Tower of London Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ===Expansion=== The castle probably retained its form as established by 1100 until the reign of [[Richard I of England|Richard I]] (1189β1199).<ref>{{harvnb|Allen Brown|Curnow|1984|p=13}}</ref> The castle was extended under [[William Longchamp]], King Richard's [[Lord Chancellor]] and the man in charge of England while he was on crusade. The [[Pipe Rolls]] record Β£2,881 1s 10d spent at the Tower of London between 3 December 1189 and 11 November 1190,<ref>{{harvnb|Allen Brown|Curnow|1984|p=15}}</ref> from an estimated Β£7,000 spent by Richard on castle building in England.<ref>{{harvnb|Gillingham|2002|p=304}}</ref> According to the contemporary chronicler [[Roger of Howden]], Longchamp dug a [[moat]] around the castle and tried in vain to fill it from the Thames.<ref name="ABC 15-17" /> Longchamp was also Constable of the Tower, and undertook its expansion while preparing for war with King Richard's younger brother, [[John, King of England|Prince John]], who in Richard's absence arrived in England to try to seize power. As Longchamp's main fortress, he made the Tower as strong as possible. The new fortifications were first tested in October 1191, when the Tower was besieged for the first time in its history. Longchamp capitulated to John after just three days, deciding he had more to gain from surrender than prolonging the siege.<ref>{{harvnb|Wilson|1998|pp=13β14}}</ref> John succeeded Richard as king in 1199, but his rule proved unpopular with many of his [[baron]]s, who in response moved against him. In 1214, while the king was at Windsor Castle, [[Robert Fitzwalter]] led an army into London and laid siege to the Tower. Although under-garrisoned, the Tower resisted and the siege was lifted once John signed [[Magna Carta]].<ref name="Wilson 17-18">{{harvnb|Wilson|1998|pp=17β18}}</ref> The king reneged on his promises of reform, leading to the outbreak of the [[First Barons' War]]. Even after Magna Carta was signed, Fitzwalter maintained his control of London. During the war, the Tower's garrison joined forces with the barons. John was deposed in 1216 and the barons offered the English throne to [[Louis VIII of France|Prince Louis]], the eldest son of the French king. However, after John's death in October 1216, many began to support the claim of his eldest son, Henry III. War continued between the factions supporting Louis and Henry, with Fitzwalter supporting Louis. Fitzwalter was still in control of London and the Tower, both of which held out until it was clear that Henry III's supporters would prevail.<ref name="Wilson 17-18" /> In the 13th century, Kings [[Henry III of England|Henry III]] (1216β1272) and [[Edward I of England|Edward I]] (1272β1307) extended the castle, essentially creating it as it stands today.<ref name="ABC 17">{{harvnb|Allen Brown|Curnow|1984|p=17}}</ref> Henry was disconnected from his barons, and a mutual lack of understanding led to unrest and resentment towards his rule. As a result, he was eager to ensure the Tower of London was a formidable fortification; at the same time Henry was an [[wikt:aesthete|aesthete]] and wished to make the castle a comfortable place to live.<ref>{{harvnb|Wilson|1998|pp=19β20}}</ref> From 1216 to 1227 nearly Β£10,000 was spent on the Tower of London; in this period, only the work at Windsor Castle cost more (Β£15,000). Most of the work was focused on the palatial buildings of the innermost ward.<ref name="Parnell 1993 27" /> The tradition of whitewashing the White Tower (from which it derives its name) began in 1240.<ref name="ABC 20">{{harvnb|Allen Brown|Curnow|1984|p=20}}</ref> Beginning around 1238, the castle was expanded to the east, north, and north-west. The work lasted through the reign of Henry III and into that of Edward I, interrupted occasionally by civil unrest. New creations included a new defensive perimeter, studded with towers, while on the west, north, and east sides, where the wall was not defended by the river, a defensive ditch was dug. The eastern extension took the castle beyond the bounds of the old Roman settlement, marked by the city wall which had been incorporated into the castle's defences.<ref name="ABC 20" /> The Tower had long been a symbol of oppression, despised by Londoners, and Henry's building programme was unpopular. So when the gatehouse collapsed in 1240, the locals celebrated the setback.