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The Anglo-Saxon period in London’s history began after the Roman period ended in the 5th century and lasted until the start of the Norman period in 1066.

Romano-British Londinium was left by the late 5th century, but the London Wall remained unchanged. By the early 7th century, an Anglo-Saxon settlement named Lundenwic was established about one mile west of Londinium, north of the current Strand. Lundenwic was controlled by Mercia around 670. After the death of Offa of Mercia in 796, control of the area was disputed between Mercia and Wessex.

Viking attacks became common after the 830s. A Viking army is believed to have stayed inside the old Roman walls during the winter of 871. In 886, Alfred the Great restored English control of London and repaired its defenses. The old Roman walls were fixed, and the defensive ditch was dug again. The old Roman city became the main place where people lived, and the city was then called Lundenburh, marking the start of the history of the City of London. Sweyn Forkbeard attacked London in 996 and 1013 but failed. His son, Cnut the Great, finally took control of London and all of England in 1016.

Edward the Confessor became king in 1042. He built Westminster Abbey, the first large Romanesque church in England, completed in 1065, and the first Palace of Westminster. These buildings were located just upstream from the city. Edward’s death caused a problem over who would be the next king, leading to the Norman invasion of England.

Lundenwic

In the first half of the 5th century, Roman control over London ended, leaving the people who had lived there during the Roman period to manage their own lives. By 457, the city was nearly empty. There is no evidence that anyone lived inside the city walls for the next 200 years.

Over the next few centuries, people from modern-day Germany, the Netherlands, and Denmark arrived. These people are now called "Anglo-Saxons." Instead of living in the old, overgrown Roman city, Anglo-Saxons first settled outside the walls, only entering the city to search for supplies or explore. One Saxon poet called the Roman ruins "the work of giants." The Anglo-Saxons did not continue the Romano-British culture. Instead, they introduced their own styles of building, types of pottery, language, place names, and religion. Cemeteries from this early Anglo-Saxon period have been found in places like Mitcham, Greenwich, Croydon, and Hanwell in Ealing.

By the 670s, the Anglo-Saxons had created a port town called Lundenwic near what is now Covent Garden. The name comes from the old Roman name Londinium and includes the Old English word wic, meaning "trading town." Excavations in 1985 and 2005 uncovered an Anglo-Saxon settlement from the 7th century. This settlement stretched along what is now the Strand, or "the beach." In the early 8th century, the Venerable Bede described Lundenwic as "a mart of many peoples coming by land and sea."

By about 600, Anglo-Saxon England was divided into several small kingdoms, later known as the Heptarchy. Although the Venerable Bede, writing in the 730s, called London the capital of the Kingdom of Essex, it was a border town between three larger kingdoms: Mercia, Kent, and Wessex. Evidence from coins and documents suggests that the kingdom of Mercia controlled London from around 670 until 870, especially during the long rule of Offa. After Offa’s death in 796, control of London was disputed between Mercia and Wessex.

In 597, Pope Gregory the Great began efforts to bring Christianity back to southern Britain. He sent Augustine of Canterbury to work with Æthelberht of Kent, and London received Mellitus, its first post-Roman Bishop of London in 601. Mellitus started building the first St. Paul’s Cathedral near the western end of the old walled city. However, this early attempt to bring Christianity to London ended when Mellitus was forced out by pagans after Æthelberht’s death in 616.

The bishopric of London was permanently re-established in 675 when the Archbishop of Canterbury, Theodore of Tarsus, chose Earconwald as bishop. Although there is little evidence of Christian activity in 7th-century London, by the 8th century, the city had become a major center of Christianity.

Viking attacks

London faced attacks from Vikings, which became more frequent around 830. In 842, London was attacked in a raid that a chronicler called "the great slaughter." In 851, a group of Vikings, said to have 350 ships, attacked the city to take its goods.

