Queen Elizabeth's Infamous Spymaster & The Executions In The Tower Of London | Real Royalty

[Music] at the heart of England's capital stands the Tower of London a symbol of power for nearly a thousand years throughout its history the tower has been the castle of Kings a fortress a stronghold for Royal treasure it has been the site of intrigues and Mysteries of tortures and executions the tower walls have many stories to tell [Music] in the 16th century kings and queens moved out of the tower The Fortress became a grim prison for the most dangerous enemies of the Kingdom Rebels Rivals for the crown and spies few left alive most were condemned to face the Executioner in the name of the state barbaric slayings were carried out beneath the shadow of the tower common criminals were hanged but these were not quick kills instead of dropping from a height sufficient to instantly break their neck criminals were hauled into the air the Rope tightened slowly causing the victim's tongue to swell and turned purple their eyes popped from their skulls The Condemned twisted and kicked as they slowly choked to death despite the horror of hanging beheading was not that much better beheading was considered a privilege an honorable form of execution reserved for Nobles and gentlemen as if having a head chopped off in a pulpy bloody mess was not enough the the victim also took part in a gruesome and humiliating custom The Condemned was expected to give the Executioner a tip to convince him to do a quick tidy job despite the gratuity records show that three four even five Strokes were not uncommon before the head was finally removed from the body how long the victim was conscious during the ordeal was not known The Executioner's axe was a heavy comass some weapon it often produced a blow more like a meat cleaver than a surgical instrument after the beheading the Executioner held the head up to the Roaring crowd the head was then stuck on a pole and taken to London Bridge the heads were put up for the public to see as an advertisement to warn Royal subjects about the price of treason the heads were coated in tar so they would last longer but eventually the birds picked at the Flesh and eyes meanwhile The Headless bodies were wheeled into the tower grounds and buried without [Music] markers the most Grizzly of all execution methods was live disembowelling the barbaric practice was so heinous and gross that Queen Elizabeth finally banned the practice the last time it was used was in 1586 [Music] the last dismal execution was the work of Francis Walsingham The Man known as the father of modern spy methods a master of intrigue Walsingham was known as the Spy [Music] Master the reign of Elizabeth the was the great age of the [Music] Spy it was a time when information was all important and ignorance could mean death when Queen Elizabeth established the Protestant Church in England the Vatican ordered any Catholic in Europe to assassinate her the queen was in grave danger it was the Queen's job to protect the kingdom but who would protect the Queen Elizabeth's personal safety became wils singham's lifelong Obsession Wenham ran his web of intrigue from the tower he was a brilliant ruthless politician who studied every Spy Network in Europe he put together the world's first counter Espionage agency and planted spies across England as his eyes and ears their sole purpose was to uncover plots against Elizabeth as a cunning spy Walsingham knew that in the tower's dark corridors a whisper in the wrong place or to the wrong person could mean a horrible death [Music] Protestant Elizabeth feared the return of Catholic rule led by her cousin Mary Stewart Queen of [Music] Scotland in a time of Shifting allegiances Mary had to flee Scotland to escape repeated attempts to overthrow [Music] her Mary had no way out and begged her cousin Elizabeth for Sanctuary but the sanctuary turned out to be captivity when Mary entered England she was arrested on suspicion of plotting against the crown Mary was kept under house arrest and moved from place to place to keep her out of touch with her Catholic supporters despite Mary's arrest wolsingham wasn't satisfied he couldn't rest knowing that Elizabeth's greatest enemy still posed a threat to her reign Walsingham was obsessed with finding a way of getting rid of Mary he had a simple solution somehow Mary must be executed but try as he might Walsingham could not convince the queen to kill her own cousin Elizabeth refused to sanction the execution of another Monarch reeside was a serious precedent killing a royal might come back and haunt Elizabeth if she were ever the target of a plot but the perfect opportunity to get Mary fell into wals singham's hands the Spy Master uncovered a scheme against Elizabeth a plot that seemed to lead directly to the imprisoned Scottish Queen according to intercepted letters the plan had been hatched by