Upper photo: Tower of London
Lower photo: entrance through the Byward Towers
defended by the moat and drawbridge
Post-Hastings William I wanted to stake his claim to Saxon lands and to control hostile subjects. Clergyman Gundulf (1024–1108), who designed castles & churches in France, became Bishop of Rochester in 1077 and was asked to design the new fortress-castle. In 1078, William ordered building the White Tower of London, a 90’ high square tower with tapering walls, soaring up over London. The 1st floor had living quarters, soldiers’ refectory, dormitory and Romanesque Chapel of St John. The 2nd floor’s rooms were for the constable/Tower’s commander: a great hall, chapel gallery, meeting room and living-rooms. And there was a cellar.
The Tower took 20 years to build, only finished when William II had a stone wall built around the Tower. Then Gundulf began a stone curtain-wall enclosing land between the Tower and river. Under Henry III (r1216-72) and Edward I (r1272-1307), the Tower reached today’s basic design: the central White Tower surrounded by two curtain walls with their 20 towers. The main C13th entrance was via two cylindrical Byward Towers and defended by the moat and drawbridge.
Two of the Tower’s early prisoners of state were King John the Good of France, taken in Battle of Poitiers in 1356; Charles Duke of Orléans, captured at Agincourt in 1415.
When King Edward IV died in 1483, Richard Duke of Gloucester became lord protector of his son Edward V. Gloucester put Edward and his young brother Richard Duke of York in the Tower, awaiting Edward V’s coronation. But spurred on by Gloucester, Parliament made the 2 princes illegitimate, confirming Gloucester as King Richard III. Were the young Princes in the Tower murdered in the Tower in mid 1483?
Inmates wrote of torture in Bell Tower records and torture objects used in 1500s & 1600s are in the Royal Armouries.
By the 1500s Henry VII abandoned his Tower Palace home after losing his firstborn son. His most lasting contribution was founding the Tower Yeomen of the Guard, direct ancestors of today’s Yeoman Warders/beefeaters.
2 of Henry’s wives went to the Tower. Anne Boleyn gave him one daughter (later Elizabeth I) but no sons, so Anne was arrested for treason & executed in 1536. Henry’s 5th wife, Catherine Howard, was arrested & executed for adultery.
Inevitably the Catholics and Protestants battled on. Young King Edward VI, who’d been raised a Protestant, created his Device for the Succession (1553), disinheriting his Catholic half-sister Mary and his Protestant half-sister Elizabeth. Instead his crown passed through his aunt’s line to her Protestant granddaughter Jane Grey. But noone told Jane & only 3 days after Edward’s death in 1553 she became became queen anyhow. Queen Jane quickly lost the support of her entire Privy Council; in 1553 the Catholic Mary was formally declared by Parliament as the next monarch. And although Queen Mary reluctantly signed Jane’s death warrant, Jane’s trial and execution quickly followed.
Two of the Tower’s early prisoners of state were King John the Good of France, taken in Battle of Poitiers in 1356; Charles Duke of Orléans, captured at Agincourt in 1415.
When King Edward IV died in 1483, Richard Duke of Gloucester became lord protector of his son Edward V. Gloucester put Edward and his young brother Richard Duke of York in the Tower, awaiting Edward V’s coronation. But spurred on by Gloucester, Parliament made the 2 princes illegitimate, confirming Gloucester as King Richard III. Were the young Princes in the Tower murdered in the Tower in mid 1483?
Inmates wrote of torture in Bell Tower records and torture objects used in 1500s & 1600s are in the Royal Armouries.
By the 1500s Henry VII abandoned his Tower Palace home after losing his firstborn son. His most lasting contribution was founding the Tower Yeomen of the Guard, direct ancestors of today’s Yeoman Warders/beefeaters.
Yeomen of the Guard
guarded the tower interior, including the crown jewels
Then the site became a notorious prison, the Tower’s most famous prisoners being gaoled by nasty King Henry VIII. When Henry sought to divorce Catherine of Aragon and split from the Catholic Church, Thomas More wouldn’t accept the king as supreme head of the Church of England. More was gaoled in the Tower, convicted of treason and executed.
2 of Henry’s wives went to the Tower. Anne Boleyn gave him one daughter (later Elizabeth I) but no sons, so Anne was arrested for treason & executed in 1536. Henry’s 5th wife, Catherine Howard, was arrested & executed for adultery.
Inevitably the Catholics and Protestants battled on. Young King Edward VI, who’d been raised a Protestant, created his Device for the Succession (1553), disinheriting his Catholic half-sister Mary and his Protestant half-sister Elizabeth. Instead his crown passed through his aunt’s line to her Protestant granddaughter Jane Grey. But noone told Jane & only 3 days after Edward’s death in 1553 she became became queen anyhow. Queen Jane quickly lost the support of her entire Privy Council; in 1553 the Catholic Mary was formally declared by Parliament as the next monarch. And although Queen Mary reluctantly signed Jane’s death warrant, Jane’s trial and execution quickly followed.
