I was particularly engaged in my exploration of the Tower of London. My interest skyrocketed as the tour guide muttered the words “beheadings” and “executions.” Being an Early Childhood/ Childhood Education major rather than a History major, I decided to opt for the guided tour so that I could gain as much information about the historic place as possible. The tour gave me more insight on the history than I could have ever imagined. Having fully expected the information to revolve solely around past royalty, I was impressed to learn that Sir Isaac Newton resided for a time in the Tower and is thought to have tested his famous laws of gravity on the Bell Tower. I was also intrigued to learn that that same Bell Tower housed Elizabeth I during the time that her sister, Queen Mary, imprisoned her for suspicions of fueling a rebellion. However, what really intrigued me were the tales of the numerous beheadings. I was fascinated by the treatment of Anne Boleyn by King Henry VIII. The Queen had become so hysterical at the thought of her execution that a specifically gifted swordsmen was hired to behead her with a quick and clean swift of the sword. It is remarkable to me that the King so heartlessly charged her with adultery and treason while he was simultaneously preparing to marry another woman and hoping the new wife would produce a male heir. However, he showed some mercy in the hiring of an expert swordsman. His conflicting nature was one that interested me. I was also intrigued in the beheading of the fifth wife of King Henry VIII, Catherine Howard. The queen was executed for her affair with Thomas Culpeper. Thomas faced a similar fate and was also beheaded along with the the Queen’s maid who organized dates for the affair. The tour guide shared that though there is debate on whether this was actually said, there is speculation that prior to being executed, Catherine announced, “I die a queen. But I would rather die the wife of Culpeper.” Gender hypocrisy is not something that is new to me, but to see it being so blatantly accepted as the wives were being beheaded for adulterous affairs and in some cases, simply rumors, while the much older and tyrannical King Henry VIII had countless affairs was both fascinating to me and horrifying. I was also intrigued by the disappearance of Prince Edward and Prince Richard. It is widely thought that the princes’ uncle had them murdered in an attempt to save the throne for himself. Years later, two bodies of two young boys were then found underneath a staircase of what is now known as the Bloody Tower. The tour guide who led our tour also shared that he had personally guarded a more recent prisoner in the Tower of London, Rudolph Hess, who was held in the Tower before being sentenced in the Nuremberg Trials. The entire experience was captivating and surreal in that I had the opportunity to stand in these historic spots and gain specific pieces of information that made the history come alive.
-Sara Siliznol
