I am now well into my 70s and my beloved partner passed away two years ago but that London period and the people we met still hold a special memory.

[TheDailyConversation]

I'm happy to hear you learned quite a few facts about London, I definitely did while making it. I also appreciate how you "reacted" a lot more than most of these types of channels by pausing the video to speak and occasionally bringing up your own info on screen. I would say - as an independent creator - I'd like to see you more overtly crediting the maker of these videos with a clear linkback to the original piece and an onscreen credit. Anyway, thanks for engaging with my content. Cheers!

[ANewReality]

I was born in London and lived here most of my life and still I found that video really interesting so thanks for sharing it. It is indeed a great city and I feel lucky to be part of it.

[derekdelboytrotter]

If you want to see an old battleship, Nelsons ships HMS Victory is docked in Portsmouth that you can go on and take tours of

[peterd]

The Palace of Westminster renovation will, depending on the plan chosen, take between 12 and 76 years at a cost of up to £22 billion ($26 billion). It's a UN World Heritage site so, even though the buildings aren't that old (it was built as a copy of architecture from centuries before but it's only 147 years old), the UK has to maintain the Palace or suffer the shame of losing that status. The two oldest buildings on the estate are Westminster Abbey and Westminster Hall which were left untouched by the fire of 1834 and both have parts which are over 900 years old.

[carolineskipper]

Great Fire of London: The official death toll is 6 (six). It is entirely likely that this is lower than the exact figure- but the video's claim that it was thousands is ridiculous! The fire didn't explode across the city like something out of a disaster movie. It spread relentlessly - but not at such a speed that people couldn't get away. Thousands lost their homes and most of their belongings - but not their lives! It also didn't destroy the entire city- it was about 1/3 of the total.

[Sophie.S..]

King Charles II and his brother James personally helped with putting out the fire at some risk to themselves. Afterwards Charles made a law that all dwellings in London were to be made of either brick or stone (not wood as had often been the custom previously).

[stephenlee]

I think the scaffolding of 'Big Ben' (Elizabeth Tower) has gone.

[philbaker]

The scaffolding was for Restoration not construction

[stevenwinteruk]

Excellent video. I have lived in London for most of my life and live iin central London near Vauxhall. I think those of us who live here take it for granted and sometimes don't realize what we have.

[astoriacub]

London is fantastic, I've spent a bit of time visiting over the past few years. There is SO much to do and see there and day trips out of London are really easy to do via train.

[def_not_dan]

I was always taught that the Romans didn't found Londinium, there was already a settlement there when the Romans showed up.

[kw]

I live in North Wales and I love visiting London for all the reasons you talk about. Looking forward to my next visit, just wish it wasn't so bloody expensive.

[billybobobenner]

A very interesting video and I appreciate your take as an American. A small point, and not to nitpick, however at 14:56 the narrator of the video you are observing says "The newly crowned Charles III". I know what he meant and he is King by virtue of his Mother dying, but he will not be crowned until 6th May 2023. Thanks again for this. 🙂

[victorcapel]

I don't know about the claim that problems with assimilation and housing costs in London contributed to the Brexit vote, seeing as London voted overwhelmingly to stay in the European Union. The votes to leave came from rural England, where those problems are way, way far less previlent.

[dasReAlvloc]

London is a lovely place but it not the only lovely place in UK

[deepee]

I have lived and worked in London most of my life and found it to be a wonderful city compared to all other cities that I have visited. The main thing about London it is not BORING. OOps, one other city that compares to London that is not boring is Istanbul but it is much smaller

[t.a.k.palfrey]

You mentioned in your intro that London was an example of urban sprawl. London has an area of 590 sq miles. Los Angles is 502 sq miles. London has 9 million people. LA has 3.8 million.

[sepez]

I have never heard the word plague pronounced 'plag' before

[lesmartin]

The Big Smoke finest town in the cosmos