In 1793, Britain declared war on France. Until 1815 the two nations were engaged in the first total war in history. The wars placed a huge burden on the British Exchequer, banks and family trades failed, ancient liberties were under threat, poor people starved. The City of London played a significant role and became the world’s first global financial centre.
It supported the British Government in military spending, enabling the country to defeat Napoleon at Waterloo. This walk in the City will reveal how the Napoleonic Wars affected bankers, traders, livery men and ordinary people, discovering significant areas and highlighting moments and heroes of those times.
