A brief history of The Tower of London 
In 1078, the new Norman king of England, William the Conqueror orders to build a huge tower with a 27 meter deep keep* to assert* his power on the country. It was called the Great Tower and is known today as The White Tower. In 1300, the original roman structure was completed with walls and ditches* built* around the Tower. It was then a fortress.
In the Middle Ages, the kings faced many oppositions and had to take refuge in the Tower. It was then a royal residence, which was transformed by Henry III in 1216 with the Wakefield Tower and Lanthorn Tower. In 1272, Edouard I reinforced the Tower with new and bigger walls and buildings. In the 14th century*, the Tower was used as* a Mint*, to store and make coins, to protect the crown jewels and to keep the royal exotic animals (giraffes, lions, elephants...)
In the 16th century, Henry VIII built the gardens and the Queen's houses for his second wife Anne Boelyn. As he wanted to divorce from his first wife, he seperated from the Church in Rome that didn't approve him. He then imprisonned his ennemies at the Tower. Later on, Henry VIII killed two of his six wives at the Tower. It was then a prison.
In the 17th century, with the civil war*, the Tower became* a garrison* to keep the military guards and the war supply*.
In the 18th and 19th century, the prison, the zoo, the Mint and the guards progressively moved* to other places. Many restaurations of the Tower were made. And in 1814, the first official guide organised visits at the Tower, then a historic monument.
Today, the Tower is one of the most visited tourist attraction in the world with two million and a half visitors every year.
Vocabulary Help
a keep = un donjon / to assert = imposer / a ditch = un fossé / built = construit(e)(s) / a century = un siècle / used as = utilisé en tant que / a Mint = endroit où l'on fabrique et garde la monnaie / a civil war = une guerre civile / a garrison = une garnison / war supply: matériel de guerre / move = déménager