The largest city of Great Britain and the European Union - London - was founded in the first half of the 1st century AD. It has a long history, which is also interesting for understanding the processes taking place in modern Europe. For example, few people know what the capital of Britain was originally called, how many people lived there by the year 400, and who lived there.
Foundation of the city
According to an ancient legend, the settlement on the site of the modern capital of Great Britain was originally called Troia Nova. The same tradition calls him the founder of the descendant of Aeneas - Brutus of Troy, who lived in the 1100s BC. However, researchers consider this version completely groundless. Thus, the time of the founding of London is usually called the period around the 43rd year of our era, and the founders are the Romans, who invaded the island under the leadership of Emperor Claudius. Initially, it was a very small settlement, covering an area of 0.8 square meters. km and equal to the territory of modern Hyde Park, and by the beginning of the 2nd century it had grown and turned into the capital of the Roman province of Britain. It is noteworthy that the vast majority of residents came from different parts of continental Europe.
As the capital of Britain was originally called
The first to research the origin of the word “London” was the famous pastor Galfrid of Monmouth, who lived in the 12th century. In his work “The History of the Kings of Britain”, he connected it with the name of the legendary ruler of Lud. However, those who want to find out what the capital of Britain was originally called should get acquainted with the data obtained by scientists from the UK in 1998. So, the first settlement on the site of modern London was called Londinium, and the word most likely comes from the ancient Celtic word “Plowonida”, consisting of two Indo-European roots “plew” and “nejd”, which translate as “flow”, “rowing” or “Swimming” and “flow”. With this word, in the 1st century BC, the ancient Celts could designate a section of the Thames, located from the mouth to the ford below Westminster. In their language, it was first transformed into “Lundonjon”, and then turned into the Welsh “Lundein”, from which the Romans borrowed it and began to pronounce it like Londinium. There is also another explanation. In particular, some researchers believe that the name of the city comes from a word of Latin origin “Lond”, meaning “wild place”.
History of Londinium
18 years after its founding, the city was attacked by the army of Queen Icenes Bowdilly, who, after the death of her husband, led an anti-Roman uprising. The Governor of Britain, Guy Suetonius Paulin, realizing that he did not have time to prepare for the defense, chose to withdraw his troops. As a result, Londinium was burned to the ground, and its inhabitants were killed. However, the first name of London did not disappear from the map of the Roman Empire, as the city was revived and by the end of the 100th year was already the capital of Britain. Moreover, its population reached 60 thousand people, which made it possible to consider it at that time a rather large settlement in the Roman Empire, where a basilica, public baths, an amphitheater and fort were built, as well as a city garrison. After 100 years, Britain was divided into Lower and Upper. The last capital was Londinium.
August
However, Londinium was not the only ancient name of London. The fact is that in the 4th century the Romans renamed it Augustus. So, when answering the question of what the capital of Britain was originally called, this name should also be indicated. However, shortly after this, the Romans were forced to leave these places. That is why such an absolutely Roman name did not take root, and only historians know about its existence.
London in the 5th century
As you know, the Roman occupation of the British Isles ended in the year 410. Thus, if the first part of the question, as the capital of Britain was originally called, and how many people lived there by the year 400, is easy to answer, then the second raises certain problems. Indeed, three decades before this, the Picts and Scottes reached the walls of Londinium, but were discarded, and for four years the city was guarded by only one legion. Thus, the wealthiest Romans, having relatives on the mainland, began to leave it, which led to a rapid decline in the population. Representatives of the Briton tribe began to populate the empty city, however, they did not want to stay in it, and by the end of the 5th century Londinium was completely empty.
What was London called before (under Anglo-Saxons)
The territory located along the banks of the Thames could not remain uninhabited for a long time. Therefore, it is not surprising that from the end of the 400s of our era the Anglo-Saxons came to these lands. They did not begin to settle in Londinium, but founded a new city. This happened in the 600s, and the correct answer to the question: “What was the original capital of Britain under the Anglo-Saxons?”, Will be Ludenwick. Already in the 8th century, it became a major trading center and port, where ships from different countries arrived. By the way, experts in the field of linguistics note that the suffix “wik” contained in the name of the city has a special meaning. The fact is that in the Old English language it denoted a “trading town”. Another name - Lundenburg - appeared in the year 886, when Alfred the Great began to equip the abandoned Londinium, restored Roman fortifications, built new ones and turned it into an impregnable fortress. Such structures in the Anglo-Saxon language were called “burkh”, and therefore the new name began to contain such a suffix. Lundenburg, which occupied the territory of today's City of London, very soon became the main city in the region, and the nearby Lundenwick eventually turned into a small settlement, known today as Oldwich.
Now you know what the capital of Britain was originally called and how many people lived there in the first centuries after its foundation. Therefore, you can judge what a giant leap London has made over the past 2,000 years, during which it turned from a small military fortification into one of the largest megacities on the planet.