The Tower of London has been many things over the years such as a fortress, a state prison, a zoo, an armory, repository for the crown jewels, a home for Tudor monarchs, and today a museum. Inside the tower walls has been the last sight for many of its prisoners. Although there were some prisoners that have escaped the tower walls and fled to neighboring countries. William the Conqueror invaded England in 1066 defeating Harold II. Duke William of Normandy built on to the existing castle in 1078. He then ordered the construction of what is now called the White Tower.
It is said to have been completed in 1097. It is called the White tower ever since Henry VIII had it whitewashed. The Tower is very large, nearly 13 acres between the walls of the fortress. The entrance of the White Tower is on the second floor, with a removable staircase. The entrance was designed to make it harder to enter the tower in case of an invasion. The third floor of the White Tower is the Chapel of St.
John the Evangelist. Which is one of the oldest preserved church interiors. The first distinguished prisoner in the tower was the Bishop of Durham. He was very overweight, greedy, and unpopular with nearly everybody. He was sent to the Tower because he stole from nearly everybody in town. His brother and servants dragged him to prison with all of his bags of money.
He lived very well in the tower, since he had a lot of money; he could bribe the guards into getting him whatever he desired. One night in February 1101, he gave a huge banquet with a lot of food and liquor. When he had gotten all of the guards very drunk, he pushed his moneybags through a window and slid down a rope to freedom. Ralph Flambard was one of the first prisoners in the tower. Henry I ordered him to be imprisoned on August 15, 1100. Ralph was an extortioner under William II.
The Essay on If The White House Walls Could Talk
They paint over me so many times as if they could cover up my memories. My memories cannot be covered up or erased, just as your memories they go on forever. I will never forget the Watergate scandal and Richard Nixon or womens rights from the mid-1800s to the 1900s. During the Watergate scandal, President Nixon corrupted justice, created a constitutional crisis, and eventually was forced to ...
He took what money the peasants had and gave it to the King. However, he escaped by lowering a rope out of the window in the White Tower on February 2, 1101. He fled to Normandy where he was then safe. In 1214, Maud Fitzwalter was ordered to stay in the White Tower by the King John. Maud had made repulsing remarks against the King. Therefore King John ordered that her eggs be poisoned.
An egg sent to her by the King poisoned her. Seven carloads of prisoners captured at the castle of Bilham. They were killed at Tower Hill in 1221. Princess Isabella was held in the Tower pending her marriage to Emperor Frederick II in 1223. She was held till 1235 when she then was old enough to be married. She then became Empress and was in wedlock with Emperor Frederick II.
Over 600 Jews were killed at the tower because they would not accept Christian baptism. Many died in the cellar of the White Tower, and the rest were hung in 1282. Sir William Wallace of Scotland fought for his countrys freedom serving in the Guardians of Scotland. Wallace was the catalyst that sparked the revolution. Sir John Mentieth betrayed Wallce to England. King Edward I first tried him for treason and later for all war crimes except treason. Treason could not have been a charge because Sir William Wallace had never sworn allegiance to King Edward I. The trial was however very unfair because Wallace had no representation and could not speak for himself.
He was found guilty by no surprise and was sent to the Tower. His torture began by dragging him behind horses to the place of execution. He was hung until only half conscious, then dropped and tied down. He was castrated and with a dull blade his intestines were ripped out and burned while he was still alive. Finally, the executioners beheaded him. His head was placed on a spike on the London Bridge. His body was quartered and displayed at Newcastle, Berwick, Perth and Stirling.
Nine years after his barbaric murder, at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, the Scots, led by King Robert the Bruce, defeated the English army of Edward II, and so secured that Independence which had made Wallace a martyr. The Knights Templar were a monastic military order formed at the end of the First Crusade to protect pilgrims traveling on route from Europe to the recently captured city of Jerusalem. Within a couple of decades the group became an order with the backing of both the Pope and the collective European monarchies. However, in 1307, the Knights Templar were arrested and put to torture. During these tortures, confessions ranging from spitting on the Holy Cross to worshipping an idol called Baphomet were given. The last Grand Master was Jacques de Molay, which was no exception to all of the torture. On March 18, 1314, De Molay was slowly burned at the stake defending the order the whole time.
The Essay on Martin Luther King Jr And Henry David Thoreau
There are times throughout the history of the United States when its citizens have felt the need to revolt against the government. Two such cases occurred during the time of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Henry David Thoreau. Both men courageously confronted the mighty us government; both spent time in jail as a result of their defiant actions; both men stood for a belief in a better future, and ...
