Lesson video

Hello there, my fellow historians and welcome to the second lesson on this unit of the Great Fire of London.

My name is Mr. Petrosa, and in this lesson, we can have a look at the following question.

Are you ready to see what it is? The question is, what are the origins of London? Now in this lesson, we can have a look at how London began as a Roman settlement, and we're going to learn how it developed into an important trade incentive for them.

So let's have a look at the structure of this lesson.

We'll begin with the Star Words.

So I'm going to show us our key vocabulary.

Then we'll have a look at where London is, we're going to use some maps, and then we're going to pinpoint exactly where London is.

Then we'll have a look at London's beginning as Londinium, which was a Roman settlement.

And then we can have look at how London developed until the end of Roman Britain.

And then at the very end of this lesson, don't forget is your end of lesson quiz.

Now things that you're going to need for this lesson: You're going to need your exercise book or a piece of paper, where you can write some notes.

You're going to need a pencil, and then your going to need your ruler in case you need to underline things.

Really important that you underline with rulers.

If you haven't got those things, now go and get them.

Off you go! Great job-that was really speedy! Now let's have a look at our Star Words.

We've got six Star Words.

So we've got invasion, legion, population, empire, capital, and settlement.

Let's go through them, ready? So we've got invasion.

And then invasion is an act or an instance of invading by an enemy or a hostile army.

So an act of, or instance of invading by enemy or a hostile army is called an invasion.

Next one, you've got a legion.

And a legion was a army unit in ancient Rome that was made up of soldiers on foot and on horseback.

So an army unit in ancient Rome that was made up of soldiers on foot and horseback was called a legion.

Next one we've got population.

And a population is the total number of people that are living in a country, city or another area.

The total number of people living in the country, city or another area is called pop-u-lation.

Good job.

Next one we've got empire, and an empire is a group of people, a group of nations or peoples, and under one ruler or a single government, a group of nations, or peoples under one ruler or a single government is called an empire.

Great job guys! Next one we've got a capital, and capital is the city where a government of a country is located.

The city work of an - or of a country is located, is called the capital.

Great job.

And last one-settlement, a settlement is place where people live and work.

A place where people live and work is called a settlement.

Awesome job, guys.

Now let's have a look at where London is.

In this unit, we're studying the Great Fire of London, but do you think you could locate where London is? Well, first of all, we need to find the country in which London is located.

Which country is London in? Have a think.

Hmmm.

That's right! If you said London is in the United Kingdom, you are absolutely correct.

Point to where you think the UK is.

Did you point to it? Did you point at this place? Great job.

Well done.

That is the United Kingdom, and that is where London is.

Awesome job! One of the easiest ways to remember is that, remember that the UK is an island.

It's an island nation off the coast of mainland Europe.

And this is a bigger map of the UK.

So, London is in the United Kingdom.

Well done guys.

So, first task, true or false: London is in the United Kingdom.

Is it true or is it false? We literally just heard the answer.

So last time-think is it true or is it false: is London in the United Kingdom? Have a go! Okay.

What did we think? Is London in the United Kingdom? Is that true or is that false? I think that it's true.

Well done if you've got a right.

London is in the United Kingdom.

Now, here is the map of the UK again, so we know that London is in the United Kingdom, but where in the United Kingdom is London? Do you think you could point to where you think London is? Have a think, Okay.

If you pointed anywhere near this region, you are absolutely correct.

Because London is in the southeast of the United Kingdom, And London, there's some close map of London.

London is the UK's capital city, so it's where the government of the United Kingdom resides and it is the UK's largest city.

And it has a population of approximately 9 million people.

So that's how many people approximately live in London.

So we know that London is in the southeast of the United Kingdom; we know that it's the UK's capital city; we know it's the largest city in the United Kingdom, and has a population of around 9 million.

Next question, approximately, how many people live in London? So you've got four answers.

Is it A- 8 million? Is it B-9 million? Is it C-19 million? It could be, or is it the 90 million? Whoa, that would be a really big city.

So which one do you think is the correct answer? So how many people live in London? Is it A, B, C, or D? Have a think- once you think you know the answer, say it in a full sentence.

So you could say, I think approximately people live in London.

