| 1078 | | Work starts on the White Tower
|
| | Gundulf began work on the White Tower, the Tower of London. |
| 1091 | | Violent storm hits London
|
| | London was hit by a terrible storm, possibly a tornado. Damage was done to the Tower of London, the old wooden London Bridge and many churches and buildings. |
| 1141 | Jun | Matilda enters London
|
| | Matilda and her supporters entered London for her coronation. Her supporters included David I, king of the Scots. Geoffrey de Mandeville who controlled the Tower of London, abandoned his king as he saw Matilda had the upper hand. He joined her side and offered her the Tower of London. He did this to ensure he kept the Earldom of Essex which made him one of the most powerful barons of the time. |
| 1143 | Sep | Mandeville is arrested
|
| | King Stephen arrested Geoffrey de Mandeville at a meeting of the Royal Court. Mandeville had tried Stephen's patience with his disloyalty and the king did not want the Tower of London (which Mandeville controlled) fall into the hands of Matilda. Mandevilles castles and title of Earl of Essex were taken from him, and he became an outlaw. |
| 1153 | | Richard de Lucy becomes Constable of the Tower
|
| | Richard de Lucy was appointed the title of Constable at the Tower of London, an extremely important position, by King Stephen. |
| 1189 - 1199 | Building work commences at the Tower
|
| | While Richard I was away on Crusade, William Longchamp, the Bishop of Ely and and Chancellor ordered the enlargement of the bailey surrounding the keep Tower in London. A new ditch and bank were constructed with a new section of curtain wall. |
| 1191 | Oct 6 | Tower of London siege
|
| | Bishop William Longchamp held the Tower of London against Prince John's supporters for only three days. The Bishop surrendered the Tower and escaped to continue his support for King Richard. |
| 1220 - 1240 | Henry III's improvements at the Tower
|
| | Henry III made large alterations to the Tower of London including new curtain walls, an improved water filled ditch and a water gate so the King could enter the castle directly from the Thames. |
| 1275 - 1285 | Major rebuilding work at the Tower of London
|
| | Edward I spent large sums of money improving the fortifications at the Tower of London. A new moat was dug and a curtain wall was built around it. The land between the Tower and the river was levelled and new apartments were built on the shore. Edward had a complex of gates added which meant it was extremely difficult to attack the castle through the main land entrance. |
| 1281 | | Beauchamp Tower at Tower of London built
|
| | Edward I was responsible for the construction of the Beauchamp Tower on the western side of the curtain wall. It got its name later on in 1397 when Thomas Beauchamp was imprisoned there by Richard II. The three storey tower was large enough to hold not only the captive, but members of his household as well. It has been used to hold other important prisoners since. |
| 1323 | Autumn | Mortimer escapes from the Tower
|
| | Mortomer of Wigmore escaped from the Tower of London. |
| 1340 | Nov | Edward dismisses his Chancellor
|
| | Edward travelled back to England and came ashore at the Tower of London. He was horrified to find the castle unguarded. His anger did not stop with those in charge at the Tower. Edward sacked many of his advisors including the Chancellor, John Stratford, the Archbishop of Canterbury. |
| 1348 - 1355 | Water gate built at Tower of London
|
| | Edward III had a water gate constructed at the base of the Cradle Tower. This allowed access to royal apartments directly from the river. |
| 1351 | | Eastminster Abbey founded
|
| | Henry III founded a new Cistercian abbey near the Tower of London. Monks from Beaulieu Abbey populated the new abbey. |
| 1413 | Autumn | Sir John Oldcastle arrested
|
| | As the leader of the Lollards, the friend of the King was arrested and sent to the Tower of London. |
| 1451 | | Support for Richard in Parliament
|
| | Thomas Young, the member of Parliament for Bristol stood up and declared that Richard, Duke of York's claim to the throne should be concidered. Thomas Young was quickly arrested and locked up in the Tower of London. |
| 1465 | Summer | Henry VI captured
|
| | Henry had been helped by Lancastrian supporters in the north but was finally captured at Waddington Hall. He was taken to London and put in the Tower. |
| 1470 | Oct | Henry restored as King
|
| | Henry VI was released from the Tower of London by the Earl of Warwick and crowned King of England for the second time. |
| 1478 | Feb 18 | Clarence executed
|
| | The Duke of Clarence was privately put to death within the walls of the Tower of London. |
| 1483 | Apr 30 | Richard captures the King
|
| | Richard, assisted by the Duke of Buckingham rode to Stony Stratford where they met with the King under the pretence of offering their condolences for the death of his father. Instead, they captured King Edward and took him directly to London and safe keeping in the Tower. Anthony Woodville, Earl Rivers was arrested and imprisoned at Sherrif-Hutton Castle, near York. |
| Jul | Murder of Princes in the Tower
|
| | At some point the yound king Edward V and his brother Richard disappeared. Whether they were murdered in the Tower of London and by whom is not known, but they were not seen of again. Later, in 1499, a man called Perkin Warbeck appeared in Ireland and claims were made that he was really Richard, one of the princes. |
| 1499 | Nov | Perkin Warbeck executed
|
| | Perkin Warbeck executed at the Tower of London. |
| 1501 | | Tournament at the Tower of London
|
| | Henry VII held a tournament at the Tower of London. |
| 1512 | | Fire at the Tower of London
|
| | A fire at the Tower of London damages St. Peter's chapel within the castle grounds. |
| 1542 | Nov 24 | Battle of Solway Moss
|
| | A terrible defeat for the Scottish when they were overrun by a much smaller force of English troops lead by the duke of Norfolk. Several high-worth Scottish prisoners were taken and transported to the Tower of London for future ransom. The shock of the defeat is supposed to have been so great for the Scottish king, James V, that he died just a few weeks later. |
| 1553 | Aug 3 | Mary arrives in London
|
| | Mary Tudor arrived at London to a huge welcome. Entering through Aldgate she was met by Elizabeth, Anne of Cleves and many others. Mary quickly ordered the release of her supporters that had been locked up at the Tower of London. The Duke of Northumberland and his supporters were placed in the Tower to await trial and execution. |
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