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Do not fill this in! ===Later medieval period=== [[File:Tower of London model close up.jpg|thumb|A model of the Tower of London as it appeared after the extension of the wharf in the late medieval period and the addition of the brick Bulwark at the west end of the castle under Edward IV.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tower of London World Heritage Site Management Plan |url=https://www.hrp.org.uk/media/1490/2016-03-31_tol_whsmanagementplan_v1.pdf |publisher=Historic Royal Palaces |pages=xi–xii}}</ref>]] During [[Edward II of England|Edward II]]'s reign (1307–1327) there was relatively little activity at the Tower of London.<ref>{{harvnb|Impey|Parnell|2000|p=41}}</ref> However, it was during this period that the [[Wardrobe (government)|Privy Wardrobe]] was founded. The institution was based at the Tower and responsible for organising the state's arms.<ref>{{harvnb|Lapper|Parnell|2000|p=28}}</ref> In 1321, [[Margaret de Clare, Baroness Badlesmere]] became the first woman imprisoned in the Tower of London after she refused [[Isabella of France|Queen Isabella]] admittance to [[Leeds Castle]]<ref>{{harvnb|Wilson|1998|p=40}}</ref> and ordered her archers to target Isabella, killing six of the royal escort.<ref>{{harvnb|Costain|1958|pp=193–195}}</ref><ref>Calendar of Patent Rolls. 1321–1327. p. 29</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Strickland|1840|p=201}}</ref> Generally reserved for high-ranking inmates, the Tower was the most important royal prison in the country.<ref>{{harvnb|Friar|2003|p=235}}</ref> However it was not necessarily very secure, and throughout its history people bribed the guards to help them escape. In 1323, [[Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March|Roger Mortimer, Baron Mortimer]], was aided in his escape from the Tower by the Sub-Lieutenant of the Tower who let Mortimer's men inside. They hacked a hole in his cell wall and Mortimer escaped to a waiting boat. He fled to France where he encountered Edward's Queen. They began an affair and plotted to overthrow the King. One of Mortimer's first acts on entering England in 1326 was to capture the Tower and release the prisoners held there. For four years he ruled while [[Edward III of England|Edward III]] was too young to do so himself; in 1330, Edward and his supporters captured Mortimer and threw him into the Tower.<ref>{{harvnb|Wilson|1998|pp=34, 42–43}}</ref> Under Edward III's rule (1312–1377) England experienced renewed success in warfare after his father's reign had put the realm on the backfoot against the Scots and French. Amongst Edward's successes were the battles of [[Battle of Crécy|Crécy]] and [[Battle of Poitiers (1356)|Poitiers]] where King [[John II of France]] was taken prisoner, and the capture of the King [[David II of Scotland]] at [[Battle of Neville's Cross|Neville's Cross]]. During this period, the Tower of London held many noble prisoners of war.<ref name="I&P 42">{{harvnb|Impey|Parnell|2000|p=42}}</ref> Edward II had allowed the Tower of London to fall into a state of disrepair,<ref name="Parnell 1993 47" /> and by the reign of Edward III the castle was an uncomfortable place. The nobility held captive within its walls were unable to engage in activities such as hunting which were permissible at other royal castles used as prisons, for instance Windsor. Edward III ordered that the castle should be renovated.<ref>{{harvnb|Wilson|1998|p=45}}</ref> [[File:towrlndn.JPG|thumb|left|[[Charles, Duke of Orléans]], the nephew of the King of France, was held in the Tower during the Hundred Years' War. This late 15th-century image is the earliest surviving non-schematic picture of the Tower of London. It shows the White Tower, the water-gate, and [[Old London Bridge]] in the background.<ref name="I&P 51" />]] When [[Richard II of England|Richard II]] was crowned in 1377, he led a procession from the Tower to [[Westminster Abbey]]. This tradition began in at least the early 14th century and lasted until 1660.<ref name="I&P 42" /> During the [[Peasants' Revolt]] of 1381 the Tower of London was besieged with the King inside. When Richard rode out to meet with [[Wat Tyler]], the rebel leader, a crowd broke into the castle without meeting resistance and looted the [[Jewel House]]. The [[Archbishop of Canterbury]], [[Simon Sudbury]], took refuge in St John's Chapel, hoping the mob would respect the sanctuary. However, he was taken away and beheaded on Tower Hill.<ref name="Parnell 1993 53">{{harvnb|Parnell|1993|p=53}}</ref> Six years later there was again civil unrest, and Richard spent Christmas in the security of the Tower rather than Windsor as was more usual.