ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the political and social landscape of London and England in the years before the Great Fire, particularly the crucial contexts of the Restoration, Anglo-Dutch War and the 1665 Plague. Using a range of primary sources, it details how the Fire spread across the City of London and outlying areas, including the destruction of major buildings such as St Paul’s Cathedral. It then discusses the immediate aftermath of the Fire, including the flight of Londoners from the flames, showing that despite the scale of destruction there was no major breakdown in social order.
