Tales from the Tower of London

Description

The brooding grey walls of the Tower of London circumscribe one of the most recognisable buildings on the planet. Over its thousand-year history the Tower stood as a symbol of the English monarchy and served as both a palace and a prison. It is a place where court intrigues, clandestine liaisons, unimaginable tortures and grisly executions took place with frightening regularity. Tales from the Tower is the factual history of the great building itself told through the true stories of the people, royal and common, good and bad, heroes and villains, who lived and died there. Including characters such as William the Conqueror, the Princes in the Tower, Jane Grey, Guy Fawkes, Colonel Blood and Rudolf Hess, the broad range of stories encompassed in Tales from the Tower present a microcosm of all human experience, from love and death to greed and betrayal, all played out against romantic period settings ranging from medieval knights in shining armour to the darkest days of World War II.. Anyone who loves history and adventure will find Tales from the Tower a classic page turner. Introduction Plans of the Tower of London, twelfth to twentieth century Part I: Building a Castle and a Kingdom (1066–1485) 1 The Axe, the Arrow and the Wailing Monk: William the Conqueror and Brother Gundulf 2 Dangerous Liaisons: Wat Tyler and the Peasants’ Revolt 3 A Family Affair: The Princes in the Tower Part II: State Prison of the Tudors (1485–1603) 4 The Warden, the Wolf and the Woman: John Wolfe and Alice Tankerville 5 Treason in the Bedroom: Queen Katherine Howard 6 Nine Days a Queen: Lady Jane Grey 7 The Devil’s Dancing Bear: Bishop Edmund Bonner and Cuthbert Symson 8 The Spymaster: Francis Walsingham and Anthony Babington Part III: Turmoil and Treason (1603–1800) 9 Gunpowder, Treason and Plot: Guy ‘Guido’ Fawkes 10 A Right Royal Heist: Colonel Thomas Blood 11 The Bloody Assizes: The Duke of Monmouth and Judge Jeffreys 12 The King Over the Water: William and Winifred Maxwell Lord and Lady Nithsdale 13 The American (P)Resident: Henry Laurens Part IV: A Home for Spies and Tourists (1900–1950) 14 The Black Book: Sir Roger Casement 15 The Weatherman: Josef Jakobs Bibliography