Have a go.

Okay.

Let me see how many people are menace trick.

Are you ready? So approximately how many people live in London? The answer was of course-B, well done.

9 million people live in London.

About approximately 9 million people live in London.

Great, full sentences.

Now, let's see how London came to be.

Well, the origins of London are intrinsically linked to the Roman Empire.

The Romans had established a huge empire after the capital city of Rome, and they wanted to incorporate the island they referred to as Britannia.

So Rome is here-I'm going to point up with my map.

So Rome is somewhere here, and the Romans they had built a huge empire, a huge collection of nations under their rule, but they wanted to incorporate Brittania, which is their name for the United Kingdom.

And that was around 2000 years ago.

So it's a long time in the past, remember we're historians were studying by the past.

And, the Roman general, Julius Caesar, he was the first to try and conquer Brittania, and he sailed across the sea to Britain and he invaded in 55 BCE.

However, he was driven back by the native tribes, known as the Celts, who lived in Britain at the time.

So my first question is: which Roman general, first invaded Britain? Have a think.

And you can use the sentence starter to write a full sentence.

So you can say the, you can write the first Roman general to invade Britain was , have a think.

Good luck.

Okay.

Let's have a look at the answer.

So which Roman general first invaded Britain? So the first Roman general to invade Britain was Julius Caesar.

Well done, my friends.

Remember he was the first one to try.

He sailed from the continent across to Britain and he invaded in around 55 BCE.

However, he was driven back by native tribes known as the Celts, who lived in Britain at the time.

So that first time, he wasn't very successful.

But he didn't give up because then next year, Oh my goodness.

He came back.

So he came back in 54 BCE, this time he came back with five legions and 2000 horsemen.

And each Roman legion that he brought along with him contained approximately 5,000 soldiers.

However, Caesar, he didn't think that Britain was worth a long war, and he had other problems in the empire to deal with, and therefore he abandoned most of the Roman settlements that have been established.

Now, nearly 90 years later, so from Julius Caesar's second invasion, 90 years after that in 43 AD, the Roman emperor, Claudius, he sent an army of 20,000 soldiers.

That's a big army.

And upon landing, Claudius's army they attack the Celtic tribes in the southeast of Britain, and they quickly took control of their lands.

So Claudius's army, they attack southeast Britain and the Celtic tribes who used to live there.

Now, many Celtic tribes, they realise that the Roman army was too strong for them.

And therefore they decided to make deals in order to keep the peace.

They agreed to obey Roman laws and pay taxes.

And in return, they were allowed to keep their kingdoms. So let's have a look at the next question.

How many Roman soldiers did the Roman emperor Claudius send to invade Britain? So in 43 AD, the Roman emperor Claudius sent an army of approximately soldiers to invade Britain, have a think.

How many soldiers did the emperor Claudius send to invade Britain.

Have a go.

Good luck.

Let's see who impressed me with their memory.

Let's have a look here.

You ready? So how many soldiers does Roman emperor Claudius send to invade Britain? And the answer was--20,000.

So in 43 AD, the Roman emperor Claudius sent an army of approximately 20,000 soldiers to invade Britain.

Remember that they attacked south east, the southeast corner of Britain first, attacking the Celtic tribes that used to live there.

Now once successful and once they had gained a foothold on the island they knew as Brittania, the Romans started building settlements and the Romans built a settlement in 47 AD on the banks of the River Thames.

And they named it Londinium.

What did they name it? Londinium.

Well done.

Now, they built a city next to the River Thames as they allowed them to transport goods and transport really easily.

And the Romans were the first, the first people to build a bridge connecting the two sides of the city.

So that's a map of Londinium, and Londinium actually sets roughly where the current square mile, the city of London is located.

Now that's a little bit confusing, but the city of London is the district in modern day London.

But that is where Londinium was founded around 2000 years ago by the Romans.

Now in 61 AD, so 14 years later, the native Iceni tribe, led by Queen Boudicca, rebelled against the Romans.

They were tired of being controlled by the Roman Empire.

And therefore they attacked Londinium and they burnt it to the ground.

And it said that approximately 30,000 Londoners were killed as a result.

