This study of the relationship between the City of London and the Crown in the reigns of Edward VI and Mary brings together the results of original research, based principally on the records of the City Corporation, the City livery companies and the central government, and the work of other historians of sixteenth century London, in particular G D Ramsay, S Rappaport, S Brigden, and I Archer. It examines the interaction between the central and civic governments in a number of areas of mutual concern: finance, overseas and internal trade, taxation, war and rebellion, high politics, patronage and pageantry. In the course of the study an attempt is made to trace the development of the City as a financial centre, to explore its role in relation to the royal debt and to analyse the reasons for the withdrawal and the subsequent restoration of Hanseatic privileges in England. Other issues used to illustrate the liaison between the state and the capital in the mid-sixteenth century include the chantry legislation of 1548, the rebellions of 1549 and 1554, the coups d'etat of 1549 and 1553, and the pageantry provided by the City for Edward VI, Mary and Philip II. The conclusion reached is that, although the Crown had particular need of the capital at this period, both financially, in relation to taxation and to the royal debt, and politically, to validate its regime and to enforce its policies, the relationship was not one-sided. The City establishment continued to require central government support to legitimise its rule, to further the trade of its merchants, to ensure adequate supplies of commodities in the capital and, most importantly, to retain its liberties and privileges.