Hi there, I'm Mr. Roberts and thanks for joining me for today's history lesson where my job will be to guide you through our history resources.

I'll be making sure that by the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to securely meet our lesson objective.

By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to explain why the White Tower's location was chosen.

There are three key terms which we need to make sure we're comfortable with before embarking on our learning journey today.

Strategically means important or essential for achieving a plan or an aim.

And fortification is a word for any structure designed for defence.

And legitimacy refers to having the right to hold power.

Our lesson on the site of the White Tower today is separated into two learning phases, and the first part examines the importance of the site upon which the White Tower itself was built.

The site chosen for the White Tower was a strategically important one.

The castle guarded important points of access into London.

It was built on a bend in the River Thames, which meant that the White Tower could control river traffic and also serve as a lookout point for any approaching threats.

Before we move on, it's time for a brief learning check to make sure we've secured some key information.

I'd like you to answer the following multiple choice question: Why was the White Tower built in the location that it was? Select three correct answers from the following: A: the castle guarded important point of access into London.

B: the castle could control river traffic.

C: The castle was built where it was cheapest to do so, or D: the castle could look out for any approaching threats.

Pause the video while you have a think about the right answers, and then press play when you've made a decision.

Welcome back, and well done if you selected A, B, and D as the three main reasons why the White Tower was built in the location that it was.

London's economic importance was very much based on river trade, so it was important to have control over what went up and down the river.

Also, Viking raiders and invaders often used rivers, including the Thames, to reach towns and cities inland.

So the White Tower had a strategically important location against this threat as well.

Normans also knew the importance of being able to supply a castle in the event of a siege.

The river location meant that it would be very difficult to starve out the defenders of the White Tower as boats could be used to bring in supplies and reinforcements.

At this time, there was only one bridge across the Thames, London Bridge.

The White Tower was around 500 metres from this crossing, meaning that lookouts could also watch over the bridge for any threat to London that was approaching from the south, the same direction that the Normans had themselves taken on their march to London.

Next, I'd like you to attempt the following true or false question: True or false? The site chosen for the White Tower was a strategically important one.

Pause the video while you come to a decision on what you think is the correct answer, and then press play when you are ready to continue.

Welcome back, and well done if you said the answer is true.

Now I'd like you to think about why the answer is true based upon what we've just been learning about.

Pause the video while you do this and then press play when you are ready to hear the justification.

Hello again, and well done if you said that the castle guarded important points of access into London, and being on a river bend, it could also control river traffic and look out for any approaching threats.

Furthermore, the river location meant that it would be very difficult to starve out the defenders of the White Tower during a siege.

The White Tower was constructed inside the London Wall, the Roman fortifications that surrounded Londinium.

The earliest motte-and-bailey castle was built in the southeast corner of the Roman walls, using them to add to its defences.

The Romans may also have had a fort in the same place that the White Tower was constructed.

This would not only have given the Norman's strong foundations to build on, but also meant that William could link his control over London to the Roman empire of the past, which helped give the Norman regime more legitimacy.

The Romans had brought law, security and prosperity to London, and William was keen for people to see his rule as offering the same advantages to the citizens of London.

That means that the choice of location had symbolic importance as well as strategic importance.

Next, I'd like you to complete the sentences on the screen using a name and a keyword.

Pause the video while you have a think about the right answers, and then press play when you've made your decisions.

Welcome back, and well done if your sentences now read as follows: The Romans had brought law, security, and prosperity to London and King William was keen for people to see his rule as having the same legitimacy.

That means that William's choice of location had symbolic importance as well as being strategically important.

And for our first task today, I'd like you to describe the importance of the site upon which the White Tower was constructed.

Pause the video while you complete this task and then press play when you are done and are ready for some feedback in the form of a two paragraph model answer.

Welcome back.

I asked you to describe the importance of the site upon which the White Tower was constructed using your learning so far.

It's worth mentioning at this point that everyone will have written something slightly different in their answer to this task, but well done if you managed to include any of the following in your answer: "Constructed within the Roman fortifications of Londinium, the White Tower's location inside the huge London Wall, possibly on elevated ground, reinforced Norman control over the city.