Before he died he is said to have asked King Philip and Pope Clement to join him in death within a year. True to his alleged curse, both men died within the year. Robert Hauley and John Shakell captured the Count of Dene at the Battle of Nauara. The Count gave them his son while he went out to get some ransomed money. The Count died while he was away; therefore Hauley and Shakell raised objections against handing over their hostage. For doing this they were cast into the Tower.
Both managed to escape from the Tower on August 11, 1378. Hauley was killed when a group of soldiers confronted them. Shakell was returned to the Tower and then later released on bail. King Henry VI was crowned King of England in 1429. When his first son was born King Henry VI had a terrible paralyzing stroke. He was mentally incapable for several years but eventually recovered.
When this happened Edward, Duke of York, was now calling himself King Edward IV. The Queen was forced to retreat to Scotland, with King Henry and the Prince of Vales. In 1465, Edward captured the King and imprisoned him in the Tower of London for five years. Meanwhile, The Queen and King Louis XI of France conspired to release the King and restore him to power. The plan succeeded and King Henry VI was King again. In 1471, Edward returned and recommitted Henry to the Tower. Henry VI was murdered there on May 21, 1471. The ceremony of Lilies and Roses is in commemoration of this tragedy.
Thomas, Seymour of Sudeley, was an attractive, bold adventurer who had command of the Channel Fleet during the last seven years of King Henry VIII. Edward, Duke of Somerset was the Protector, which Thomas was very jealous of. Somerset tried to make things right by assigning Thomas to Lord High Admiral and gave him an influential seat on the royal Council. This, however, didnt work and Thomas went out and tried to gain the support of pirates to undermine his brother. Thomas was convicted of high treason and was executed. After the execution of his brother, Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, suffered a major blow in his power. John Dudley, Earl of Warwick, took advantage of Edwards misfortunes and deprived Edward of his position as protectorate.
The Essay on The Tower Of London 2
The Tower of London The Tower of London, the oldest fortified palace in Europe, was built by William the Conqueror in the late 1000's. It has served as a fortress, prison, palace, and the final resting-place of many people ('Tower of London' Encarta 1). Its history is full of amazing and horrific stories of life and death. To truly appreciate this magnificent group of structures a look must be ...
Edward was cast into the Towers prison. Edward was released for a short while and then cast back into prison on the charge of felony. Edward was beheaded in 1552 at the Tower of London. Lady Jane Grey entered the Tower of London as Queen of England on July 10, 1553. This impressive fortress, that was to be her palace, became her prison. She was Queen of England for nine days.
She was cast into prison because of the conspiracy that her parents made to make their friend Guilford Dudley heir to the throng. Seven months later she would be beheaded within its walls, her body placed beneath the floor of the Chapel Royal, without ceremony In 1605, Guy Fawkes and a group of coconspirators attempted to blow up the houses of Parliament to kill King James I and all of Parliament. Fawkes was angered because King James I was exiling Jesuits from England. Fawkes wanted to return the country back to the Catholic Faith. However, in an attempt to protect a friend in the House of Lords, one of the group members sent an anonymous letter warning his friend to stay away from Parliament. The warning letter reached the King, and the conspirators were caught, tortured and executed. Guy Fawkes and his friends had rolled 36 barrels of gunpowder under the Houses of Parliament. Everything was set to go off on November 5, 1605. But the day before the King sent servants to check the houses out and found all of the gunpowder. There have been many famous prisoners in the Tower of London. Through the hundreds of years the Tower has been a prison there have been many people breath their last breaths, see their last sights in the walls of the Tower.
The Essay on The Tower London
The Tower of London is the oldest and probably the most famous historical building in Europe. The Tower of London was started in 1066 by its founder, William the Conqueror. It was built to serve as a fortress, a prison, and a symbol of power. The Tower began as a simple enclosure made out of timber and stone with a ditch and palisade along the north and west sides. A huge stone structure, which is ...
It has been said that if the ravens that live in the White Tower ever leave then Britain has fallen.
Bibliography:
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New York: Quiller Press London, 1990. Kane, Robert S. London at its Best. Lincolnwood, IL: Passport Books, 1987. Lady Jane Grey Microsoft Encarta 1999 William Wallace Microsoft Encarta 1999 Williams, Neville. Royal Houses.
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