KS1 History topics. Castles and Knights. The Tower of London. An animation for 5 – 7 year olds which tells the story of the Tower of London, built by William the Conqueror, and some of the famous people imprisoned in the castle, including Queen Elizabeth 1st. BBC Teach.

Fatima: We’d like to find out about the Tower of London. Can you tell us more?

Sally: Absolutely!

Harry: Why did William the Conqueror build it and what did he use it for?

Sally: Good questions! Let’s go and meet someone who knows all about the tower. Queen Elizabeth I.

Fatima: Queen Victoria, 1819 to 1901…

Harry: The Great Fire of London in 1666…

Fatima: Here we are! Queen Elizabeth I, born 1533, died 1603. Wow! She looks tough!

Sally: She was a very powerful ruler and not to be messed with. Let’s put our virtual reality headsets on and go talk to her.

Queen Elizabeth I: Greetings subjects!

Harry: Hello.

Queen Elizabeth I: You must call me ‘Your Royal Highness’.

Sally: Hang on, let me pause it. Okay, so when talking to a king or queen, you have to use special words and be extra polite. Queen Elizabeth was very powerful and it was an honour to speak to her. So people treated her with extra special care.

Fatima: Okay, let’s try again. Greetings, Your Royal Highness.

Queen Elizabeth I: Greetings, loyal subjects.

Sally: Your Highness, could you tell us about the Tower of London?

Queen Elizabeth I: Yes, indeed I can. I was a prisoner there, you know.

Harry: Wow! Really? How did you escape?

Queen Elizabeth I: Let’s go and find out. Ready?

Fatima & Harry: Ready.

Queen Elizabeth I: William the Conqueror started building the Tower of London in 1078, after he defeated King Harold at the Battle of Hastings. It took many years to build even the first part of the castle, which was very small compared to how big it is today.

Fatima: What was it used for?

Queen Elizabeth I: Castles were used for lots of things. The most important use was to help defend areas from attack. Having a castle in an area meant you could control all the land around it. That’s why William built a castle there to defend London.

Harry: Did Castles ever get attacked?

Queen Elizabeth I: Yes, they did and sometimes they were destroyed, but never The Tower of London. Castles would be built with thick walls and often surrounded by water, which is called a moat, to stop enemies from being able to get inside. The walls would be built so arrows and other weapons could be used to stop soldiers. They were very hard to attack.

Fatima: What else were castles used for?

Queen Elizabeth I: Castles were also used to store important things like gold and jewels and they were also used to hold prisoners.

Harry: So when were you a prisoner in the Tower?

Queen Elizabeth I: Around 500 years after it was built, I was put in prison here by my sister Mary, who was queen before me. If I’m being honest, I was very scared about what would happen to me.

Harry: Wow. And then you escaped?

Queen Elizabeth I: Well, actually, I was set free. My sister, the Queen, was afraid that if something happened to me and I died in the tower, she would look bad. So she let me go.

Fatima: So what does the tower look like today?

Queen Elizabeth I: Well, it’s a lot bigger. Over the years, lots has been added to it. It’s now home to the royal family’s most valuable crowns and jewels and there are lots of big birds called ravens living there. There is a story that if the ravens leave, the Tower of London will fall down. It’s a fascinating place and visitors come from all over the world to see it. Anyway, I have to go. My kingdom needs me.

Fatima & Harry: Bye.

Queen Elizabeth I: ‘Good bye, Your Royal Highness’, you mean.

Harry: Good bye, Your Royal Highness.

Queen Elizabeth I: Better.

Fatima: Wow, cool to meet a Queen.

Harry: What an amazing person.

Sally: So as we have seen, castles have lots of uses. They’re so interesting and each one has its own different stories. Why it was built, who lived there, and many other interesting things.