Download or read book A Hidden History of the Tower of London written by John Paul Davis and published by Pen and Sword History. This book was released on 2020-03-30 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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 civilisation 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.
Download or read book A Hidden History of the Tower of London written by John Paul Davis and published by Pen and Sword History. This book was released on 2020-03-30 with total page 385 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “With these incredible and often heartbreaking stories, John Paul Davis clearly demonstrates how the fortress acquired its sinister reputation.” —History . . . the Interesting Bits! 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. 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. “The building is as imposing now as it ever was, and the author’s complete and thorough knowledge is imparted in grand style.” —Books Monthly
Download or read book The Story of the Tower of London written by Tracy Borman and published by Merrell. This book was released on 2015 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book reveals the stories, events and colourful characters that make up the Tower of London's long and varied history, from its Roman origins to the present day.
Download or read book Tower written by Nigel Jones and published by Macmillan + ORM. This book was released on 2012-10-02 with total page 665 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A dazzling history of the Tower of London, one of the world's busiest tourist attractions, and the people who populated it. Castle, royal palace, prison, torture chamber, execution site, zoo, mint, home to the crown jewels, armory, record office, observatory, and the most visited tourist attraction in the UK: The Tower of London has been all these things and more. No building in Britain has been more intimately involved in the island's story than this mighty, brooding stronghold in the very heart of the capital, a place which has stood at the epicenter of dramatic, bloody and frequently cruel events for almost a thousand years. Now historian Nigel Jones sets this dramatic story firmly in the context of national—and international—events. In a gripping account drawn from primary sources and lavishly illustrated with sixteen pages of stunning photographs, he captures the Tower in its many changing moods and its many diverse functions. Here, for the first time, is a thematic portrayal of the Tower of london not just as an ancient structure, but as a living symbol of the nation of Great Britain.
Download or read book A Short History of the Tower of London Etc written by Joseph Wheeler (Author of A short history of the Tower of London) and published by . This book was released on 1846 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book King John Henry III and England s Lost Civil War written by John Paul Davis and published by Pen and Sword History. This book was released on 2021-08-26 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1204, the great Angevin Empire created by the joining of the dynasties of Henry II of England and his queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, was fragmenting. At its height, the family landholdings had been among the largest the world had ever seen. From the border of England and Scotland in the north to south of the Pyrenees, it seemed there was nowhere in Europe destined to escape Plantagenet control. Yet within five years of his accession, King John’s grip on the family holdings was loosening. Betrayal against his father and brother, the murder of his nephew, and breaking promises made to his supporters were just some of the accusations levelled against him. When Philip II conquered Normandy, the chroniclers believed that an ancient prophecy was fulfilled: that in this year the sword would be separated from the sceptre. For the first time since 1066, England’s rule over the ancestral land was over. For John, troubles on the continent were just the beginning of a series of challenges that would ultimately define his reign. Difficult relations with the papacy and clergy, coupled with rising dissent among his barons ensured conflict would not be limited to the continent. When John died in 1216, more than half of the country was in the hands of the dauphin of France. Never had the future of the Plantagenet dynasty looked more uncertain. As the following pages will show, throughout the first eighteen years of the reign of Henry III, the future direction of England as a political state, the identity of the ruling family and the fate of Henry II’s lost empire were still matters that could have gone either way. For the advisors of the young king, led by the influential regent, William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke, the effects of John’s reign would be long and severe. Successful implementation of the failed Magna Carta may have ensured his son’s short-term survival, yet living up to such promises created arguably a more significant challenge. This is the story of how the varying actions of two very different kings both threatened and created the English way of life, and ultimately put England on the path to its Lost Civil War.
