Tales from the Tower of London

'Highly enjoyable' – Ancestors

'A fascinating recreation of the Tower as the life-and-death blood of the nation' – Oxford Times

Serving as both a palace and a prison, the Tower of London has been at the centre of more intrigue, terror and crucial turning points in history than any other site in England. Diehl and Donnelly take us behind the grim, grey walls which circumscribe England's greatest fortress to discover true stories of the rebels, rogues, despots, lovers, spies and conmen who lived or were held captive there, and whose various, strange fates have added to the Tower's sinister reputation. It is a place where court intrigues, clandestine liaisons, gruesome tortures and grisly executions took place with frightening regularity.

Tales from the Tower of London is more than the factual history of a great building; it is storytelling at its best. The fifteen stories in this book are made all the more poignant by the fact that they are all true and focus on individuals royal and common, good and bad, heroic and villainous, who lived, loved, plotted and died there.

The characters you will meet include:



- William the Conqueror



- Richard II and the forlorn 'Princes in the Tower'



- Wat Tyler



- Lady Jane Grey



- Guy Fawkes



- Colonel Thomas Blood



- Henry Laurens



- Sir Roger Casement



Whether you are a lover of history, adventure, intrigue and romance, or just appreciate a ripping good yarn, you will find Tales from the Tower of London a classic page turner.

• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• 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 Tactics, Tradecraft and Tricks
  • 11 A Right Royal Heist: Colonel Thomas Blood
  • 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