The name "Leeds" came from "Loidis", a word of Celtic origin, also surviving in the nearby place names of Ledston and Ledsham. Leeds was first mentioned in the Doomsday Book of 1086.

Leeds was an agricultural market town in the middle ages, and received its first charter in 1207. In the Tudor period Leeds was mainly a merchant town manufacturing woollen cloths and trading with Europe. At one point nearly half of England's total exports passed through Leeds.

The Industrial Revolution had resulted in the radical growth of Leeds population that had risen to over 150,000 by 1840. The city's industrial growth was catalysed by the introduction of the Aire & Calder Navigation in 1699, Leeds and Liverpool Canal in 1816 and the railway in 1848.

In 1893 Leeds had been granted city status. These industries that developed in the Industrial Revolution had included making machinery for spinning, machine tools, steam engines and gears as well as other industries based on textiles, chemicals and leather and pottery.

Coal was extracted on a large scale and the still functioning Middleton Railway, the first successful commercial steam locomotive railway in the world. The first permanent set of fully automatic traffic lights was installed at the junction of Park Row and Bond Street, Leeds, in 1928.

By the 20th century this social and economic status had started to change with the creation of the academic institutions that are known today as the University of Leeds, Leeds Metropolitan University and Leeds Trinity & All Saints. This period had also witnessed expansion in medical provision particularly Leeds General Infirmary and St James's Hospital.

Since 1950´s manufacturing was on decline but there are still some large engineering firms. The largest make turbine blades, components, alloys, valves and pipelines for the oil industry, switchgear, printers' supplies, copper alloys, surgical and hospital equipment, pumps, motors, radiators.