The White Tower, begun in the 1070s and rising 27 metres, dominated the skyline, serving as a visual reminder of Norman authority.

William recognised the need for such strongholds to control London's population, initiating castle construction even before his coronation in December 1066, as noted by his biographer, William of Poitiers." The White Tower's site was strategically significant, guarding crucial access points into London from a bend in the River Thames, which allowed control over river traffic and served as a lookout for threats.

Given London's economic reliance on river trade and the frequent use of rivers by Viking raiders, the tower's location was vital for defence.

Additionally, the riverside location made it difficult to starve out defenders during a siege as boats could still supply the castle.

Positioned about 500 metres from London Bridge, the tower also monitored this sole crossing for threats from the south, the very same direction the Normans themselves had taken to reach London.

Really well done there.

And with that task done, we're ready to move on to the second part of our lesson today on the site of the White Tower, where we'll be learning about the specifics of the White Tower and Norman London.

While the White Tower's location was important for the defence of London, it was also chosen for control over London itself.

Across England and into Wales, the Normans built castles in towns as a means of suppressing unrest and providing a constant visual reminder of who was now in charge.

Norman castles rose above all other non-religious buildings, dominating the landscape, and as a result, the Normans often chose higher ground to build them on.

Now let's have a go at the following multiple choice question: Why did the Normans build castles across England and Wales? Select two answers from the following: A: to suppress unrest, B: as a constant visual reminder of Norman authority, or C: to defend against Roman invasions? Pause the video while you select the two answers that you believe to be correct based on what we've just heard, and then press play on this video when you are ready to continue with the lesson.

Welcome back, and well done if you selected A and B as the main reasons why Norman's built castles across England and Wales.

They wanted to suppress any unrest and they wanted the castles to be a constant visual reminder of the Normans' and William's authority.

The White Tower's location probably therefore already featured elevated ground, which the Normans then added to by piling up earth into a motte on which the original timber building was constructed.

Then, from the 1070s, work started on the enormous White Tower, reaching 27 metres into the sky.

This was a building that would have overshadowed Norman London to an extraordinary extent.

We know from contemporary records that William recognised the need for castles to control London's population from the start.

William's biographer, William of Poitier says that work on London's castles began even before William's coronation in December 1066.

After the coronation, William moved to Barking, in Essex, while, as William of Poitier writes, "Several strongholds or castles were made ready in the city to safeguard against the fickleness or the unreliability of the huge and fierce population of London, for he saw that his first task was to bring the Londoners completely to heel." So now let's have a go at another multiple choice question.

How tall was the Norman White Tower? A: 17 metres, B: 27 metres, or C: 37 metres? Once again, pause the video while you select the answer that you believe to be correct based on what we've just heard, and then press play on this video when you are ready to continue with the lesson.

Welcome back, and well done if you selected B: 27 metres as the height of the White Tower in Norman times, a height that would've dwarfed the other buildings around it.

The White Tower was not an isolated stronghold in London, but part of a network of fortifications and administrative centres.

This matched the pattern of conquest and control that the Normans imposed on other cities too.

Like York, for example, London had more than one castle.

In the west of the city, in the southwestern corner of the Roman walls, in fact, was Baynard's Castle.

This castle guarded the western approaches to the city and controlled a key crossing point over the River Fleet, which still flows through London today, but almost completely underground.

As well as Roman fortifications, there had been an Anglo-Saxon fort at this location.

Baynard's Castle was built after 1066 by Ralph Baynard, who probably fought with William at the Battle of Hastings and had been made the Earl of Essex as a reward.

Less than 100 metres north of Baynard's Castle was Montfichet's Tower.

This may not have been constructed until later in William's reign, or perhaps in the reign of William II.

It also guarded the west of the city, built on Ludgate Hill to overlook London and Fleet Street, which led to the Cathedral of St Paul's.

Now let's have a go at one more multiple choice question.

