Anthology Leads: Kate McPherson and Kate Moncrief.
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The Tower of London is known for its long history as a palace, fortress, and site of royal intrigue. Construction on the Tower had begun by the 1070s, after the Norman King William the Conqueror invaded from France and took control of the English crown at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The Tower was built as one of three fortresses intended to secure the city and to act as a display of Norman power. Construction of the Tower, including lavish living quarters, prisons, and further defensive fortifications, continued until about 1350. Throughout its time, the Tower has been used as a royal residence, a prison, the location of the royal mint, a storehouse for treasure and munitions, and a site for many other important happenings.
The Tower’s construction is defined by its many protective layers, including thick walls and a moat. In its original form, the Tower’s most prominent feature was the White Tower, named after Henry III had the central, four-turreted castle keep painted white. As time went on, features such as additional towers, a curtain wall, chapels, and living quarters were added to the Tower. Inside the walls of the Tower lie a medieval castle, living quarters for the Tower’s live-in guards (called the
The Tower, while symbolizing the power of the English monarchy with its intimidating presence on the London skyline, was seldom used as a royal residence, although new monarchs typically spent the night before their coronation there. The royal family would most often find themselves living there during times of international or internal political turmoil. Many of its improved fortifications were made by kings seeking to protect themselves from threats to the Crown. While the Tower remains an official royal residence, the reign of Henry VIII saw the end of the royal family’s use of the Tower as consistent housing. The Tower’s primary use transitioned in the later Tudor period to a state prison for high profile prisoners.
The Tower is perhaps most famously known for the gory aspects of its history. It was used as a prison for people accused of treason or heresy. Famous prisoners held at the Tower include Sir Thomas More, Lady Jane Grey, and two of Henry VIII’s wives. Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard. The Tower has been utilized as a prison as recently as World War II, when German prisoners such as Josef Jakobs and Rudolf Hess were kept, and, in the case of Jakobs, executed there.
Contrary to popular belief, only a few executions were performed within the walls of the Tower. Rather, most prisoners were brought to nearby Tower Hill, where they were publicly executed by a headsman using an axe. Their heads were mounted on spikes at the Tower or on nearby London Bridge (which was the main bridge into the City prior to the 18th century; the current Tower Bridge was not opend until 1894). The headless corpses of most executed prisoners were given a pauper’s grave. Throughout its history, only ten recorded executions have been performed within the actual walls of the fortress. Two of these prisoners included the wives of King Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, along with Lady Jane Grey, who reigned as Queen for only nine days in 1553.
Historians are not certain, but it is generally believed that Henry VI was murdered in the chapel in Wakefield Tower, part of the medieval palace complex closest to the river. Most historians believe that Richard III, seeking to maintain his possession of the throne, had the two young sons of Edward IV imprisoned and murdered at the Tower, although it cannot be proven and has given rise to vocal defenses of Richard III. However, the remains of two boys were discovered hidden in a stairwell at the White Tower in 1674, and forensic testing in 1933 further confirmed the theory that these were the remains of the two young princes. Rumors regarding the fate of the princes in the Tower contributed to Richard’s villainous reputation, which Shakespeare enhanced in his 1595 play. Certainly, a part of modern audiences’ fascination with the Tower is tied to these incidents of mysterious royal intrigue.