why was the tower of london built on the the thames river?
Cities have always been built along rivers. Rivers provide transportation and a source of water. Paris is very similar to London, constructed along the banks of the Seine. The Romans picked that site for the city of Londinium, and built a large stone wall, one of which ends around where the Tower of London is right now. The Thames was far enough inland to be protected from the sea swells and provide access to the crop-growing lands in the rest of England, but close enough to be a harbor for boats going in and out of the country. Later kings of England thought that was a pretty good idea, and built increasingly complex fortifications on the same site. It continue to be a good defensive site: it was far enough inland that no invading armada ever got a fleet up the Thames to try to take the Tower. It has a good view of the Thames all around, especially up on Tower Hill. The Tower is one of just many palaces and castles located up and down the Thames: Whitehall (since turned into Parliamen