<ref>{{harvnb|Wilson|1998|p=21}}</ref> The expansion caused disruption locally and Β£166 was paid to [[St Katharine's by the Tower|St Katherine's Hospital]] and the prior of [[Holy Trinity Priory, Aldgate|Holy Trinity]] in compensation.<ref>{{harvnb|Allen Brown|Curnow|1984|pp=20β21}}</ref> Henry III often held court at the Tower of London, and held parliament there on at least two occasions (1236 and 1261) when he felt that the barons were becoming dangerously unruly. In 1258, the discontented barons, led by [[Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester|Simon de Montfort]], forced the King to agree to reforms including the holding of regular parliaments. Relinquishing the Tower of London was among the conditions. Henry III resented losing power and sought permission from the pope to break his oath. With the backing of mercenaries, Henry installed himself in the Tower in 1261. While negotiations continued with the barons, the King ensconced himself in the castle, although no army moved to take it. A truce was agreed with the condition that the King hand over control of the Tower once again. Henry won a significant victory at the [[Battle of Evesham]] in 1265, allowing him to regain control of the country and the Tower of London. Cardinal [[Pope Adrian V|Ottobuon]] came to England to excommunicate those who were still rebellious; the act was deeply unpopular and the situation was exacerbated when the cardinal was granted custody of the Tower. [[Gilbert de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford]], marched on London in April 1267 and laid siege to the castle, declaring that custody of the Tower was "not a post to be trusted in the hands of a foreigner, much less of an ecclesiastic".<ref>{{harvnb|Wilson|1998|pp=24β27}}</ref> Despite a large army and siege engines, Gilbert de Clare was unable to take the castle. The Earl retreated, allowing the King control of the capital, and the Tower experienced peace for the rest of Henry's reign.<ref>{{harvnb|Wilson|1998|p=27}}</ref> Although he was rarely in London, Edward I undertook an expensive remodelling of the Tower, costing Β£21,000 between 1275 and 1285, over double that spent on the castle during the whole of Henry III's reign.<ref name="Parnell 1993 35">{{harvnb|Parnell|1993|p=35}}</ref> Edward I was a seasoned castle builder, and used his experience of siege warfare during the [[crusade]]s to bring innovations to castle building.<ref name="Parnell 1993 35" /> His [[Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd|programme of castle building in Wales]] heralded the introduction of the widespread use of [[arrowslit]]s in castle walls across Europe, drawing on Eastern influences.<ref>{{Harvnb|Cathcart King|1988|p=84}}</ref> At the Tower of London, Edward filled in the moat dug by Henry III and built a new curtain wall along its line, creating a new enclosure. A new moat was created in front of the new curtain wall. The western part of Henry III's curtain wall was rebuilt, with Beauchamp Tower replacing the castle's old gatehouse. A new entrance was created, with elaborate defences including two gatehouses and a [[barbican]].<ref>{{harvnb|Parnell|1993|pp=35β44}}</ref> In an effort to make the castle self-sufficient, Edward I also added two [[watermill]]s.<ref>{{harvnb|Wilson|1998|pp=31}}</ref> Six hundred Jews were imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1278, charged with [[coin clipping]].<ref name="Parnell 1993 54" /> Persecution of the country's Jewish population under Edward began in 1276 and culminated in 1290 when he issued the [[Edict of Expulsion]], forcing the Jews out of the country.<ref>{{harvnb|Wilson|1998|pp=34, 36}}</ref> In 1279, the country's numerous mints were unified under a single system whereby control was centralised to the mint within the Tower of London, while mints outside of London were reduced, with only a few local and [[bishop|episcopal]] mints continuing to operate.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Records of the Royal Mint |url=http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C207 |access-date=6 June 2017 |publisher=[[The National Archive]]}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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