| London is in southeastern England on the River Thames about 50 miles upstream the North Sea. The Port of London has been vital to the city's economy since the country's Saxon era. Port History Archeological evidence suggests that there were pre-Celtic Briton settlement, but the first significant village was founded by Romans in 43 AD. Called Londinium, it was two miles west of what is now the City of Westminster. Just 17 years later, the Celtic Queen Boudica drove the Romans from the place, burning the first London to the ground. In 100 AD, the Romans then rebuilt a new city and made it capital of the province of Britannia. In the 2nd Century, about 60 thousand people lived there. Troubles in the Roman Empire led to decline in the city during the 3rd Century, and it was practically abandoned by the 400s. In the 7th Century, a new Anglo-Saxon settlement called Lundenwic appeared in today's Covent Garden. A working harbor existed at the mouth of the River Fleet until Vikings destroyed the city in 851 AD. Twenty years later, King Alfred the Great made peace and located the settlement at the site of the old Roman city, calling it. Shipbuilding was important during the reign of Alfred the Great. Until the late 10th Century, the Port of London prospered as a political and international trading center. But the Vikings returned, and the Danish King Canute forced King Ethelred the Unready out of the city. King Canute ruled until he died in 1042. His son, Edward the Confessor, re-founded Westminster Abbey and its Palace, and the Anglo-Saxons took control of the biggest and richest city in England. In 1066, William the Conquerer was crowned after winning the Battle of Hastings. Though Westminster was the royal residence and home to the English court throughout the Middle Ages, London was the rich center for trade. In the 12th Century, when the two cities grew together, London became the capital of England. By 1300, almost 100 thousand people lived in the Port of London. But the Black Death eliminated about a third of its people. Britain defeated the Spanish Armada in 1588, bringing stability to England and allowing London to continue to grow. Henry VIII established the Royal Dockyards in the mid-1500s, and the city became England's main naval shipbuilding yard. That industry still exists but in a much smaller way. Scotland's James VI ascended to the throne in 1603, but plague visited the city again. The Black Plague of 1665-1666 was punctuated by the Great Fire of London in 1666 that destroyed much of the city. It took over ten years to rebuild the Port of London. From the early 19th Century, the Port of London was the world's biggest city. A rail network drove expansion, and congestion led to the construction of the world's first subway system, the London Underground in 1863. During World War II, Germany's Blitz (unrelenting bombing of England) killed tens of thousands of London residents and destroyed much property, leading to 30 years of reconstruction. After the war, immigration from countries in the Commonwealth changed the character of the city, making it one of Europe's most diverse cities. In 1965, the city's boundaries expanded to create today's Greater London. A self-financing public trust, the Port of London Authority (PLA), is responsible for safety of the Tidal Thames, promoting the River's use, and protecting the environment. In 1390, King Richard II passed the first laws authorizing import and export in English ships. The Tudor period brought new merchant activity to the Port of London. In 1576, London became the world's leading trading port when Antwerp was destroyed. Trade nearly doubled in the 18th Century, and new docks and warehouses were built to keep up with the increasing traffic. In 1805, the City Canal was opened, and the East India Dock was open |
