Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Tower of London was founded toward the end of 1066, following William the Conqueror's victory at the Battle of Hastings on the 14th of October 1066. The White Tower, the great stone keep at its centre, was begun in 1078 under the direction of Gundulf, Bishop of Rochester.
Only seven people were executed within the Tower of London's walls before the world wars of the 20th century. Executions were far more commonly held on Tower Hill to the north of the castle, where 112 people were put to death over a 400-year period.
In 1649, following Charles I's execution, Cromwell ordered the Crown Jewels dispersed. Metal items were melted down at the Mint and the crowns were "totallie broken and defaced". When the monarchy was restored in 1660, only a 12th-century spoon and three ceremonial swords remained; replacements were made for Charles II's coronation in 1661.
The Royal Menagerie was a collection of wild animals kept at the Tower of London from at least the reign of King John, with records of lion keepers dating to 1210-1212. At its peak in 1828 under keeper Alfred Copps, it held over 280 animals representing at least 60 species. By the 18th century it was open to the public, with admission priced at three half-pence or a cat or dog to feed to the lions.
The Princes in the Tower were Edward V, aged 12, and his younger brother Richard, placed in the Tower in 1483 by their uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who then became King Richard III. The princes were last seen alive in public in June 1483 and are traditionally believed to have been murdered in the late summer of that year, though their fate has never been established.
The Tower of London received 2,817,852 visitors in 2025, making it the ninth most popular tourist attraction in the country. It has been a tourist destination since at least the Elizabethan period; by 1851 the volume of visitors was large enough to require a purpose-built ticket office.