Which of the following were other fortifications and administrative centres in London? A: Battle Abbey, B: Montfichet's Tower, C: Baynard's Castle, or D: Pevensey Castle? Pause the video while you select the two answers that you believe to be correct based on what we've heard about so far, and then press play on this video when you are ready to continue with our lesson.

Welcome back, and well done if you selected B: Montfichet's Tower and C: Baynard's Castle, which were the other fortifications and administrative centres in Norman London.

Together with Norman military control of London, the White Tower was also integrated into Norman governmental control of the city.

William and his successors did not rule from one palace, but used different centres of power.

One of them was the White Tower, but Westminster, Edward the Confessor's administrative centre in London, was another.

Next, I'd like you to attempt the following true or false question.

True or false? The White Tower was completely separate from Norman governmental control of the city.

As ever, pause the video while you come to a decision on what you think is the correct answer, and then press play to continue.

Hello again, and well done if you said the answer is false.

Now I'd like you to think about why the answer is false based upon what we've been learning about.

Pause the video while you do this, and then press play when you are ready to hear the justification.

Hello again, and well done if you said that William and his successors did not rule from one palace, but used different but connected centres of power.

One of them was the White Tower and Westminster was another.

William II had Westminster Hall constructed by 1097.

This went on to be where important court cases were held.

Westminster was outside the London Walls, but only a short journey by river or road.

Within Norman London was the city's Eastminster, St.

Paul's Cathedral, which the Normans began rebuilding in 1087 after a fire.

Therefore, the White Tower was in close connection with both religious and administrative centres in London, and for Norman England as a whole.

For our second and final written task today, I'd like you, using your learning so far, to consider the following statement: The most important consideration in the construction of Norman Buildings in London was defence.

I'd like you to write one paragraph to agree with this view and one paragraph to disagree with this view.

Try to include details about the White Tower, Baynard's Castle, Montfichet's Tower, Westminster Hall, and St.

Paul's Cathedral, if you can.

Pause the video while you complete this task, and then press play for some feedback in the form of a two-sided model answer.

Welcome back.

I asked you to write two paragraphs, one to agree and one to disagree with the following statement.

The most important consideration in the construction of Norman Buildings in London was defence.

Well done if your first paragraph agreeing with the statement sounds anything like this: "Defence was the most important consideration in the construction of Norman Buildings in London, and the White Tower serves as a prime example.

Its strategic location on a bend in the River Thames allowed control over river traffic and the monitoring of threats.

The site was fortified using Roman walls and an elevated motte for better defence.

Similarly, Baynard's Castle and Montfichet's Tower were positioned to guard the western approaches and key crossing points into the city.

These structures were part of a fortifications network designed to protect Norman rulers, control the population and respond to potential attacks, reflecting a clear emphasis on military strength and defence." Well done if your paragraph disagreeing with the statement sounds anything like this: "Conversely, defence was not the only important consideration for Norman buildings in London.

The White Tower also symbolised Norman authority and legitimacy, linking to Roman foundations to present William's rule as a continuation of Roman order and prosperity.

Additionally, Westminster Hall served administrative purposes and hosted important court cases, while the rebuilding of St.

Paul's Cathedral after 1087 emphasises the Norman's dedication to religious influence.

These buildings played a significant role in governance and religious life, indicating the political control, administration, and religious functions were equally crucial in the Norman architectural plans for London." Really well done there.

And with that task complete, we've arrived at the end of our lesson today.

All that's left for us to do is to summarise the key learning points, and it would be great if you could remember these going forwards.

Firstly, the site chosen for the White Tower was a strategically important location, which made use of the old Roman walls to enhance defences.

It was next to the River Thames and had an elevated position.

Secondly, being visible to all Londoners helped achieve a key role for the White Tower, to control London's population.

And lastly, two other castles were also built in Norman London: Baynard's Castle, and Montfichet's Tower.

The White Tower was part of a network of these fortifications and administrative and religious control in London.

Thank you so much for joining me for our lesson today.

It's been a real pleasure to guide you through our history learning resources, and I very much look forward to seeing you again in the future, where we'll be looking at the architecture of the White Tower.