Two thousand years ago,London was a small village by the River Thames. Then the Romans
came and built a town ,and thousands of people lived there. Now, in the twenty-first centu
ry, London is the biggest city in Britain, with more than eight million people. It is the
capital city of the United Kingdom, the home of Queen Elizabeth the Second, and the home o
f the Biritish government. Millions of visitors come London every year.The name 'London' c
omes from the Romans. People lived here before the Romans came,but we do not know very muc
h about them. The Romans came to England in the year 43 AD. Their ships came up the River
Thames from the sea, and theybuilt houses and other buildings next to the river, They bui
la bridge over the river, and they called the town Londinium.You can find out about London
's early days, and about theRomans, at the Museum of London.It was a rich town, and about
50000 people lived in it. Butsoon after the year 400 AD, the Romans left,Londinium and wen
t back to kome, and for two hundred years Londinium was a quieplace.Then people began to l
ive in the town again, and it was soon rich and important. People called Angles,Saxons, an
d Jutes came to Britain from Germany, the Netherlands, and Denmark.Then, in the ninth and
tenth centuries, Danish ships came up the River Thames and destroyed many of Londinium's b
uildings.In 1066, England had a new king- William the Conquerorfrom France. William came t
o live in London and built acastle there (today we know it as the Tower of London).London
was now the biggest and most important city inEngland, and it got bigger and bigger. In 15
09, when Henrythe Fighth was king, there were 50000 people in London. In1600, when Henry's
daughter Elizabeth the First was queen,there were 200000 people. The plague often came to
London, but 1665 was the worst year of all. In the hot summer that year thousands of peop
le were ill, and 100000 of them died. 1665 was called the Year of the Great Plague. Then a
year later, in 1666, there was big fire - The Great Fire of London . It bengan in a house
in Pudding Lane,near London Bridge. Most house wre built of wood at that time, and fires
love wood. The Great Fire of London went through street after street after street, and it
didnot stop for four days.More than a quarter of a million people lost their homes in the
fire. It destroyed St Paul's Cathedral and eighty-seven other churches. But it also destro
yedmost of the worst old buildings.A new St Paul's Cathedral was built between 1675 and 17
10.