(ex Queen) Jane Grey was executed, 1553
Historic UK
Queen Mary’s fears about usurpers continued. She gaoled her half sister, Princess Elizabeth-whom Mary believed had masterminded the plots. So in 1554, 20-year-old Elizabeth was also kept under house arrest in the Tower, living as mum Anne Boleyn had. Still, finding no evidence of treason, Mary moved Elizabeth from the Tower to house-arrest elsewhere.
Mary died in 1558 and Elizabeth took the throne. The new queen still used the Tower to hold enemies of the crown; from Walter Raleigh to Guy Fawkes, infamous prisoners and deaths at the Tower maintained its notorious reputation. Even Samuel Pepys was accused of complicity in the Popish Plot, selling naval secrets to France and piracy. He was imprisoned there in 1679 and eventually discharged, but was later re-gaoled for plotting to restore exiled King James.
The Tower also stored chancery records, relating to diplomatic correspondence and government decisions, plus property ownership documents and taxation. The Records Office was in the Wakefield Tower, the largest in the Tower of London complex, where it remained until 1858. Only then did the Public Records Office move to Chancery Lane.
Now the blood has been cleaned up, the Tower is London’s most famous tourist site. Admire the Crown Jewels, including the coronation regalia worn at a new monarch’s investiture, and the ceremonial regalia worn at the State Opening of Parliament. St Edward’s Crown is a C17th replacement for Saxon King Edward the Confessor’s crown.
Mary died in 1558 and Elizabeth took the throne. The new queen still used the Tower to hold enemies of the crown; from Walter Raleigh to Guy Fawkes, infamous prisoners and deaths at the Tower maintained its notorious reputation. Even Samuel Pepys was accused of complicity in the Popish Plot, selling naval secrets to France and piracy. He was imprisoned there in 1679 and eventually discharged, but was later re-gaoled for plotting to restore exiled King James.
The Tower also stored chancery records, relating to diplomatic correspondence and government decisions, plus property ownership documents and taxation. The Records Office was in the Wakefield Tower, the largest in the Tower of London complex, where it remained until 1858. Only then did the Public Records Office move to Chancery Lane.
Now the blood has been cleaned up, the Tower is London’s most famous tourist site. Admire the Crown Jewels, including the coronation regalia worn at a new monarch’s investiture, and the ceremonial regalia worn at the State Opening of Parliament. St Edward’s Crown is a C17th replacement for Saxon King Edward the Confessor’s crown.
Crown jewels
British Heritage
.jpeg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
30 comments:
Hello Hels, When I was in London I attempted to visit the Tower, but it was closed for repairs. As was Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's. Still, I found plenty to see and do.
As for the parlous life of the English royalty of that era, so vividly recounted by you, it seems that little has changed, except that instead of direct imprisonment in the Tower and later beheading, they now have Execution by Tabloid.
--Jim
p.s. A cousin of mine, Milton Waldman, wrote several books on those early British royals.
Not sure if this is true, though out time and even today one can stay in the tower.
We visited the Tower 2 years ago and it was a great experience. Very entertaining and informative. I enjoyed reading your post and love your photos. Thanks.
During the Wars of the Roses, Henry VI was murdered here in 1471 and, later, the children of his great rival Edward IV, the Princes in the Tower, vanished within its walls in 1483. In 1674, two skeletons were unearthed at the Tower. The bones were re-examined in 1933 and proved to be those of two boys aged 12 and 10, the same ages as the princes when they disappeared.
Quite a sordid line with all the jealousy and suspicions, imprisonment and beheadings. I'm rather glad none of that still happens.
I would love to visit it
I've seen a few interesting documentaries about the towers and those that have lived in it, always enjoyed them as I did reading what you wrote, Hels. Thank you.
A place to visit for sure
We found it a little underwhelming, but I am pleased we visited. The Tower's history is very interesting, and bloody.
ohh Parnassus,
Milton Waldman was your cousin? Of his books, I would most like to look for "Lady Mary: a biography of Mary Tudor" and "Sir Walter Raleigh" in our state library!
And he married Barbara Guggenheim!!! What a mixture of scholarship and loss.
peppylady
you cannot. Once the tower closes, 4.30 PM in winter and 5.30 PM in summer, the guards lock it all up. Visitors are encouraged to stay at one of the lovely nearby hotels and start on their tower experience in the morning.
gluten Free
I haven't travelled overseeas since Covid started, but fortunately spouse and I spent 2 years living and working in the UK in the 1970s, plus plenty of breaks in June-July since. Thank goodness I saw all the main historical sites years ago, mainly in England, less in Scotland and Ireland, but not in Wales at all.
Although I was quite anxious inside the Tower, but it was worth it totally!
Historic Royal Palaces
I wonder why after the two skeletons were unearthed at the Tower, people still weren't convinced they were the young princes. And when the bones were re-examined in 1933 and were the right sizes for boys aged 12 and 10, they should have been even more convinced.
