By the time of the death of Stephen I and the ascension to the thrown of Henry II, or Henry Plantagenet as he became know, England had become more or less a unified entity and started to influence events abroad. As Henry also held the title of Duke of Normandy, England had an overseas territory and London became an even more important centre for trade and commerce. It also hosted the royal court.
Henry II's greatest achievement was the establishment and consolidation of English Common Law, a system that endures to this day. Unfortunately, he probably best known for his problems with the church, and particularly with the death of Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket.
Henry and Becket had been friends, with the king appointing Becket as Archbishop in attempt to curb the power of the Church in affairs of state. However, once appointed, Becket became a thorn in Henry's side as he sought to maintain, or even increase, the power of the Church in England.
In 1164, Becket pledged sole loyalty to God rather than his sovereign, which bought him into open conflict with the King. After a period of self imposed exile, the Becket returned to Canterbury in 1170 while Henry was away in Normandy. Rumours that Becket was planning rebellion reached the King and, whilst in a rage, he stated that he wanted him dead. This was overheard by four knights who, keen to find favour with their monarch, returned to Canterbury and murdered Becket in the Cathedral. Becket became a martyr and Henry was more at odds with the church.

In an attempt to improve relations with the Pope, Henry invaded Ireland in 1171 and by 1172 had conquered Ireland. By adding Ireland to his domains, Henry further increased his standing in Europe and this increased the importance of the court and of of london.
Towards the end of Henry's reign, however, there was more turbulence, caused primarily by his four sons, each of whom looked to stake a claim to the succession. Henry died in 1189 whilst fighting against his son Richard and King Philip of France.
Richard eventually succeeded his father to become Richard I. More commonly referred to as "Richard the Lionheart" he is also one of England's most famous monarchs, even though his reign only lasted for 10 years, much of which was spent abroad fighting in the crusades or as the prisoner of Duke Leopold of Austria in Vienna, who had captured him as he returned from the crusades and famously demanded "a kings ransom".
By Richard the Lionheart's time the population of London was about 18,000 (compared to the 45,000 estimated at the height of Roman Britain). Londoners were always willing to take the opportunities presented by power struggles so, when John (or 'Bad King John', the brother of Richard I), opposed to Longchamp, the ruthless representative Richard had left to run the country whilst he was on the crusades, he was able to win the support of London by accepting and furthering London's powers. This was ultimately to lead, in 1191, to the meeting of the English Barons with the Citizens of London and their removing Longchamp in order to bring John to power. At this point John kept his word and publicly recognised London's rights.
The first record of a London mayor, Henry FitzAilwyn, can be found shortly after this coup, in 1193. His term of office was to last until his death in 1212. The Lord Mayor's Show, a popular annual spectacle, derives from the original 'ridings' to Westminster, to obtain approval from the monarch or his minister for the people's choice of mayor. This election had been instituted as a result of King John's charter, which gave Londoners the right to choose their own leader. London's mayor was amongst the treasurers of Richard the Lionheart's ransom.
During the troubles of King John's reign, London supported the Rebel Barons. The City even allowed them within the city walls and provided them with troops and money. These barons were led by Robert FitzWalter, 'Castellan' of the city's western riverside fortress of Baynard's Castle. The Magna Carta gave responsibility to both the Mayor of London and FitzWalter for upholding the terms of the charter and thus protecting the liberties of the city.
Perhaps the most significant construction work of the medieval period was the replacement of the early wooden bridges by the 'Old' London Bridge, built entirely of stone and dated from King John's reign. This bridge was to remain the only one in London until 1739. It took 30 years to complete and lasted over 600 years, until 1832. Some of its more interesting features were a drawbridge and houses along its length.
The reigns of Henry III and Edward I marked a period of unrest in London, during which more than one mayor was removed from power and replaced by a royal warden. This tendency for London to be 'taken into the king's hands' reflected the inclination of London to oppose the harsher monarchs. Indeed a band of Londoners supported Simon de Montfort against Henry III at the Battle of Lewes in 1264.
