Tower Castle in London is one of the main attractions of Great Britain. 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 Fortress is located in London, on the banks of the River Thames. This is one of the oldest buildings in England. Over 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 jewelry of the English crown, as well as a place attractive for tourists coming from all over the world.
Construction
The Tower in London was built in several stages. The 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 intimidate the locals. As part of this large-scale event, in 1078, the Tower was erected on the site of an old wooden fort. It was a large quadrangular fortress measuring 32x36 m and 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. Around the Tower was dug a deep moat, making it one of the most impregnable defenses in Europe.
Famous prisoners
The Tower of London received the first prisoner in 1100. They became Bishop Ralph Flambard, who, incidentally, 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, tasted delicious drinks and dishes. However, the prisoner escaped from the Tower at the earliest opportunity, using the rope that was given 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 this, those who fell into disgrace, blue blood regularly became prisoners in the Tower. It was visited by the kings of France and Scotland (John II, Karl Orleans and James I of Scotland), as well as priests and aristocrats of various degrees and ranks. The famous fortress became the site of bloody killings and executions. Here were destroyed the young princes - twelve-year-old Edward V and his brother Richard, were killed by King Henry VI.
The prisoners were placed in free premises, the terms of restriction of freedom could be any. The founder of Pennsylvania in North America, Penn William, ended up at the Tower for religious beliefs and spent eight months there. The Duke of Orleans, Carl, was imprisoned in the fortress for a long 25 years and left after paying a huge ransom for him. Reilly Walter, a court, scientist, and navigator, went to a privileged prison three times and served a total of thirteen years in it. He grew tobacco in the castle garden and brightened up the painful loneliness by writing a multi-volume History of the World.
Matrimonial plans and religious divisions
The Tower of London became an ominous place of torture after the accession of Henry VIII on the throne, whose keen desire to have a legitimate heir made him one of the greatest villains in the history of England. Henry broke off relations with the Greco-Roman Church, which refused to recognize his divorce from his first wife, beheaded the second - Anna Boleyn, who was unable to give birth to a son, got rid of the fifth in the same way - Howard Catherine, who also did not meet all his requests. At the same time, many dignitaries laid down their heads 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 faith, which also could not do without bloody sacrifices. In addition, the cruel lady, having appeared on the throne, immediately decapitated her main rival in the struggle for the throne - sixteen-year-old lady Jane Gray. Many Protestants died during the reign of Mary, but the next English queen - Elizabeth - equalized and brutally cracked down on Catholics who had plagued her. The history of the Tower in London is replete with brutal reprisals against high-ranking individuals who fell into disgrace for religious beliefs.
Executions and torture
Several thousand prisoners visited the Tower. However, only two men and five women were honored to be beheaded in the territory of the famous fortress. Three of these dignitaries were queens: Jane Gray (lasted nine days on the throne), Catherine Howard and Anna Boleyn. Less arrogant prisoners were executed nearby, on Tower Hill, where many lovers of bloody reprisals gathered. The body of the executed criminal was to be buried in a fortress. Tower Castle in London stores the remains of 1,500 prisoners in its basements.
The torture of prisoners in the Tower was carried out only with the permission of the official authorities. So, Guy Fox, a criminal who tried to blow up the parliament building, in 1605 was on a tower rack. This forced him to execute the names of the masterminds of the Gunpowder plot before execution.
Tower - a place of confinement in recent history
After Charles II ascended the English throne , the Tower fortress in London was almost not replenished with prisoners. The last execution on Tower Hill took place in 1747, but the famous tower was a place of confinement in modern times. In the First World War, eleven German spies were imprisoned here and then shot. During World War II, prisoners of war were held in the fortress, including Rudolf Hess. The last person to be executed on the territory of the fortress was Jacob Joseph, accused of espionage and executed in 1941. The last prisoners of the Tower turned out to be the Cray brothers gangsters in 1952.
Other use of the tower
The Tower of London was a success as a menagerie populated by exotic animals. The tradition was founded in the 17th century by Henry III, who received several animals as a gift and arranged 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, the Tower kept significant legal and government papers, as well as military equipment of the royal army and the king himself.
Guard the fortress and treasures of the British Empire
Special protection at the Tower arose in 1485. The palace guard of the fortress was nicknamed beefiters (from the English “beef”, which means “beef”) because 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 “ravensmaster” (raven caretaker), whose duties include taking care of a flock of ravens living on the territory of the fortress. An ancient legend says: if these black birds leave the Tower, then Britain will suffer misfortune. In order for the crows not to fly away, they cut their wings.
In the fortress are the treasures of the British Empire. They are guarded by special rangers. Visitors have been given the opportunity to admire the royal jewels from the 17th century. Among the famous jewelry is the world's largest processed diamond, Cullian I.
Tower Bridge
Another glorious attraction in England is the famous Tower Bridge in London. It got its name due to its proximity to the famous fortress. A drawbridge across the Thames was erected in the years 1886-1894. Its length is 244 meters. The construction 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 to an angle of 83 °. Each wing weighs about one thousand tons, however, thanks to special balances, it spreads in about one minute. Initially, the span was driven by a water hydraulic system. In 1974, the bridge breeding mechanism was equipped with an electric drive.
Pedestrians can cross the bridge even in a diluted state - for this purpose, connecting towers are provided in the middle part of the structure at a height of 44 m of the gallery. You can climb them on the stairs inside the towers. In 1982, galleries began to function as an observation deck and museum. Tower Bridge (Tower Bridge) in London is no less popular than the famous fortress itself.