Let’s start with the Thames. Sounds boring, right? But here’s the thing: the Romans, those clever conquerors, set up shop here around 43 AD because the river was deep enough for ships to dock, yet narrow enough to build a bridge. That bridge? It became the only way to cross the river between the coast and the interior for centuries.
Think about that for a second. If you wanted to move goods—wool, grain, stolen treasure—you had to pass through London. And if you pass through, you pay tolls. You buy food. You get stuck in traffic (some things never change). Money flooded in, and with it, power.
