Editing Oxford (section)

==History==
{{main|History of Oxford}}
{{For timeline}}
The history of Oxford in England dates back to its original settlement in the [[History of Anglo-Saxon England|Saxon period]]. The name “Oxford” comes from the Old English ''Oxenaforda'', meaning “ford of the oxen,” referring to a shallow crossing in the river where oxen could pass.<ref name="Historic UK">{{Cite web |title=The History of Oxford, City of Dreaming Spires |url=https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryMagazine/DestinationsUK/Oxford-City-of-Dreaming-Spires/ |access-date=2025-03-01 |website=Historic UK |language=en-GB}}</ref> The town was of strategic significance, because of the ford and the town's controlling location on the upper reaches of the [[River Thames]] at its confluence with the [[River Cherwell]]

After the Norman Conquest in 1066, Norman lord Robert D’Oyly built [[Oxford Castle]] in 1071 to secure control of the area.<ref name="Historic UK" /> The town grew in national importance during the early [[Norman dynasty|Norman period]].

[[File:Merton College, Oxford from Merton Field.jpg|thumb|left|Merton College was established in 1264]]
Teaching began in the 11th century and by the late 12th century the town was home to the fledgling [[University of Oxford]].<ref>{{cite web |title=A brief history of the University |url=http://www.ox.ac.uk/about_the_university/introducing_oxford/a_brief_history_of_the_university/ |publisher=[[University of Oxford]] |access-date=17 August 2012 |archive-date=2 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110302031633/http://www.ox.ac.uk/about_the_university/introducing_oxford/a_brief_history_of_the_university/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> Tensions sometimes erupted between the scholastic community and the town: in 1209, after a townsperson hanged two scholars for an alleged murder, a number of Oxford academics fled and founded [[University of Cambridge|Cambridge University]]. Town-and-gown conflicts continued, culminating in the [[St Scholastica Day riot|St. Scholastica Day Riot]] of 1355 – a feuding that lasted days and left around 93 students and townspeople dead.

[[Siege of Oxford (1142)|Oxford was besieged]] during [[The Anarchy]] in 1142.<ref>{{cite book|last=Crouch|first=D.|title=The Reign of King Stephen: 1135–1154|edition=2nd|year=2013|publisher=Routledge|location=London|isbn=978-1-31789-297-7|page=203}}</ref> During the Middle Ages, Oxford had an important Jewish community, of which David of Oxford and his wife [[Licoricia of Winchester]] were prominent members.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Abrams |first=Rebecca |title=Licoricia of Winchester: Power and Prejudice in Medieval England |date=2022 |publisher=The Licoricia of Winchester Appeal |isbn=978-1-3999-1638-7 |edition=1st |location=Winchester |publication-date=2022 |pages=57–58 |language=en}}</ref> The university rose to dominate the town.

A heavily ecclesiastical town, Oxford was greatly affected by the changes of the [[English Reformation]]. Oxford’s ecclesiastical institutions were dismantled — the city’s monasteries were closed in the 1530s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History {{!}} University of Oxford |url=https://www.ox.ac.uk/research/engage-with-us/local-community/part-of-oxford/history |access-date=2025-03-01 |website=www.ox.ac.uk |language=en}}</ref> Religious strife touched Oxford directly during the [[Marian persecution]]: the [[Oxford Martyrs]] were tried for heresy here. Bishops [[Hugh Latimer]] and [[Nicholas Ridley (martyr)|Nicholas Ridley]] were burned at the stake in Oxford in October 1555, and the former Archbishop [[Thomas Cranmer]] was executed in March 1556. A Victorian-era monument, the [[Martyrs' Memorial, Oxford|Martyrs’ Memorial]] in St Giles’, now commemorates these events.

Oxford was elevated from town to city status in 1542 when the Diocese of Oxford was created – ''Christ Church'' college chapel was made a cathedral, officially granting Oxford its city privileges.
[[File:Myles Birket Foster The High Oxford.jpg|thumb|left|19th-century view of the [[High Street, Oxford|High Street]] in Oxford]]
During the [[English Civil War]] (1642–1646), [[Charles I of England|Charles I]] made Oxford his de facto capital: he moved his court to Oxford, using the city as his headquarters after being expelled from London.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hargreaves-Mawdsley |first=W. N. |url=http://archive.org/details/oxfordinageofjoh00harg |title=Oxford in the Age of John Locke |date=1973 |publisher=Norman, University of Oklahoma Press |isbn=978-0-8061-1038-7 |pages=41 |language=en}}</ref>

The city began to grow industrially during the 19th century, and had an industrial boom in the early 20th century. Traditional industries included brewing and publishing – Oxford University Press and other print houses were major employers by the 19th century. In 1910 entrepreneur William Morris (later Lord Nuffield) founded a motor car business in Oxford, opening an assembly plant at Cowley.

The city’s population and economy grew with this industrial boom, diversifying beyond the university.