Amazing History of the Tower of London Quiz

Answer: White Tower

William the Conqueror invaded and defeated King Harold's Anglo-Saxons at the Battle of Hastings. Determining that he not only had to defend his new land against other countries but also from the disgruntled Anglo-Saxons, he ordered a huge fortress to be built on the south-east side of old Roman walls near London. By 1100 the massive tower was 118 x 106 feet across and 90 feet tall.

It was protected by Roman walls on two sides and ditches and palisades on the others. It was not very opulent inside but did occasionally serve as a royal residence.

Its main purpose was a stronghold and it performed that duty until well into the 19th century.

Answer: Tower Menagerie

The original lions were soon joined by a polar bear given by the King of Norway. The bear enjoyed swimming in the Thames River and people came to watch it catch fish. Over the years the royals, such as James I, had the animals' areas reconstructed to be more of a viewing area for the locals to come see and learn.

Many animals died at the Menagerie because of the difference in their local climate and their new home or through ill-informed care. For instance, it was thought ostriches could eat iron and one died when fed a nail! There were also human injuries and deaths as people attempted to touch or feed some of the more dangerous creatures.

The Menagerie was disbanded in the 1830s and many of its animals were sent to local zoological parks or on traveling exhibitions.

Answer: Catapult

The royal bow-maker lived in the Tower of London and over the years it was that person's responsibility to make weapons such as bows and arrows, crossbows, and the catapult. The catapult used tremendous force when its ties were cut to then hurl objects such as rocks or arrows over the tower walls and into oncoming threats.

These weapons were actually not needed during the Peasants' Revolt in June of 1381! King Richard II, who was only 14 years old at the time, rode out of the Tower to meet a mob which was angry about another new tax placed upon the people.

When he rode out, the guards forgot to shut a drawbridge and over 400 people stormed the castle. Several people were killed in the ensuing hand-to-hand combat including the Archbishop of Canterbury who many blamed for the taxation. [ the picture is a trebuchet, which is similar to a catapult ]

Answer: Wars of the Roses

For thirty years, a series of battles waged between the people of the House of York, whose symbol was a white rose and the people of the House of Lancaster, whose symbol was a red rose. Hence the time became known as the Wars of the Roses. One of the saddest casualties was that of the two sons of Edward IV.

After Edward's death in 1483, the two little boys were taken to the Tower of London on the orders of their uncle who later became Richard III. The boys were never seen again and bones have been found and examined over the years showing skeletons of young boys of the same age as the princes, who were interned in the Bloody Tower.

It is still a mystery as to who actually ordered and performed the killing.

Answer: The rack

Torture was used in the 16th and 17th centuries in the Tower of London as a way of gathering information during the upheaval that occurred after Henry VIII broke away from the religion of Rome. Not every prisoner was tortured, but those that were saw mainly the rack, the Scavenger's Daughter, and manacles.

The rack was used to tie up a person's wrists at one end and ankles at the other and stretch the body until joints broke. All the while, questions were being asked to gain understanding of what the person knew.

The Scavenger's Daughter compressed a person's body while manacles held a body aloft with feet barely off the floor.

Answer: Traitor's Gate

Traitor's Gate is the most notorious of all of the entrances to the building. Prisoners such as Anne Boleyn or Sir Thomas More entered through this waterway entrance on the way to their imprisonment. It was originally built for Edward I and even had a painted sculpture on the exterior. Edward's royal barge could be moored outside, beneath the great arch. Three hundred years later, Henry VIII's carpenter added timber framing above the arch as part of the huge celebration surrounding the coronation of Anne Boleyn. Later, it was she herself who came through this entrance in 1536 after she was arrested on the charges of treason, adultery, and incest.

Answer: Beheading

Tower Green is an open, grassy area in front of a chapel within the Tower of London. Its relative privacy was to allow nobles and royalty to be executed without jeering crowds watching the event. Most of the people were beheaded with an axe. It was not always swift, however.

The 70 year old Countess of Salisbury was executed by Henry VIII for supposed involvement in a Catholic invasion plot. A bad executioner ended up hacking her head and shoulders to pieces before she died. The only exception to the axe was Anne Boleyn who was beheaded with a sharp sword.

Answer: Beefeaters

Yeomen Warders were given a symbol of a red rose by Henry VII and they continue to wear this badge. The Yeomen Warders and their families live in the Tower and every night perform a special performance when they lock the main gates to the Tower in a "Ceremony of the Keys" dating back to Queen Elizabeth I. An Italian duke, visiting the Tower in the 1600s, is said to have given the guards the nickname of "Beefeater".

It is believed that he commented they were given a large portion of the meat and hence were beef-eaters.

Answer: Crown Jewels

The Crown Jewels consists not only of crowns for monarchs and their consorts but also things like robes, plates, items used in royal christening ceremonies, orbs, and rings. They are used by the reigning monarch but not are not owned by that person. They were officially moved to the Jewel Tower in the Tower of London in the late 1660s and were casually shown to interested guests. That all changed in the 1670s when a group managed to steal some of the items and damaged an orb before they were apprehended. From then on, the collection was watched by armed guards.

Answer: Ravens

There are many theories as to how the ravens originally came to the Tower and these stories range from the birds following the scent of death to protection from the Great Fire to ancient Celtic myths. Because of the legend stating the ravens must stay in the Tower, their wings are painlessly clipped to allow them to stay in the vicinity without flying away.

A special yeoman watches the birds each day and feeds them raw meat and bread. A few have managed to escape over the years. Naughty Grog was last seen outside of a local pub!