The Tower of London. History of the Tower of London

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

The Tower of London is one of the top attractions in the UK. This is not just a magnificent architectural monument, but a symbol that occupies a significant place in the history of the English monarchy.

Location

The Tower of London is located on the banks of the River Thames. This is one of the oldest buildings in England. During its long history, the Tower managed to visit a palace, a fortress, a prison, an observatory, a zoo, a mint, an arsenal, a repository of the English crown jewels, as well as a place attractive for tourists coming from all over the world.

Construction

The Tower of London was built in several stages. History ascribes the foundation of this building to King William I, who immediately after the conquest of the English lands began to build defensive castles in order to frighten the locals. As part of this large-scale event, in 1078, the Tower was erected on the site of the old wooden fort. It was a large quadrangular fortress measuring 32x36 m, 30 m high. After the death of William I, the next king of England ordered the building to be painted white,after which the building was nicknamed the "White Tower". King Richard the Lionheart built other towers of different heights and powerful fortress walls, encircling the monumental structure in two rows. A deep ditch was dug around the Tower, making it one of the most impregnable defensive structures in Europe.

Famous prisoners

The Tower of London received its first prisoner in 1100. It was Bishop Ralph Flambard, who, by the way, at one time took an active part in the construction of the fortress. The life of the prelate under the castle was very pleasant - he occupied magnificent apartments, used a separate office, ate delicious drinks and dishes. However, the prisoner escaped from the Tower at the first opportunity, using the rope that was handed to him in a jug of wine. The next prisoner, Griffin, Duke of Wales, was imprisoned in the fortress after 150 years and died (crashed) while trying to escape. After that, blue-blooded persons who fell into disgrace regularly became prisoners in the Tower. It was visited by the kings of France and Scotland (John II, Charles of Orleans and James I of Scotland), as well as priests and aristocrats of various degrees and titles. The famous fortress became a place of bloody murders and executions. Young princes were killed here - twelve-year-old Edward V and his brother Richard, King Henry VI was killed.

Prisoners were housed in free rooms, the terms of restriction of freedom could be any. FounderPennsylvania in North America, William Penn ended up in the Tower for his religious beliefs and spent eight months there. The Duke of Orleans, Charles, was imprisoned in the fortress for a long 25 years and left after paying a huge ransom for him. Reilly W alter - a courtier, scientist and navigator - fell into a privileged prison three times and spent a total of thirteen years in it. He grew tobacco in the fortress garden and brightened up the painful loneliness by writing the multi-volume History of the World.

Matrimonial plans and religious differences

The Tower of London became a sinister place of torture after the accession to the throne of Henry VIII, whose keen desire for a rightful heir made him one of the greatest villains in the history of England. Henry severed relations with the Greco-Roman Church, which refused to recognize his divorce from his first wife, beheaded the second - Anne Boleyn, who failed to give birth to his son, got rid of the fifth - Howard Catherine, who also did not meet all his requests. Under this king, many dignitaries laid down their lives in the Tower.

Edward VI, the next king of England, became a worthy successor to his father and did not skimp on death sentences. The daughter of Henry VIII - Mary - was a zealous Catholic and fiercely fought for the purity of the faith, which also could not do without bloody sacrifices. In addition, the cruel person, once on the throne, immediately beheaded her main rival in the struggle for the throne - sixteen-year-old Lady Jane Grey. Many Protestants died during the reign of Mary, but the next Queen of England - Elizabeth - equalizedaccount and brutally de alt with the Catholics who had previously vexed her. The history of the Tower of London is replete with cruel reprisals against high-ranking persons who fell into disgrace for religious beliefs.

Execution and torture

Several thousand prisoners visited the Tower. However, only two men and five women were honored to be beheaded on the territory of the famous fortress. Three of these dignitaries were queens: Jane Gray (lasted nine days on the throne), Catherine Howard and Anne Boleyn. Less high-born prisoners were executed nearby, on Tower Hill, where numerous lovers of bloody massacres gathered. The body of the executed criminal was to be buried in the fortress. The Tower of London keeps the remains of 1,500 prisoners in its cellars.

Torture of prisoners in the Tower was carried out only with the permission of the official authorities. So, Guy Fawkes, a criminal who tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament, in 1605 ended up on the tower rack. This forced him to name the masterminds of the Gunpowder Plot before his execution.

The Tower is a place of confinement in recent history

After Charles II ascended the English throne, the Tower of London was almost never replenished with prisoners. The last execution on Tower Hill took place in 1747, but the famous tower has been a place of imprisonment in modern times. During the First World War, eleven German spies were imprisoned and then shot here. During the Second World War, the fortress was keptprisoners of war, including Rudolf Hess. The last person executed on the territory of the fortress was Yakov Josef, accused of espionage and shot in 1941. The last prisoners of the Tower were the Kray gangster brothers in 1952.

Another use of the tower

The Tower of London was a popular menagerie of exotic animals. The tradition was founded in the 17th century by Henry III, who received several animals as a gift and arranged for them a residence in the famous fortress. During the reign of Elizabeth I, the zoo was opened to visitors. Only in 1830 the menagerie in the Tower was abolished.

For about 500 years, a branch of the Royal Mint operated in the fortress. In addition, significant legal and government papers were stored in the Tower, as well as military equipment of the royal army and the king himself.

Guarding the fortress and treasures of the British Empire

Special guards in the Tower appeared in 1485. The palace guards of the fortress were nicknamed beefeaters (from the English "beef", which means "beef") for the fact that even in the most difficult years for the country, the diet of the brave guards of the Tower included a substantial portion of meat. Thus, the English monarchy provided itself with reliable defenders.

In the Tower there is a palace "ravenmaster" (raven keeper), whose duties include taking care of a flock of ravens that live on the territory of the fortress. An ancient legend says: if these black birds leave the Tower, then the UK will suffer misfortune. Forto keep crows from flying away, their wings are clipped.

The fortress contains the treasures of the British Empire. They are guarded by special caretakers. Visitors have been able to admire the royal jewels since the 17th century. Famous pieces include the world's largest cut diamond, Cullian I.

Tower Bridge

Another glorious landmark of England is the famous Tower Bridge in London. It got its name because of its proximity to the famous fortress. The drawbridge over the Thames was built between 1886 and 1894. Its length is 244 meters. The structure is located between two towers, the height of which is 65 meters. The central span has a length of 61 meters, it is divided into two wings, which, if necessary, can be raised at an angle of 83 °. Each wing weighs about one thousand tons, however, thanks to special counterweights, it is bred in about one minute. Initially, the span was powered by a water hydraulic system. In 1974, the bridge opening mechanism was equipped with an electric drive.

Pedestrians can cross the bridge even when it is raised – for this, linking towers are provided in the middle part of the structure at a height of 44 m of the gallery. You can climb into them by the stairs located inside the towers. In 1982, the galleries began to function as an observation deck and a museum. Tower Bridge (Tower Bridge) in London is no less popular than the famous fortress itself.