By the 13th century London was a crowded city clustered along the riverbank, with a small settlement across the river in Southwark. London was a maze of twisting streets and lanes. Most of the houses were half-timbered, or wattle and daub, whitewashed with lime. The threat of fire was constant and to limit the dangers that this posed, FitzAilwyn (the first mayor) introduced London's first Building Act. Stone was to be used for partitioning walls and thatched roofs were prohibited, but this seems to have been ignored. Being so cramped, the city was regularly devastated by fire.
In addition to fire, because sanitation in medieval london was so rudimentary, plague was a constant threat. Records show that London suffered no less than 16 outbreaks of the plague between 1348 and the "Great Plague" of 1665.
From at least the time of King Canute, London had been England's main city and commercial centre, but not the political capital. Winchester was the capital under the Anglo-Saxon rulers and later Edward the Confessor moved it to his palace of Westminster. Westminster also became the home of the royal courts of justice and the exchequer. The medieval Kings did not hold court within the city either, preferring the Palace of Sheen in Richmond.
The Church held great influence in the Medieval City of London, as evidenced by its architecture. The Guildhall, the only great civic building, built in its present form in the early 15th century, was surrounded by outstandingly beautiful church buildings. Old St. Paul's, with its vast wooden steeple (destroyed by lightning in 1561), was believed to be the greatest cathedral in Europe, and a Wonder of the World.
Trade boomed in Medieval London and the city's population was far greater than that of any rival in England. This led to London becoming a major centre for the importing, as well as distributing, of goods to other parts of the country.
The early Saxon Thames ports continued at Queenhithe and Billingsgate, but the high levels of goods from the Continent requiring unloading and storage soon led to the creation of many other wharves. By 1157, the German 'Hansa' merchants had a base in London. From the late 14th century onwards, the city became more important commercially, with the decline of the traditional fairs in the country. Great fortunes were made by merchants such as the mayors, Richard (Dick) Whittington, John Pounteney and John Philpot.
By the 15th century, cloth production was England's biggest industry and large amounts were being exported from London. The City, thus strengthened, was able to finance the attempts by Edward III and Henry V to conquer France.
Many of London's streets were named during this time after the particular trade which practiced there. For example, Threadneedle Street, now a banking area, was the tailor's district, Bread Street had bakeries, and on Milk Street cows were kept for milking. There was also a very active livestock market at Smithfield.
The prime real estate in London was the Strand, where many rich landowners built homes. Lawyers settled at the Temple and along Fleet Street. The Fleet River (which was called the Holborn) was navigable by boats, and docks were set up at what is now Farringdon Street. The Fleet River was covered over in the 18th century.
The ongoing feuds of the wars of the Roses (the Yorks vs. the Lancasters) left London relatively unscathed. The city, unhappy with the lavish ways of Henry VI, chose to support Edward IV of York. In 1471, the decisive Battle of Barnet took place just north of the city in what is now a suburb of London. Here the great 'Warwick the Kingmaker' was killed. Soon afterward, the Vice-Admiral of his Lancastrian Fleet, having been denied access into London, laid siege to the City. The 'Bombardment of London' continued for several days until the Lancastrian troops, meeting with little success, decided to withdraw to Kingston.
In the reign of Edward's brother, Richard III (who became king in 1483 at the age of 9), the rebuilt Westminster Abbey was the scene of Queen Elizabeth Woodville's claim for sanctuary with her youngest son. He was persuaded to leave for 'safety' in the Tower of London; but he and his brother, the ''Princes in the Tower", were never seen alive again.
Richard's reign was cursed with problems almost from day one and he faced rebellion which he brutally suppressed. In 1484 his son and only male heir died and Henry Tudor, who was being groomed as a rival claimant, was garnering support from both Yorkists and Lancastrians alike.
In 1485, Richard moved against Henry Tudor with a strong army and the two sides faced each other at the Battle of Bosworth. At first, things went well for Richard, but following the intervention of forces led by Lord Stanley in favour of Henry, the tide turned and Richard was defeated and killed. So began the Tudor dynasty.
After Medieval London came Tudor london