Download or read book A Short History of the Tower of London written by Joseph Wheeler (Author of A. short history of the Tower of London) and published by . This book was released on 1844 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Ravenmaster written by Christopher Skaife and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2018-10-02 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For centuries, the Tower of London has been home to a group of famous avian residents: the ravens. Each year they are seen by millions of visitors, and they have become as integral a part of the Tower as its ancient stones. But their role is even more important than that—legend has it that if the ravens should ever leave, the Tower will crumble into dust and great harm will befall the kingdom. The responsibility for ensuring that such a disaster never comes to pass falls to one man: the Ravenmaster. The current holder of the position is Yeoman Warder Christopher Skaife, and in this fascinating, entertaining and touching book he memorably describes the ravens’ formidable intelligence, their idiosyncrasies and their occasionally wicked sense of humour. The Ravenmaster is a compelling, inspiring and irreverent story that will delight and surprise anyone with an interest in British history or animal behaviour.
Download or read book Castles of England written by John Paul Davis and published by Pen and Sword History. This book was released on 2021-10-30 with total page 381 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1051, a monk of Canterbury Cathedral made a bizarre observation in what would eventually form part of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. In his chronicling of the year’s events, he described the establishment of a new fortification in Herefordshire by French members of the king’s party. More sophisticated than the typical Saxon burh, the word provided was alien to his vocabulary. In Latin, its builders had christened it: castellum. Little did anyone at the time know, this unique building would mark a drastic change in the direction of England’s history. For almost a thousand years, the castles of England have stood proudly over her landscape. While many bear the scars of centuries of warfare, others continue to enjoy a far more comfortable existence. They are the sites of bloody sieges. The windswept ruin. The royal palace. The home of knights and nobility. The local museum. The posh hotel. Though we all recognise a castle when we see one, no two are ever exactly alike. By digging deep into the history of England’s mighty castles, the purpose of this book is to throw light on those who lived there. For as long as there have been castles in England, there have been mysteries within their walls: murders that were never solved, treasures that remain unfound, prisoners left to rot in the ghastliest pits or executions worthy of lasting infamy. From unfortunate victims to long lost legends, infamous owners to ladies in grey, Castles of England offers a fresh investigation into many of those tales that will forever be the cause of intrigue for visitors. To understand who they were is to understand the story of the castle in England. To understand the castle in England is to understand England.
Download or read book Down Dirty and Divine written by Stephanie Clarke and published by Troubador Publishing Ltd. This book was released on 2012-08-16 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Down, Dirty and Divine is an invitation to readers to go on a meaningful and transformational journey through the undergroundof London, and to assist in healing the City whilst also cleansing their own soul and the soul of the planet.Murder and madness, death and disease, crime and corruption, pain and punishment, ghouls and ghosts – this is London’s morbid history. But it is humanity’s history too. Rev. Stephanie Clarke answers the question: how can we heal? Selecting 12 London Underground Tube Stations as the physical and spiritual entry points into the City’s underbelly, she offers readers some historical information, some personal reflection and an affirmative prayer to heal the particular trauma associated with the site of each Tube Station. In a dream-state, the author was told that the 2012 Olympic Games would stimulate an unprecedented convergence of the masses upon the City of London and would be a powerful catalyst to usher in global transformation. Serendipitously, many of London’s great citizens, including Sir Christopher Wren, the architect of St. Paul’s Cathedral, have long held the vision of London as the New Jerusalem, a celestial city of light and a universal centre of peace and reconciliation.Down, Dirty and Divine is a spiritual tour guide, inviting readers to be active instruments in the fulfillment of this grand planetary vision in 2012 and beyond.
Download or read book London Under written by Peter Ackroyd and published by Anchor. This book was released on 2011-11-01 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this vividly descriptive short study, Peter Ackroyd tunnels down through the geological layers of London, meeting the creatures that dwell in darkness and excavating the lore and mythology beneath the surface. There is a Bronze Age trackway below the Isle of Dogs, Anglo-Saxon graves rest under St. Pauls, and the monastery of Whitefriars lies beneath Fleet Street. To go under London is to penetrate history, and Ackroyd's book is filled with the stories unique to this underworld: the hydraulic device used to lower bodies into the catacombs in Kensal Green cemetery; the door in the plinth of the statue of Boadicea on Westminster Bridge that leads to a huge tunnel packed with cables for gas, water, and telephone; the sulphurous fumes on the Underground's Metropolitan Line. Highly imaginative and delightfully entertaining, London Under is Ackroyd at his best.
