London Milestones

London wasn’t always a hotspot for fashion, food, and entertainment. Instead, London’s history was webbed with cycles of destruction and rebirth. Most of the obstacles faced in London’s history occurred in years 0 to 500 CE. During these times, London wasn’t the best place to live in, especially because there was yet to be any “Fish and Chips” and “Sherlock”. Still, these first 500 years of London held some of its most important milestones. These events included the founding of Roman Londinium in 43 CE and the construction of the first bridge in 50 CE. These events were followed by the attack of Queen Boudica during 60-61 CE and Emperor Hadrian’s visit in 122 CE. Finally, the London Wall was constructed between 190-255 CE and the city
The name “Londinium” comes from the Celtic word “Londinios”. “Londinios” is translated as the “place of the bold one” (Lambert, n.d.). The founding of Londinium directly preceded its next big milestone, the construction of the first bridge across the river Thames in the year 50 CE. It was this bridge that allowed the Roman city of Londinium to flourish. Opening bridges for widespread trade, Londinium became a business central for surrounding cities. Though Londinium was beginning to flourish, it would only take about 10 years for all of that to change. In the years 60 to 61 CE, the Queen Boudica of a Norfolk tribe was ready to finally begin her rebellion against the Roman government. She had discovered Londinium and attacked at a time in which the Roman armies were absent. Queen Boudica’s troops destroyed the city and all that lived in it. After Queen Boudica’s rebellion, Londinium began an age of rebirth and enlightenment. The people of Londinium developed courts, marketplaces, cathedrals, town halls, and a palace (History Channel, n.d.). In 122 CE, Londinium was developing rapidly. In this same year, the Emperor Hadrian made a visit. Emperor Hadrian was the Roman emperor from the years 117 to