London 1500-1700: The Making of the Metropolis

Book by Beier, A.L., Finlay, Roger

London became a world city during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Between 1550 and 1700, it quadrupled in size from 120,000  inhabitants to almost half a million. In 1500, it was merely a national capital containing four percent of the English population; by 1700, it had become a major metropolis with almost ten percent. 

The present collection of studies (all especially written for the volume) explains many of the economic and social implications of this vast expansion.  The Introduction draws special attention to the centralization of English government and economy and shows how London both reflected new developments, and itself became a powerful force for change.