And archaeologists have found evidence of this because during the excavations they have found a red layer of ash, a layer of red ash beneath the city, which tells them that the city was burned to the ground.

And as a result, the Romans, they built walls all around the city, some of which are still standing today.

So this is our, this is a part of the wall, which was built by the Romans to keep out invaders after Queen Boudicca's rebellion in 61 AD.

Let's have a look at the next question.

In this part, what I want you to do is you have some missing gaps and you have six key words that you can use in order to complete those sentences.

So the key words that you could use, you can use transport, you could use Londinium, you could use troops.

Next one is Romans.

You're going to have a capital letter because Romans is the name of a people, and you've got 47 AD, which is the date.

And you've got the River Thames as well.

So have a think about where those words are going go.

Once you think you've got it, write it down and then read it back to see if it makes sense.

Off you go! Awesome job, my friends.

Let's have a look and see where we could put those words to make those sentences correct.

So let's have a look-so in 47 AD, the Romans built a settlement on the banks of the River Thames, which they called Londinium.

Well done.

Next one, they build a city next to the River Thames as they allowed them to transport goods and troops easily.

So that's the answer to those sentences.

Those are the correct sentences.

I'm going to put them up so that you can copy them, there.

Great work, team.

Now let's have a look at the last section, and this section, we can have look at how London-Londinium- developed towards the end of Roman Britain.

So after defeating Boudicca and the Iceni tribe, the Romans, they regain control, and over the next 20 years, they rebuilt the city of Londinium.

And at its peak, the city had a population of approximately 60,000 people.

And for 300 years, it was the largest city in the whole of Britannia.

Now the Romans, they developed the city and they built many major structures, including temples, bath houses, and, the first bridge across the River Thames.

Many impressive buildings were built in preparation for Emperor Hadrian's visit in 122 AD.

And this is a bust of the Roman Emperor Hadrian.

Now the Romans, they also built a network of roads across the whole of Brittania, not just Londinium, across the whole of Brittania in order to facilitate the movement of trade and the movement of troops.

In the late 4th century, however, Roman troops began to be withdrawn from Brittania, and by 410 AD, the last Roman soldiers have left.

And the people of Brittania were told they now had to defend themselves.

Wow.

Now in my last exercise for you, so it's a wow moment, I've got three questions for you.

You might think, oh my goodness.

that is a lot of questions, but actually I've been really kind.

I've been really generous with you because I've given you the sentence starter for each one.

So let's have a look at question number one.

Question number one is, at its peak, what was Londinium's population? Question number two, what did the Romans build in Londinium? It's more than one answer.

Make sure you give me lots and lots of examples of things that they built.

And question number three is in which year did the last Roman soldiers leave Brittania? I know that you can remember that one.

So have a go, use my sentence starters, write in full sentence answers.

And then when we come back, we will check our answers.

Ready, steady, go! Guys, I could hear you scribbling your answer! Excellent job.

Well done.

I could tell that you're working really hard.

So let's have a look at the answers to those questions.

So question number one, at its peak, what was Londinium's population? A full sentence answer would be at its peak, Londinium's population was approximately 60,000 people.

Question number two, What the Ro-what did the Romans build in Londinium? So in Londinium, the Romans built temples, bath houses, roads, and the first bridge across the River Thames.

That would give you a bonus point if you got that one.

Question number three, in which year did the last Roman soldiers leave Brittania? The answer to that one was the last Roman soldiers left Brittania in 410 AD.

Awesome job guys.

Well done.

You can now pause the video in order to check and correct your answers.

Great job guys.

Well done for checking your answers.

Now that's the end of the lesson, so well done! Give yourselves a pat on the back, give your ring one kiss Now it's time to complete your end of lesson quiz.

Make sure that you do that.

Don't skip it.

If you'd like to please, ask your parent or carer to share your work.

They can do it on Instagram, they can do it on Facebook, they can do it on Twitter, Um, you got to tag @oaknational and the hashtag is learnwithoak.

But please make sure that you ask your parent or carer to do that.

Awesome job guys.

Well done.

I'm really proud of you.

Well done.

And I can't wait to see what we're going to learn in our next lesson.

Well done.

See you later.