HST 164    Medieval Castles I: The Tower of London

I. Background
    A. Early defensive fortifications
        1. Hadrian's Wall
	2. Saxon shore forts
	3. Alfred's burhs
    B. Motte and Bailey castles
	1. going on the offensive
	2. motte = mound of dirt
	3. bailey = courtyard that surrounds the motte
	4. William built three of them when he first landed
		- Pevensey, Hastings, Dover
	5. then he built 500+ castles all over England
	6. images: reconstruction, Windsor Castle

II. The Tower of London 
	- aerial view of the Tower
	- view of the Tower from the Thames
 	- Map of the Tower from Historic Royal Palaces
    A. Background 
        1. begun by William the Conqueror in 1066
	2. finished by William Rufus
	3. reconstructed view of the Tower during the building process, c. 1080
	4. fortification on the site began in Roman London
	5. the Romans had built a wall by 200
		- reconstructed view of Roman London, c. 200
	6. useful genealogy links:
		- English Royal Genealogy
		- English Royal Genealogy: simplified version, 1066-present
    B. The White Tower
        1. massive building; 118x106 feet; 90 feet tall
	2. square western corners, rounded ones to the east
	3. diagrams of the tower
		- plan of the Tower
		- cutaway diagram
		- diagram of all four floors
	4. the four floors
		a. ground floor
			1. partially underground; no external access
			2. probably meant mainly for storage
		b. first floor
			1. main entrance level
			2. exterior wooden staircase
			3. two main rooms with fireplaces, latrines
		c. second floor
			1. accessed by stairs in the NE corner tower
			2. two main rooms with fireplaces, latrines
			3. the chapel
			4. second floor plan
		d. third floor
			- added later, probably in the 15th century
	5. purpose
		a. demonstration of power and wealth
		b. impregnable fortress; walls were up to 13 feet thick
		c. residence; use of rooms is still debated

    C. The 12th Century
	1. reconstructed view of the original Tower, c. 1200
	2. not much added or changed
        3. the 12th-century monarchs
		a. Henry I (1100-35) - strong king
		b. Stephen (1135-54) - chaos; occupied with Matilda
		c. Henry II (1154-89) - fighting in France; occupied with his sons
		d. Richard (1189-99) - fighting in France; on crusade

    D. The 13th Century
        1. John (1199-1216)
		a. didn't add/change much
		b. the Menagerie; basically, a mini zoo
		c. by 1214, the Menagerie had a lion
	2. Henry III (1216-72)
		a. added to the Menagerie
			1. leopards, polar bear, elephant
			2. illustration of the Menagerie in 1816
		b. massive refortification
			1. reconstructed view of the Tower in the mid-13th c.
			2. towers and lengths of wall to the north and east
			3. Wakefield Tower
				a. Tower plan
				b. became Henry III's main London residence
				c. large windows, bedroom area, fireplace, chapel
			4. putting the "white" on the White Tower
				- compare the Tower BEFORE and DURING Henry's reign
	3. Edward I (1272-1307)
		a. formed the Tower into a proper concentric castle
		b. reconstructed view of the Tower in the late 13th c.
		c. outer curtain wall
		d. moat
			1. mill pond
			2. fish pond
			3. rubbish dump
		e. projections in the outer wall
			1. Tower plan
			2. eastern wall with projection, possibly for a trebuchet
		f. two new gates
			1. landward gate in the SE corner
				a. quadruple gate complex
				b. the Lion Tower
			2. water gate
				a. water-filled basin
				b. upper floor with hall and private chamber
				c. possibly a private residence for Edward I
		g. Office of the Wardrobe
			1. in charge of household goods, valuables and weapons
			2. workshops set up on the Tower grounds to make arms and armor

    E. The 14th Century
        1. Edward II (1307-27)
		a. not much building; distracted by uprisings
		b. the Tower served as a place of refuge for the king
	2. Edward III (1327-77)
		a. the Hundred Years' War
		b. the Tower wharf
		c. reconstructed view of the Tower in the 14th c.
		d. storing of more weapons at the Tower
		e. state prison
			1. David II of Scotland
			2. John II of France

    F. The Later Middle Ages
        1. not much building during this period
	2. the Tower served as a place of refuge and political intrigue
	3. the late-medieval monarchs
		a. Richard II (1377-99) - Peasants' Revolt; place of refuge for the king
		b. Henry IV (1399-1413) - locked up Richard II in the Tower
		c. Henry V (1413-22) - the Tower again serving as state prison
		d. Henry VI (1422-61) - the Wars of the Roses
		e. Edward IV (1461-83) - gun emplacements along the wharf
		f. Edward V (1483) - one of the two princes in the Tower
		g. Richard III (1483-5) - did he have the two princes killed?