Romans can be credited for settling the London city in AD 43 when they conquered Britain. At that time the settlement was known as Londonium. Roman ruled this newly conquered city which lasted for a short span of 17 years. When Romans arrived London through the Thames River, they found it to be marshy and the native farmsteads scattered. The local inhabitants of the place were mainly fishermen and farmers. The Thames River was a simple boundary for them which separated them from other tribes. The mighty Romans used the river for commercial purpose. River Thames helped the Romans in every way to transform the marshy land into and the capital city of Britain.

The main advantage which Romans had on this area was the Thames River which was too narrow to cross. The Roman troops led by their commander Aulus Plautius marched towards the most important town of Britain, Colchester. Romans are credited to construct the first bridge over Thames. The bridge made it convenient for the Roman troops to enter Britain speedily. The Romans settled on the north side of the River Thames and named the area Londinium. It was an important trading centre for the Romans and Thames River was used by the Romans for transferring and uploading of goods. The port established by the Romans open the whole area north of the river for trade and also to the Roman Empire.

The Romans maintained the supremacy in this area for almost 17 years. They were ousted from their power by the queen of the Iceni tribe, Boudicca. Her warriors attacked the settled trading centre of Romans. The strategy undertaken by them was to attack Romans and destroy their settlement. Romans could not save themselves as they were crushing the revolt in far away Wales. The warriors rampaged through the burgeoning city and thousands of traders were beheaded in this attack. They burnt every building and the skulls were thrown in the river.

When Romans returned from Wales, they crushed the revolt which had finished everything. The city was again rebuilt and featured timber-constructed buildings. With the passing of years, Londinium had the largest basilica, a governor’s palace, temple, bath-houses and a large garrison. In between 190 and 225 AD, Roman constructed the London Wall on the landward side of the city for defense. The wall was 3 Km long, 20 ft high and 8 ft thick. They also adopted a strategic step of befriending the Britons. The Britons were seduced to the Roman culture and lifestyle. The locals started wearing togas and Latin was marked as their official language.

In the late 3rd century, Londinium was attacked by Saxons several times. To defend themselves, Romans constructed additional riverside wall for defense. The city gates of London namely, Ludgate, Newgate, Aldersgate, Cripplegate, Bishopsgate and Aldgate are of Roman origin. By the 5th century, with the decline of the Roman Empire their rule in Britain came to an end.
The Romans had sown the seeds of an imperial nation which ruled many countries in the globe for centuries. With their departure, the land was invaded by several dynasties who understood the strategic position of London along the River Thames. Londinium which was created by the Romans has now become one of the most renowned cities of the world. Known to the modern world as London, it is the largest city of the United Kingdom.