The Tower Of London Essay, Research Paper
The Tower of London, the oldest bastioned castle in Europe, was built by William the Conqueror
in the late 1000 & # 8217 ; s. It has served as a fortress, prison, castle, and the concluding resting-place of many people
( & # 8221 ; Tower of London & # 8221 ; Encarta 1 ) . Its history is full of astonishing and hideous narratives of life and decease. To truly
appreciate this brilliant group of constructions a expression must be taken into its history through it & # 8217 ; s architecture,
utilizations, and those held in the prisons and keeps.
The Tower Of London is non really one tower, it is a group of 13 towers located on 7.5 hectares
of land known as Tower Hill ( & # 8221 ; Tower of London & # 8221 ; Encarta 1 ) . To the South of the tower is the Thames
Rivers, which used to feed a fosse that was drained in 1830. The general form of the tower is a square with
two lines of defensive walls environing it. The outer wall is defended by six towers on the river face, and
there are two semi-circular bastions at the nor’-east and northwest corners ( Tower of London Virtual Tour
3 ) . The original tower, besides known as the White Tower, is flanked by four turrets ( Encarta 1 ) . By looking
carefully at the architecture of the tower you can see the painstaking craft put into every small
item.
The group of 13 towers jointly known as the Tower of London has five countries, which are
particularly interesting. One such tower was the Lion Tower, called so because it one time housed the royal
managerie. Often bear baiting public presentations were held here ( Virtual Tour of the Tower of London 4 ) . The
Bell Tower is known by this name because of the campanile located at the top of it. The bell in the campanile was
used as a warning system of an oncoming onslaught from enemies to the English ( Virtual Tour of the Tower of
London 6 ) . Another edifice is the celebrated Bloody Tower, which is called this because it is the location of
the slaying of Princ
e Edward V and the Richard, the Duke of York ( Virtual Tour of the Tower of London
9 ) . The oldest tower is the White Tower, which is the great cardinal support. It was one time used as the place of the
authorities and the place of the royal household ( Virtual Tour of the Tower of London 10 ) . Another ill-famed
country of the Tower of London is the site of the block tungsten!
here a scaffold was erected and all of the executings were performed so that the populace could watch ( Virtual
Tour of the Tower of London 14 ) .
One of the most celebrated utilizations of the Tower of London was as a prison and concluding resting-place for
many members of the English royal household. One such individual was Lady Jane Grey. Grey was queen for nine
yearss until her ain male parent lead a revolution that took her out of power and put the rightful inheritor to the throne
in. Later Grey & # 8217 ; s male parent placed her in prison and was forced to hold her executed to demo his trueness to the
queen ( Hamlin 1 ) . Another ill-famed slaying was that of Anne Boleyn. Boleyn was married to Henry VIII,
but after a piece Henry became tired with her and decided to dump her for his kept woman Jane Seymore. So
Henry had Anne Brought up on the charges of lese majesty, criminal conversation, and incest, and Anne was beheaded
( Hibbert 70 ) . Other celebrated captives killed at the Tower of London include, Edward V, Richard Duke of
York, Archbishop Crammer, Bishops Ridley and Latimer, and Sir Walter Raleigh ( Tower of London
Virtual Tour 9 ) .
As you can see the Tower of London is a window into the rich history of England through its
architecture, uses, and those imprisoned and executed at that place. The tower & # 8217 ; s history shows how different the
clip of Elizabethan age and the old ages predating it are so different from today, through the subtle
differences in architecture and quality craft. Clearly the Tower of London is a perfect illustration of a
window into the life and times of those populating in Elizabethan England.
