The Tower of London is on the north of the Thames River. According to the history, King Edward of England had promised to give thethroneto William, the Duke of Normandy. But at last he gave the throne to Harold Godwinson, his English brother-in-law.
William was quite angry about his not being the king. He sent his men to fight against the English and on October 14, 1066, the Duke's men won, and later William became the king. At the beginning, the new king wanted to protect himself and keep the wild people of London in line. So he built the Tower of London soon.
The tower was always changed by the kings of England because they wanted to add something more. So king after king built the tower adding walls and smaller towers around it. Around the year1240 King Henry III made the Tower of London his home. He whitewashed the tower, made the grounds wider to include a church, and added a great hall and other buildings. The Normans called the tower "La Tour Blanche (White Tower)".
As time went by, the addition of other smaller towers, extra buildings, walls and walkways, became the example of fortresses(堡垒), prisons, palaces and finally museums that we enjoy today.
