This is a concise history of a vital two hundred years in London's life. What London was, and what it was to be a Londoner, were utterly transformed in the period from 1500-1700 and Vanessa Harding here explores London's development from a medieval city into the sprawling metropolis reshaped by Sir Christopher Wren after the devastating effects of plague and fire. The city's population grew tenfold during these years and Dr Harding shows how its social structures were revolutionised and how London fostered the evolution of a modern society, secular, leisured, comfortable and consuming. Finally, she explores the place of London within the nation, looking at how the city came to exercise such enormous influence on the nation's political, economic and cultural life. This is essential reading for anyone interested in the history of the city or in London as a setting for theatrical and literary culture.