London

toc =What's some stuff about London?=

The population of London is 7.51 million people, that is 15% of the entire England population. London is a very little place for so many people, its one of the smallest in England! Being only 1,572 square km, that's 1.2% of the total land area in England. London governs at strategic tier by Greater London Authority, which contains their elected mayor, 25 member elected Assembly, the local tier, which is 32 boroughs, and the City of London. London has a dynamic and successful economy. It has the world's leading centers for international financial/business services also has the __headquarter__ bases for many leading companies. London has the most diverse and culturally rich cities. There are over 300 languages spoken in London (London). I'm guessing many of you are wondering what is with that big __ferries__ wheel in the middle of London, well its called the Eye of London, if you ever go to London you should go check it out and take a ride. I would __truly__ love to go to London, there is so much history there and so many beautiful buildings. Did you know that Obama gave the Queen of England an iPod? He did and it was already preloaded with two of his speeches, his inaugural address and 2004 speech to Democratic National Convention. "He also put a selection of Broadway tunes from My Fair Lady and Camelot" (__Tomlin__), all of which are from London. (__Tomlin__) = = =What are some facts about the Tower of London?=

The Tower of London was constructed in 1078 by William the Conqueror. Legend says that if the ravens that live on the towers' grounds ever leave it will crumble and __disaster__ will strike England. "Charles II took the legend very seriously that in 1670s he made a __decreed__ that six ravens must remain on the grounds at all times" (Tomlin). The tower also served as a zoo for King John's collection of animals. In 1204 he kept some animals like lions, leopards and elephants. 50 years later, King Henry III __received__ a polar bear, the bear was kept on a least near the __Thames__ River by the tower to fish. Yeoman were __bodyguards__ to the king when he was in throne, there was always 35 of them. The Yeoman and their families got to stay in the tower with the king, now all the Yeoman do is give tours and manage the tower. You used to have to have a password to get into the tower at night, they called it the "word" and the "word" changes every 24 hours. It was written on a slip of paper and given to the Yeoman on duty. (Tomlin)

If you visit the tower today you might just see a ghost __walking__ around. Queen Anne Boleyn was __executed__ there and is said to be seen walking around the grounds without her head. One building is believed to be so haunted that dogs won't enter it. During King Henry VIII's reign the tower housed the Royal mint, it made England's silver coins. They made the workers work so hard that when they gave one man a break and he slept for 15 days straight. England's crown jewels are still __guarded__ in the Tower's Jewel House, crowns, robes, jewelry and scepters that go back hundreds of years, more then 23,500 diamonds, papphires, rubies and other gems. King Henry VI hosted huge and noisy __tournaments__, jousting __tournaments__. The more the knight won the more famous he became. In 1663 a goldsmith named John Barkstead hid more than $40,000 worth of stolen gold somewhere on the grounds of the tower. Many people have searched for it but never have found it, keep looking! It might still be there. The tower served as a prison it was so secure that only few escape attempts succeeded. In 1716 a man sneaked out dressed in ladies clothing. In 1100 a prisoner threw such a wild party for guards they didn't even notice him climbing over the wall to a waiting boat (Tomlin). The Tower of London seems so interesting and has so much history. A lot has happened to just one tower over a long period of time, I didn't know most of the things on the list even happened so this was a very interesting topic for me to look up and find more out about.

=Who is Anne Boleyn?= Anne Boleyn was born in 1504 in Norfolk, England, her occupation was being a queen consort. There is not an accurate record of her birthday, they guess she was born between 1499-1509. They do know that her father, Sir Thomas Boleyn, was an educated man. She got married to King Henry VIII but they had to get married in secret because Henry already had a wife and they would not allow him to have another. Anne was the Queen of England for about 3 years, she was the second wife to King Henry VIII. "September 7, 1533, Elizabeth was born" (Rooney). Henry VIII was so disappointed that Anne didn't have a boy that he didn't go to Elizabeth's __christening__. King Henry wouldn't back down from what the Pope was saying about him having two __wives__ that in 1534 Henry had Parliament pass the Act of Supremacy. Making the monarch, the leader of the Church of England, causing the final __split__ between England and the Roman Catholic Church. (Rooney)

King Henry VIII and Thomas Cornwell conspired together to get rid of Anne because she was not giving him a boy. Cornwell was accusing Anne of adultery. "Cornwell and his cronies tortured Mark Dmeaton into saying he has an affair with Anne" (Rooney). Mark named four other men Anne "was with", Sir Henry Norris, Sir Francis Weston, William Brerton and Lord Rochford. Lord Rochford is Anne's brother, incest was just as bad as adultery. Anne received a lesser sentence, being beheaded instead of burned at the stake. Her and Henry's marriage was invalid and knowing that information could have saved her because it would have meant she never __committed__ adultery. She was executed on May 19, 1536, Elizabeth was only 3 years old. She never lived to see her daughter become one the greatest English rulers ever. (Rooney)

=Work Cited=


 * “Obama Gave the Queen an iPod” __National Review__. May 4, 2009. SDSL. Gale. <[] >
 * “London”. __Introduction.__ 11 May, 2009. <[|www.gos.gov.uk/gol/factgd/london/?a=42496] >
 * Rooney, Terrie M. “Boleyn, Anne (1504-1536)”. __Encyclopedia of World Biography__. 1998. SDSL <[]>
 * Tomlin, C.M. “10 cool things about the Tower of London.” __National Geographic Kids__. Feb. 2009, 11 May 2009. p. 26(2) Student Resource Center-Gold. <[]>