Stuart London

Stuart London
1603–1714
Map of London c.1690, after Wenceslaus Hollar
Location	London
Monarch(s)	James VI and I, Charles I of England, Charles II of England, James II of England, William III of England and Mary II of England, Anne, Queen of Great Britain
Leader(s)	Oliver Cromwell, Richard Cromwell
Key events	English Civil War, Great Plague of London, Great Fire of London
Chronology Tudor London 18th-century London

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History of London
Roman London Anglo-Saxon London Norman and Medieval London Tudor London Stuart London 18th-century London 19th-century London London 1900–1939 London in World War II (The Blitz) Modern London (from 1945) London in the 1960s
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The Stuart period in London began with the reign of James VI and I in 1603 and ended with the death of Queen Anne in 1714. London grew massively in population during this period, from about 200,000 in 1600 to over 575,000 by 1700, and in physical size, sprawling outside its city walls to encompass previously outlying districts such as Shoreditch, Clerkenwell, and Westminster. The city suffered several large periods of devastation, including the English Civil War and the Great Fire of London, but new areas were built from scratch in what had previously been countryside, such as Covent Garden, Bloomsbury, and St. James's, and the City was rebuilt after the Fire by architects such as Christopher Wren.

London was also struck by waves of disease during this time, most notably the Great Plague in 1665.The period saw several attempts to enforce uniformity of worship from Catholics, Anglicans and Puritans. Both Catholics and Nonconformist Protestants were persecuted during this period. This resulted in some of the most famous conflicts and uprisings of the period, such as the Catholic-led Gunpowder Plot, the anti-Catholic Popish Plot, and the ousting of the Catholic king, James II, in favour of the Protestant William III in the Glorious Revolution. Capital and corporal punishment was often used as a penalty for crimes, with Tyburn being a popular location for hangings.

London's trade began to develop into a modern economy, with the founding of the Bank of England in 1694, and the early development of the stock market and insurance markets such as Lloyd's of London. London's merchants often met in the newly-introduced coffeehouses, and the city became the hub of an emerging global empire, with the headquarters of colonial institutions such as the East India Company.

London saw a flourishing of literature, philosophy, theatre and art during this time, as the home of writers and artists such as William Shakespeare, John Milton, John Dryden, John Bunyan, Aphra Behn, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Anthony van Dyck, Peter Lely, Peter Paul Rubens, and Grinling Gibbons. The first English opera, The Siege of Rhodes, was produced in London in 1656. The city was home to important scientists such as William Harvey, Robert Hooke, Isaac Newton, John Flamsteed, and Edmond Halley.