I am quite the history nerd, so a trip to the Tower of London was something I had been anticipating. Especially because this is a part of history where my knowledge is pretty vague. I knew the basics about the Tower of London. It’s iconic, it’s where the Crown Jewels are, it’s where Anne Boleyn was imprisoned and executed, and it was built by William the Conqueror. I was excited to use my time there as a deep dive and immerse myself in the history.
We first toured the Palace exhibits, the ravens, the medieval palace, the tour in World War I and Royal Beasts. First, I am not the biggest fan of birds, in fact they are quite scary and vicious creatures and I prefer to stay far away from them. So walking along the tops of the castle walls between exhibits that are populated with menacing looking ravens was not my idea of a good time. But I am happy to tell you that no Claires or ravens were harmed in these events.
One of the exhibits I found the most interesting was the Royal Beasts exhibit. I had never considered where the stereotype of wealthy people owning exotic animals came from, but I do believe I found it! For over 600 years the monarchy kept exotic animals (monkeys, tigers, lions, elephants, snakes, zebras, alligators, kangaroos, and bears) at the Tower of London. I was shocked by the exhibit as it was something that I had never known and was curious how it was even possible, like what are the logistics of getting a polar bear to Henry III. How do you keep these exotic animals alive without the technology that zoos have today to be able to create the appropriate environments for them? The reality is… you don’t. Without modern day research of these animals and their habitats, it was impossible for them to know how to take care of them properly so most of these animals suffered. There was a story about an ostrich who died because the “handlers” were feeding him nails because they were thought to eat iron. There were also animals that were solely brought to the tower to be put in arenas with the lions to watch the lions tear them apart for entertainment. I’m not one who enjoys learning about the mistreatment of animals, so I tried to find some of the wholesome fun facts.
Henry III is responsible for the creation of the Royal Menagerie. He was gifted 3 leopards by Holy Roman Emporer Frederick II in 1235 and thus begins his fascination with owning exotic animals. He was given a polar bear from the King of Norway in 1252. He was rather obsessed with his bear and made several edicts surrounding the keeping of the bear. He didn’t realize the expense and the dedication for taking care of the bear so he declared the Sheriffs of London were now responsible for the bear. They were ordered to pay fourpence a day for the bear’s care and they had to house and clothe the Norwegian handler that came with him. Later on, Henry was still concerned the bear wasn’t being looked after appropriately so he ordered a muzzle and a leash be created for him so he could be walked outside of the tower grounds. He changed the law so he was able to let him swim and fish in the Thames. He continued to add to the Menagerie, he was later gifted an elephant that he ordered be given red wine as a treat. I like to believe that he genuinely loved these animals and appreciated their beauty and majesty. But unfortunately, I think the reality is they were quite a symbol of wealth and power.
The monarchy continues to add to the Royal Menagerie until 1831 when most of the animals there were moved to the London Zoo after it’s creation in 1828.
Theatre in London U of A 