Southampton is a city and English Channel port in Hampshire, a county in southern England. It is situated on a peninsula near the mouth of Southampton Water, between the estuaries of the Rivers Test and Itchen.
Clausentum, a Roman colony on the Itchen's east bank, was founded in 43 CE, and inscribed stones, coins, pottery, and other artefacts were discovered there. Prior to 1086, Southampton (Hamtun, Southampton) took over as a royal borough from the Saxon Hamtun. The first town charter was most likely awarded by King Henry II in 1154-55, although the borough was not formed until 1445. Southampton was founded as a distinct county by Henry VI in 1447. In 1640, Charles I was granted a charter that lasted until 1835.

During the Middle Ages, southampton University tutoring became one of England's major ports, trading wool and hides from the hinterland and importing wine from the Bordeaux region of France. It served as the principal link between the kingdoms of the Norman and Plantagenet rulers in France across the Channel. Parts of the city walls, built of Caen limestone from Normandy and featuring the guildhall over the archway of Bargate, the north gate, are remnants of the city's mediaeval prosperity. St. Michael's Church (11th century and later); King John's Palace (12th century), one of England's oldest domestic buildings; and parts of the city walls, built of Caen limestone from Normandy and featuring the guildhall over the archway of Bargate, the north gate, are remnants.