Download or read book The History and Antiquities of the Tower of London written by John Bayley and published by . This book was released on 1830 with total page 664 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Read On History written by Tina Frolund and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2013-10-21 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Make history come alive! This book helps librarians and teachers as well as readers themselves find books they will enjoy—titles that will animate and explain the past, entertain, and expand their minds. This invaluable resource offers reading lists of contemporary and classic non-fiction history books and historical fiction, covering all time periods throughout the world, and including practically all manner of human endeavors. Every book included is hand-selected as an entertaining and enlightening read! Organized by appeal characteristics, this book will help readers zero in on the history books they will like best—for instance, titles that emphasize character, tell a specific type of historical story, convey a mood, or are presented in a particular setting. Every book listed has been recommended based on the author's research, and has proved to be a satisfying and worthwhile read.
Download or read book The Secret History of Elizabeth Tudor Vampire Slayer written by Lucy Weston and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2010-12-21 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sovereign Power. Eternal Pleasure. Revealed at last in this new vampire saga for the ages: the true, untold story of the “Virgin Queen” and her secret war against the Vampire King of England. . . . On the eve of her coronation, Elizabeth Tudor is summoned to the tomb of her mother, Anne Boleyn, to learn the truth about her bloodline—and her destiny as a Slayer. Born to battle the bloodsucking fiends who ravage the night, and sworn to defend her beloved realm against all enemies, Elizabeth soon finds herself stalked by the most dangerous and seductive vampire of all. He is Mordred, bastard son of King Arthur, who sold his soul to destroy his father. After centuries in hiding, he has arisen determined to claim the young Elizabeth as his Queen. Luring her into his world of eternal night, Mordred tempts Elizabeth with the promise of everlasting youth and beauty, and vows to protect her from all enemies. Together, they will rule over a golden age for vampires in which humans will exist only to be fed upon. Horrified by his intentions, Elizabeth embraces her powers as a Slayer even as she realizes that the greatest danger comes from her own secret desire to yield to Mordred . . . to bare her throat in ecstasy and allow the vampire king to drink deeply of her royal blood. As told by Lucy Weston, the vampire prey immortalized in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, this spellbinding account will capture your heart and soul—forever.
Download or read book Unseen London written by Mark Daly and published by Frances Lincoln. This book was released on 2014-10-28 with total page 379 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The original edition of Unseen London. Peter Dazeley has gained access to the hidden interiors of some of London's most iconic buildings, from Tower Bridge to Battersea Power Station, Big Ben to the Old Bailey. His photographs of these buildings - some derelict, but many still working - are astonishing. Here is a collection of some 50 extraordinary locations, with a thoughtful text by Mark Daly which tells the story of how each of these places was created, how they are used, and what they reveal about the currents of power flowing through the city. Unseen London takes you backstage at some of the capital's great theatres, into the changing rooms of some of our greatest temples of sport, into the heart of the Establishment, the boiler room of the city's infrastructure and behind the scenes at some of the most opulent buildings in the Square Mile.
Download or read book A Short History of the Tower of London written by George Younghusband and published by . This book was released on 19?? with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Square and the Tower written by Niall Ferguson and published by Penguin Books Limited. This book was released on 2018 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'The most brilliant historian of his generation' The Times Most history is hierarchical- it's about popes, presidents, and prime ministers. But what if that's simply because they create the historical archives? What if we are missing equally powerful but less visible networks - leaving them to the conspiracy theorists, with their dreams of all-powerful Illuminati? The twenty-first century has been hailed as the Networked Age. But in The Square and the Tower Niall Ferguson argues that social networks are nothing new. From the printers and preachers who made the Reformation to the freemasons who led the American Revolution, it was the networkers who disrupted the old order of popes and kings. Far from being novel, our era is the Second Networked Age, with the computer in the role of the printing press. But networks have a dark side, prone to clustering, contagions, and even outages. And the conflicts of the past already have unnerving parallels today, in the time of Facebook, Islamic State and Trumpworld.
