Tower of London

The Tower of London

There are many famous historic places in the world, and there are especially many historic places in England. The city of London, England, is a city of history dating back to the Roman Empire. London has famous cathedrals, castles, squares, and other sites of historical significance. One of the oldest, and the most famous, castle in London is the Tower of London. The Tower has stood for 907 years as a symbol of power of the English monarchy (Fletcher Internet).

The Tower's origins began with a rumor that King Edward III, Edward the Confessor, promised William of Normandy, the Duke of Normandy, the English throne after Edward was deceased (Sedivy Internet). On is deathbed, however, Edward gave his throne to Harold Godwinson, Earl of Wessex. When news reached Normandy that there was a new King of England, King Harold II, William was so enraged at the betrayal that he formed an army, and sailed across the English Channel to seize the English throne by force. On October 14, 1066, William defeated Harold II of England, the King of England, at the Battle of Hastings. William's victory over Harold II earned William the title of William the Conqueror. William's ultimate victory came on Christmas Day in 1066 when William the Conqueror was coroneted as William I, King of England (Tower of London Internet).

As a foreign king, William needed to dominate his new subjects. The best way to do this was to build castles that dominated the entirety of his new kingdom. In 1078, William chose to build his most famous castle on the largest hill that lay along the north side of the Thames River. William claimed that this Tower would be the "symbol of his power, a fortress of his defense, and a prison for his enemies" (Fisher Internet). The tower William boasted about would become the White Tower. William oversaw the construction of the Tower until it was finished 20 years later, in 1097 (Fisher Internet). Initially, the Tower consisted of a structure with a total of four towers, one at each corner, surrounded by a stone wall that was, in turn, surrounded by outside ditches (Tower of London Internet). Over the centuries, various English kings have changed the appearance to the Tower. Mostly, the Tower was expanded, but there were some instances were the Tower grounds were reduced. Around the year 1240, King Henry III made the White Tower his home. Henry III expanded the Tower grounds, added a church, and a great hall. He then renamed the whole area the Tower of London. Today, the Tower grounds cover a far more immense area than it originally did, and it now consists of eight towers (Fisher Internet).

The Tower is most famous for being a prison for enemies of the English crown. Depending upon your status, a stay as a prisoner in the Tower could be quite pleasant, or it could have been a torturous end to one's life. If a commoner was imprisoned in the Tower, he might have been put on the Rack. The Rack was a device that a person was placed upon, and had his arms and legs tied to two turning wheels. The torturer would then crank the ropes away from the prisoner. The torture cranked the ropes till the prisoners joints were pulled apart, and their muscles were ripped (Realm of Elizabeth book).

Executions for aristocrats and commoners were performed in the tower, as well. Executions in the Tower were performed on either the Tower Green, for private executions, or on Tower Hill, for public executions. The Tower Green is located near the small chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula. Private executions were considered an honor among aristocrats because the condemned would not be shamed by having their death entertain commoners. Most executions, however, were performed on Tower Hill for the public to watch. Executions were a common form of entertainment during the time, and they showed the commoners the power of their king (Fisher Internet).

If the prisoner was a member of the aristocracy, and was not going to be executed soon, then he would have most of the luxuries he would have had at home. For example, the very first prisoner kept in the Tower was Ranulf, the Bishop of Durham, lived very well. Ranulf bribed the guards to bring him things he desired to make his stay more comfortable. Ranulf hosted banquets that he invited his guards to in order to make friends, and to gain their trust. After a banquet in February of 1110, the well fed and very drunk guards did not take notice as Ranulf escaped (Fisher Internet).

The famed English explorer Sir Walter Raleigh spent two terms imprisoned in the Tower from 1603 to 1616. Like Ranulf, Raleigh had lavish amenities, for a prisoner, during his stay. Raleigh's wife and two servants lived in the Tower with him constantly, and his two sons stayed with him periodically. Raleigh spent most of his time in the Tower writing his book, the "History of the World." Raleigh was released temporarily to lead an expedition into the "New World" to find the legendary City of Gold, El Dorado. Of course, Raleigh never found El Dorado. His failure meant a second term in the Tower that ended with his execution at Westminster Abbey.

The saddest story of any Tower