Murder and crime is caused by greed, need, jealousy, desperation, and insanity. London, the financial and capital city of England is no stranger to the excesses of its turbulent citizens—their past misdemeanors enrich the fabric of this great city. Here are some of the most infamous crimes committed in the capital in its long history.  Tales are included from the dark recesses of the Middle Ages to the turbulent eighteenth century with its nascent press and the "great" Victorian age where pleasures and vices ran hand in hand, where excesses dominated the London scene and social and economic extremes were the norm. The early twentieth century is also treated with some of the most high-profile cases that have necessitated changes in the law.