In 865, the Viking Great Heathen Army invaded the small kingdom of East Anglia. They took over East Anglia, Mercia, and Northumbria and nearly controlled most of Anglo-Saxon England. By 871, they had reached London and are believed to have camped inside the old Roman walls during the winter of that year.

In 878, West Saxon forces led by Alfred the Great defeated the Vikings at the Battle of Ethandun. This victory forced the Viking leader Guthrum to ask for peace. The Treaty of Wedmore and the later Treaty of Alfred and Guthrum divided England and created the Danish-controlled Danelaw.

Lundenburh

By 886, English rule in London was restored. Alfred worked quickly to build fortified towns, called burhs, across southern England to strengthen his kingdom's defenses. London was one of these towns. Within ten years, the area inside the old Roman walls was rebuilt and named Lundenburh, which means "Fortress London." The old Roman walls were repaired, and the defensive ditch was dug again. These changes marked the start of the modern City of London, whose boundaries still partly follow the ancient city walls. The Roman roads inside the walls had mostly disappeared due to overgrowth and time, so new roads were built that closely match London's modern street layout. Today, most place names in London are from the Anglo-Saxon period.

As the center of Lundenburh shifted back inside the Roman walls, the original Lundenwic was mostly abandoned. Over time, it was called Ealdwic, meaning "old settlement." This name remains today as Aldwych.

10th century London

Alfred appointed his son-in-law, Earl Æthelred of Mercia, the ruler of the former kingdom of Mercia, as Governor of London. He also created two protected areas to defend the bridge, which was likely rebuilt around this time. The southern part of the bridge became known as Southwark or Suthringa Geworc, meaning "a defensive structure built by the people of Surrey." From this point, the city of London began to develop its own local government system.

After Æthelred's death, London was directly controlled by English kings. Alfred's son, Edward the Elder, reclaimed much land from Danish rule. By the early 10th century, London had become an important trading center. Although Winchester was the political capital of England, London grew in significance. Æthelstan held royal meetings in London and made laws there. Æthelred the Unready chose London as his capital and issued his Laws of London from there in 978.

The Vikings' return

From 994, during the rule of Æthelred, Vikings began attacking again, led by Sweyn Forkbeard of Denmark. In 1013, London was captured, and Æthelred had to leave the country. The next year, Æthelred returned with his ally, the Norwegian king Olaf, and took back control of London.

After Æthelred died on April 23, 1016, his son Edmund Ironside was declared king. Sweyn’s son, Cnut the Great, continued the attacks, targeting Warwickshire and moving north through eastern Mercia in early 1016. By the end of the year, Cnut became king of all England. He was crowned in London during Christmas, and the nobility officially recognized him in January 1017 at Oxford.

Cnut was briefly succeeded by his sons, Harold Harefoot and Harthacnut. Later, the Saxon line was restored when Edward the Confessor became king in 1042.

Edward the Confessor and the Norman invasion

After Harthacnut died on June 8, 1042, Godwin, the most powerful English earl, helped Edward become king. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle recorded that Edward was already widely supported before Harthacnut’s burial, as people in London chose him as their king.

In 1043, Robert of Jumièges became Bishop of London. The Vita Ædwardi Regis states that he was Edward’s most trusted advisor. When Edward named Robert Archbishop of Canterbury in 1051, he selected Spearhafoc, a skilled craftsman, to replace Robert as bishop of London. However, Spearhafoc was never officially confirmed in the position.

West of London on Thorney Island in the Thames, there was an old abbey dedicated to St. Peter. In 1051, Edward the Confessor began to build this church into what is now called Westminster Abbey. Edward is regarded as its founder and is buried there. The abbey was officially completed on December 28, 1065. The following year, William of Normandy invaded England, becoming William I, and marked the end of the Saxon era in London.

The average height of Londoners reached its highest level before the 20th century, with men averaging 5 feet 8 inches (173 cm) and women averaging 5 feet 4 1⁄4 inches (163 cm).

By 1066, London may have had a population of about 20,000.