<ref>{{harvnb|Impey|Parnell|2000|p=44}}</ref> When [[Henry IV of England|Henry Bolingbroke]] returned from exile in 1399, Richard was imprisoned in the White Tower. He abdicated and was replaced on the throne by Bolingbroke, who became King Henry IV.<ref name="Parnell 1993 53" /> In the 15th century, there was little building work at the Tower of London, yet the castle still remained important as a place of refuge. When supporters of the late Richard II attempted a [[Epiphany Rising|coup]], Henry IV found safety in the Tower of London. During this period, the castle also held many distinguished prisoners. The heir to the Scottish throne, later King [[James I of Scotland]], was kidnapped while journeying to France in 1406 and held in the Tower. The reign of [[Henry V of England|Henry V]] (1413–1422) renewed England's fortune in the [[Hundred Years' War]] against France. As a result of Henry's victories, such as the [[Battle of Agincourt]], many high-status prisoners were held in the Tower of London until they were ransomed.<ref>{{harvnb|Impey|Parnell|2000|p=45}}</ref> Much of the latter half of the 15th century was occupied by the [[Wars of the Roses]] between the claimants to the throne, the houses of [[House of Lancaster|Lancaster]] and [[House of York|York]].<ref name="I&P 46">{{harvnb|Impey|Parnell|2000|p=46}}</ref> The castle was [[Siege of the Tower of London (1460)|once again besieged in 1460]], this time by a [[House of York|Yorkist]] force. The Tower was damaged by artillery fire but only surrendered when [[Henry VI of England|Henry VI]] was captured at the [[Battle of Northampton (1460)|Battle of Northampton]]. With the help of [[Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick]] (nicknamed "the Kingmaker") Henry recaptured the throne for a short time in 1470. However, [[Edward IV of England|Edward IV]] soon regained control and Henry VI was imprisoned in the Tower of London, where he was probably murdered.<ref name="Parnell 1993 53" /> In 1471, during the [[Siege of London (1471)|Siege of London]], the Tower's Yorkist garrison exchanged fire with Lancastrians holding [[Southwark]], and sallied from the fortress to take part in a pincer movement to attack Lancastrians who were assaulting [[Aldgate]] on [[London Wall|London's defensive wall]]. During the wars, the Tower was fortified to withstand gunfire, and provided with [[Embrasure|loopholes]] for cannons and handguns: an enclosure called the Bulwark was created for this purpose to the south of Tower Hill, although it no longer survives.<ref name="I&P 46" /> [[File:The Princes in the Tower by John Everett Millais (1878).png|thumb|upright|''Prince Edward V and Richard in the Tower, 1483'' by Sir [[John Everett Millais]], 1878]] Shortly after the death of Edward IV in 1483, the notorious murder of the [[Princes in the Tower]] is traditionally believed to have taken place. The incident is one of the most infamous events associated with the Tower of London.<ref name="I&P 46-47">{{harvnb|Impey|Parnell|2000|pp=46–47}}</ref> [[Edward V of England|Edward V]]'s uncle [[Richard III of England|Richard, Duke of Gloucester]] was declared [[Lord Protector]] while the prince was too young to rule.<ref name="Horrox">{{harvnb|Horrox|2004}}</ref> Traditional accounts have held that the 12-year-old Edward was confined to the Tower of London along with his younger brother [[Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York|Richard]]. The Duke of Gloucester was proclaimed King Richard III in June. The princes were last seen in public in June 1483;<ref name="I&P 46-47" /> it has traditionally been thought that the most likely reason for their disappearance is that they were murdered late in the summer of 1483.<ref name="Horrox" /> Bones thought to belong to them were discovered in 1674 when the 12th-century forebuilding at the entrance to the White Tower was demolished; however, the reputed level at which the bones were found ({{convert|10|ft|m|0|abbr=on|disp=or}}) would put the bones at a depth similar to that of the Roman graveyard found, in 2011, {{convert|12|ft|m|0|abbr=on}} underneath [[Minories|the Minories]] a few hundred yards to the north.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kennedy |first=Maev |date=29 October 2013 |title=Roman eagle found by archaeologists in City of London |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/oct/29/roman-eagle-found-archaeologists-london-sculpture-art}}</ref> Opposition to Richard escalated until he was defeated at the [[Battle of Bosworth Field]] in 1485 by the Lancastrian [[Henry VII of England|Henry Tudor]], who ascended to the throne as Henry VII.<ref name="I&P 46-47" /> As king, Henry VII built a tower for a library next to the King's Tower.<ref>{{harvnb|Weir|2008|pp=16-17}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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