Barbican Living
Anglo-Saxon Lundenberg
During the 7th century, the remains of Londinium were at one time or another part of the kingdoms of the East Saxons, the East Anglians, the Mercia, and Wessex. During the 8th century, it belonged to Mercia and King Offa (of Offa’s Dyke fame) built a palace there. In the 9th century the town fell to Viking raiders, who used it as a base for attacks inland. The final change of hands took place when Alfred the Great stormed the town, by now called “Lundenberg”, in about 886. Alfred appointed an Ealdorman to govern the city for him. London quickly grew to be once again the most important town in England.
Alfred the Great’s conquest is the last occasion in history when the City of London was taken by force. But it still suffered from Viking raids. Olaf Tryvysson, a Norseman, sailed up the Thames and pulled down London Bridge, for ever commemorated in the nursery rhyme, London Bridge Is Falling Down.
Edward the Confessor, the last Anglo Saxon king, built a new abbey and a palace upstream at Westminster. Westminster developed as a Versailles to London's Paris. Meanwhile Southwark developed separately across the river. All three remained quite distinct towns which did not merge till centuries later.
