Tower+of+London





In September of 1066, the Duke of Normandy, also known as William the Conqueror, and the Normans invaded England and soon commenced a strategy of building castles in the kingdom. William commissioned to build a stone, fortified tower to replace an old timber tower, known as the Motte and Bailey castle. The new tower was completed in 1097. It was first called the Great Tower but was later re-named as the White Tower. Today, the castle is known as the Tower of London. The Tower of London is the most famous of all the Medieval English castles.

The Tower of London is a great castle complex. It covers an area of eighteen acres. There are twenty-one towers that make up a major part of the castle. Some of these towers are the White Tower, the Bloody Tower, the Byward Tower and the Salt Tower. Each tower had a different use. The White Tower is the most important building in the Tower of London. It is the strongest and securest part of the castle. The Bloody Tower was used as a prison. The Byward Tower was used for protection and the Salt Tower was used for residence. 

The Tower of London was originally built to be a fortress and protect London. The central Keep, or most secure and safest area in the castle, is in the middle of the castle instead of at a corner on the outer or inner wall. The Keep is also known as the White Tower and is surrounded by the Inner Ward, which is entered by a gateway known as the Bloody Tower. The wall of the Inner Ward is guarded by thirteen different towers, all of which have different sizes and degrees of strength. (Loftie, 1894)

During the Middle Ages, the Tower of London was used as a royal residence. Later, its use was changed from a residence to a jail for illustrious prisoners. Many historical figures were imprisoned in the Bloody Tower. Some of the people that were thrown in the jail were Queen Elizabeth I, during her sister, Mary’s reign while Elizabeth was still the princess, Sir Thomas More, Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard, Lady Jane Grey, Sir Walter Raleigh and the duke of Monmouth.

Since the Tower of London was first built, it has been many different things and has been used in many different ways. Not only has it been a royal palace, a fortress, and a prison, it was also used as an armory, a treasury, a menagerie, which is where they keep common and exotic animals, and an astronomical observatory in 1675.



So in conclusion, the Tower of London has been a very important part of England’s history. Although the Tower of London is admired for its architecture and its history, it is mostly remembered for the bloody executions, imprisonment and torture of the prisoners who were incarcerated in the great London castle. Some of the most important events in English history is encompassed by its bloody history. The Tower of London, which dates back over one-thousand years, still stands proudly today.

References:
 * Alchin, L.K. (July 16, 2005). //The Towers//. Retrieved Dec. 13, 2010, from [].
 * Loftie, W.J. (1894). //Tower of London//. Harvard University. Digitized version (Nov. 6, 2007) by Google [].
 * Minney, R.J. (2010, July 1). Tower of London. //Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia//, 6th Edition. Retrieved Dec. 13, 2010, from [].
 * Wikipedia. (n.d.). //Foundation and early history//. Retrieved Dec. 13, 2010, from [].
 * Wiley, J. (2000-2008). //Tower of London//. Retrieved Dec. 13, 2010, from [].