Otherwise who was killing young lads and hiding the bodies in the Tower?
River
not only in Britain, but in other royal families in Europe etc.
Think of Archduke Franz Ferdinand whose assassination in Sarajevo was a deliberate death inside his own empire, leading to WWI. And Russia's whole Romanov Family who were gunned down by a Bolshevik firing squad in a Yekaterinburg basement after the Russian Revolution.
Ruby Rose
visit the Tower as soon as you can, yes. If you have time, read up on the relevant histories or see the excellent SBS series "Inside the Tower of London" on tv. Allow some 2.5 hours to see most of the collections, the least crowded times being early in the morning and during winter.
Margaret
The documentaries that I have seen were also very interesting, yes indeed.
I would normally prefer a personal inspection of the Tower , but in these days of wars overseas, unreliable plane services and decreasing income/rising prices here, docos are excellent.
roentare
you are a nomad. You must have a list of all the places you would love to see over the next decade or so. Before you are too old or poor to travel freely :)
The next place I would love to visit would be Singapore.
Andrew
I know exactly what you mean. Because I am not very interested in history before the Norman Conquest, I am a bit underwhelmed by sites from the ancient world - Greek, Roman and the Byzantine Empire.
But show me Huis ten Bosch in the Hague and you won't get me to leave.
One visit is never enough to appreciate all that the Tower of London has to offer.
Boa noite minha querida amiga Helen. Obrigado pela maravilhosa aula de história. Se eu não estiver enganado, o Rei Henrique VIII, foi criador da Igreja Anglicana. Infelizmente, nunca saí do Brasil. Confesso, que antes de conhecer outro país, gostaria de viver mais pelo Brasil. Uma excelente noite de sábado e um grande abraço do seu amigo brasileiro.
I loved visiting there several years ago. I remembered it as a prison, but I forgot the story that came before that. How it was used as a castle home. I enjoyed reading this, and refreshing my memory about the Tower too. Happy rest of y our weekend Hels.
The Tower is one of my favourite London sites. Having turned the moat into a wild flower meadow a couple of years ago, it is transformed in the summer into a riot of colour. FYI the Armouries have now moved to the Royal Armoury in Leeds.
jabblog
I only got 4 weeks of paid holiday a year and fitting in everything I wanted to see was always problematic. Both because some sites are too complex to squish into one visit (eg Tower of London, Louvre) or sometimes I have to focus on 2 or 3 cities only in one trip.
This wasn't a problem since I always knew I would be back to visit my passions into the future - until Covid started. Now the travel plans have to be even more cautious.
Luiz
Catholic faithfulness to Rome certainly did end under King Henry VIII. And soon Parliament passed a supporting Act (Restraint of Appeals 1533), barring legal cases from being appealed outside England.
However the Protestant Reformation had already been initiated by the German monk Martin Luther.
Erika
That is exactly why I recommend people should read up on a site BEFORE they leave home. I knew quite a lot of British history from this era, but I had no idea whatsoever about Henry VII founding the Tower Yeomen of the Guard. I had thought The beefeaters were there to entice the crowds and entertain them.
Fun60
Who knew? Many thanks.
In medieval times, the Moat was teeming with fish, an important source of food for the hundreds of nobles and servants in the royal household. By the 1840s the moat water had become polluted. Ordered by Constable of the Tower Duke of Wellington, the moat was drained and used as a parade ground and recreation area for the Tower’s residents. In WW2, the Moat was used as an allotment where residents grew food to supplement their rations.In 2014, the Moat was flooded with poppies.
https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/whats-on/the-tower-moat/
The Tower of London is such a fascinating place where the stones themselves seem to whisper about the centuries of drama, from the Crown Jewels to those poor young princes. It is quite a contrast to think of it as a grand palace for the early kings while knowing it later became such a dreaded prison for figures like Anne Boleyn and Samuel Pepys. It truly is a must-see for anyone wanting to walk through the real heart of English history
Melody,
thanks for mentioning Samuel Pepys.
In 1679, Pepys was arrested and sent to the Tower of London. He was charged with piracy, for stealing goods taken from Dutch ships while he was in the navy. This was a crime. And he profited from the transatlantic slave trade through his business investments, which was not a crime.
Yet he was imprisoned in the Tower of London after being accused of involvement in the Popish plot of 1678, an incorrect anti-Catholic plot!
Inside the Tower of London is an excellent tv series that started in 2018 on Channel 5.
An access-all-areas look at the Tower of London, one of the most iconic landmarks in Britain, that uncovers secrets from its 900-year history.
HRP
Many thanks for all the series. I watched quite a number of the programmes and thought they were very well written eg royal palace of Henry VIII; story of teenage Queen Lady Jane Grey; Crown Jewels; end of World War One etc.
I had less interest in what the Raven Master fed his birds.
Post a Comment