The Story of London

In 1497 a veritable army of about 15,000 men from Cornwall turned up in south London, intent on bringing violence to the City. What follows is a grand tale of the queen deliberately remaining in the city, the Aldermen arming themselves to the teeth, and the campaign that followed. Along with this we examine three years where the King’s health took a sudden turn, the career of Perkin Warbeck came to a bloody end, trade CONTINUED to be a complicated mess for London’s merchants, and much more. From decaying public landmarks, to royal palaces burning to the ground, to the ritual of bloody executions, welcome to London here at the final years of the 15th Century.

The events and odd circumstances regarding the strange royal pretender to the throne of England, Perkin Warbeck, are often overlooked, and dismissed, rightfully, as a minor footnote in the grand saga of the Tudor dynasty. However at the time, it reveals a regime in crisis- a crisis that was to force London to have a front row seat, and which started many themes that are going to repeat themselves in the cities story to come… the rise of the use of spies, Tudor entanglement in Ireland, complicated trade situations and above all, the Tudors using their family for political purposes, all really begin now in these few years, as London continued to annoy King Henry VII.Cover shows detail of ‘Saint Sebastian’ by Lorenzo Costa, c.1490’s

In 1493 a young german found himself involved in what was a seemingly minor affair, caused by an incident with a young woman, and a slight sexual scandal. But this incident played out as London was seething with anti-German sentiment and anger; people were being laid off, wages were being cut, fortunes were suddenly being lost and because of the actions of a small bunch of powerful and great men 9and also the actions of a young con-man pretending to be the Duke of York), London was to find itself dealing with violent riots, armed men on the streets and an international incident on Thames Street!Join us as we discover how a small incident involving a rich German merchant, a young female servant and her employer illustrates the growing conflict between King Henry VII and the City of London…Cover includes a detail of ‘Portrait of a Man’ by Andrea Solari (c1490)

The story returns for a brief moment outside the normal timeline to ask ourselves some crucial questions- here, at the start of the Tudor age, what was the prevailing mindset of the Londoners of the period? How did they conceptualise themselves and a world that was brutal compared to our own conditions? How did they fundamentally differ from people living today? An important set of questions because it will hopefully help explain everything that is to come.A deep dive into attitudes towards health, diet, grief, alcohol, risk assessment and faith.Cover shows a detail of ‘Venus and Mars’ by Sandro Botticelli, c.1485

Welcome to the Age of the Tudors… and we begin with an busy episode filled with Henry VII’s immediate impact upon the city, a epidemic killing thousands and two Mayors, a marriage of a Mercer that reveals hidden insights into life in London, the formation of the Beefeaters, and why the merchants of The City and the new King, found themselves getting off on the wrong foot… all of this and more to be found in this weeks Chapter.Cover contains a detail of “A Young Man,” painted ca. 1490 by Andrea Solario.