A Hidden History of the Tower of London: England's Most Notorious Prisoners

by John Paul Davis

Overview

Famed as the ultimate penalty for traitors, heretics and royalty alike, being sent to the Tower is known to have been experienced by no less than 8,000 unfortunate souls. Many of those who were imprisoned in the Tower never returned to civilization and those who did, often did so without their head! It is hardly surprising that the Tower has earned itself a reputation among the most infamous buildings on the planet.

There have, of course, been other towers. Practically every castle ever built has consisted of at least one; indeed, even by the late 14th century, the Tower proudly boasted no less than 21. Yet even as early as the 1100s, the effect that the first Tower had on the psyche of the local population was considerable. The sight of the dark four-pointed citadel – at the time the largest building in London – as it appeared against the backdrop of the expanding city gave rise to many legends, ranging from the exact circumstances of its creation to what went on within its strong walls. In ten centuries what once consisted of a solitary keep has developed into a complex castle around which the history of England has continuously evolved. So revered has it become that legend has it that should the Tower fall, so would the kingdom.

Beginning with the early tales surrounding its creation, this book investigates the private life of an English icon. Concentrating on the Tower’s developing role throughout the centuries, not in terms of its physical expansion into a site of unique architectural majesty or many purposes but through the eyes of those who experienced its darker side, it pieces together the, often seldom-told, human story and how the fates of many of those who stayed within its walls contributed to its lasting effect on England’s – and later the UK’s – destiny. From ruthless traitors to unjustly killed Jesuits, vanished treasures to disappeared princes and jaded wives to star-crossed lovers, this book provides a raw and at times unsettling insight into its unsolved mysteries and the lot of its unfortunate victims, thus explaining how this once typical castle came to be the place we will always remember as THE TOWER.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781526761774
Publisher:	Pen & Sword Books Limited
Publication date:	04/01/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	385,046
File size:	25 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

John Paul Davis is the international bestselling author of ten thriller novels and three historical biographies. His debut thriller, The Templar Agenda, was a UK top 20 bestseller; The Cortés Trilogy has also been an international bestseller, rising to #33 in the UK kindle chart and #18 in the US.

As well as being a thriller author, his debut work, Robin Hood: The Unknown Templar, has been the subject of international attention, including articles in The Sunday Telegraph, The Daily Mail, Yorkshire Post and Nottingham Evening Post, mentions in USA Today and The Independent and reviews in the Birmingham Post and Medieval History Journal. His second work, Pity for the Guy, was the first full-length biography of Guy Fawkes and was featured on ITV’s The Alan Titchmarsh Show in November 2011.

He was educated at Loughborough University and lives in Warwickshire. His websites are www.officiallyjpd.com and www.theunknowntemplar.com. Twitter @unknowntemplar

Table of Contents

Introduction vii

Chapter 1 1066-1216: A Fortress Fit For a Conqueror 1

Chapter 2 1216-1307: Charters, Barters and Hammering Scots 11

Chapter 3 1307-1330: Dispensable Despensers and Malicious Marchers 19

Chapter 4 1330-1399: Revolting Peasants and Ambitious Appellants 25

Chapter 5 1400-1455: The Happy Few, Liberal Lollards and Fatal Falstaffs 34

Chapter 6 1455-1478: Yearning Yorkists, Conniving Cousins and Despicable Dukes 47

Chapter 7 1475-1485: Imprisoned Princes, Evil Uncles and Persistent Plotters 57

Chapter 8 1485-1507: Neglected Nephews, Counting-House Kings and a Plethora of Phoney Pretenders 68

Chapter 9 1501-1535: Divorced, Beheaded, Died … 74

Chapter 10 1535-1547: Divorced, Beheaded, Connived 92

Chapter 11 1541-1547: Remarriage, Womanly Rackings and Hapless Howards 105

Chapter 12 1547-1553: Reformation, Rebellion and Ridiculous Wills 111

Chapter 13 1553-1558: Nine-Day Queens and Bloody Bonfires 119

Chapter 14 1558-1586: Catholics, Conspirators and Clandestine Couples 132

Chapter 15 1580-1603: Popish Plots, Pirate Poets and Protestant Politics 144

Chapter 16 1603-1612: Gunpowder, Treason and Sop 161

Chapter 17 1612-1618: Poisonings, Percys and Perilous Pirates 173

Chapter 18 1618-1649: A Divine Right For War 180

Chapter 19 1649-1662: Parliament, Protectors and Dependable Protestors 193

Chapter 20 1660-1672: Black Death, Burning Buildings and Bloody Burglaries 204

Chapter 21 1673-1688: Postulated Princes, Corrupt Commonwealth and Hanging Judges 213

Chapter 22 1688-1715: Hapless Hollanders, Jealous Jacobites and Happy Hanoverians 226

Chapter 23 1715-1820: Bonnie Battlers, Loathable Lords, Aggressive Gordonites and Yorktown Yankees 235

Epilogue 1800-Present: Iron Dukes, Iron Crosses and Iron Ostriches 247

Appendix I List of Locations Within the Tower 259

Appendix II The Tower's Ghost Stories 260

Appendix III The Ravens' Conspiracy 265

Appendix IV The Ceremony of the Keys 266

Select Bibliography 268

Index 276