12th Century London
A medieval city that was so a head
of its time London is a place that deserves to be appreciated. It was huge
compared to everyone else in the British Isles with a population of around
40,000 people (Bennett 160). It was the city where everything happened,
religious involvement and political involvement than in any other city. Such
as, 139 churches where the bell would go off every hour, where the people of London
had several different places to go (Bennett 160). Many of the religious officials
stayed in the city because of its great stature of a city. As well, the King
conducted a lot business there at his palace that was there (Bennett 160). London
was a city that was overly crowded with people. Luckily, they had a sewer
system of sorts and it was the only one in England at the time (Bennett 160). They
also had people to clean up the streets as well, which with all the animals and
people running around that would be a whole lot of crap to deal with ha-ha. The
buildings were mostly made of wood and had straw for roofs, and so that it was
a very much a fire safety issue (Bennett 160). Buildings and houses so close together
one building goes up they all go up. London, having all these different dangers
with safety and health the people of London were very proud of their city.
London
was a place that always had something going on almost like it was, the city that
never rested. The London people enjoyed many different events in its society
like carnivals and different kind of sporting (Bennett 161). London was a very
protected city as well, which it needed to be because of its size and its
importance to England. Had gates, massive towers, and castles surrounding the
city making it the most protected city in England (Bennett 161). London with all
its heavy fortification also had a lot of goods being transported back and
forth from all over the world. Whether, it was furs, spices, stones, and silk
that allowed for London to develop even further (Bennett 161). They even had the
first sign of what we know as fast food, they sold food and drinks in the
streets. Not everyone was quite as eager about the great city of London. Such
as, Jewish merchant from France telling a friend of his about how it was dark
and sinful place (Bennett 161). Almost like a view of if London was like Sodom
and Gomorrah. Of course, there are always critics no matter what. London was a
great city that was advanced compared to others and place always moving and
going.
Work Cited
Bennett,
Judith M. Medieval Europe: A Short History. McGraw-Hill, 2011.
London is one of the places I have always wanted to visit. There is so much history and hardship to the town. It has survived a vast number of fires and being bombed viciously by the Nazis. My question, however, is when was the city actually founded and what did it start from? Was it a castle town or did it build up around a church?
ReplyDeleteThis is one town in the north that dates earlier. The town was first Celtic and then Roman. The Romans built a bridge in Londinium around 50 CE. William of Conqueror build the Tower of London after his invasion in 1066.
DeleteI am from London myself so reading about the history is so interesting to me. I think you did really good of interpretation what Bennett spoke about in the book. To think of how London grew compared to the other cities is incredible. I would highly recommend that if the chance come about you take a trip to London.
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