a Catholic partisan Anthony babington he was a rich young man who adored Queen Mary what babington didn't know would end up killing him two of his trusted co-conspirators were actually wals singham's agents nothing babington did remained secret Walsingham learned the plotters were smuggling letters back and forth to Mary but some of the letters were in code working day and night it didn't take long for wals singham's code Breakers to crack the cipher in his own hand babington wrote that he and 10 followers would free Mary from her internment put her on the throne and reestablish Catholicism in England in addition he planned to murder Queen Elizabeth but the conspirators wanted Mary's approval before moving ahead the letters were enough to have babington and his men executed as traitors and if Mary agreed to the plot Walsingham would have enough proof to have her head as well Walsingham let the intercepted letter continue on to Mary when Mary read the letter she had two choices she could tell her cousin Elizabeth about the scheme or she could go along with a plot to free her Mary decided to side with babington the decision would cost her her life as Walsingham waited to read Mary's reply he closed the net around bavington and his men when word came the plotters were meeting again England's spy Master struck soldiers swept in arresting babington and his conspirators cut off and underg guard Mary was not aware of babington's arrest Mary sent her reply just as the men were being hauled into the tower anxious to escape her captivity Mary even suggested a plan she wrote to babington 50 men well horsed and armed should come to take me as my keeper has with him but 18 or 20 Horsemen she ended with let the great plot go ahead Mary was clearly involved with the traitors but Mary never specifically endorsed her cousin Elizabeth's murder if he was going to convince Elizabeth to execute Mary wil Singham needed irrefutable proof of her involvement he decided to take matters into his own hands driven by his personal war against Mary wolsingham operated like a professional spy and dropped all pretense of morality he manufactured evidence Walsingham forged a postcript to the letter making it appear Mary had agreed to the murder as she was finishing the letter now wolsingham could go to the queen and ask for Mary's execution when Elizabeth read Mary's letter she was Furious she felt she had done everything possible to protect her scheming cousin but the forge letter convinced her Elizabeth could no longer avoid the problem Walsingham would have his way Mary would die meanwhile babington and his cohorts were convicted of treason and sentenced to death in accordance with tradition the queen signed an order of execution which also prescribed the manner of execution for a spy there was no punishment heinous enough on September the 26th 1586 the horror began babington and six of his companions were taken from the tower and brought to the Executioner one after another they were hanged but only until they were unconscious then they were cut down and revived as the dazed victims watched in horror they were disembed their intestines were thrown into a fire the victims were kept alive long enough to watch the whole Grizzly spectacle [Applause] [Music] [Music] as their life bled away the victim's bodies were hacked into quarters like chunks of beef as each execution proceeded the cruelty reached New Heights the remaining conspirators were forced to watch with horror as their friends were being butchered they had a graphic preview of what was awaiting them [Music] [Music] experience the past like never before with history hits award-winning original documentaries and adree podcasts with our expert historians like Dan snow Susanna lipam Lucy Worley Mary beard Tristan Hughes and myself Matt Lewis sign up for an exclusive discount using the link in the description and embark on your historical Journey from the wonders of ancient Egypt and the life of an berin to the rise of Napoleon bonapart and the discovery of shackleton's endurance get history Wherever Whenever exclusively on History hit public outcry arose at the barbaric dismals and it led Elizabeth to order the remaining conspirators to be simply hanged there was never to be another public dismemberment in England now it was Mary's turn Mary was Queen of Scotland and no court had ever tried the leader of another country at first Mary refused to attend the proceedings insisting no English Court had jurisdiction over her finally she admitted her part in the escape plan but denied any part in the assassination scheme it was too late her cousin Queen Elizabeth no longer believed her on February the 8th 1587 Mary Queen of Scots was executed the great plot against the crown of England had been foiled the great spy Master Walsingham had won the deadly game of cat and mouse Walsingham was the father of modern spycraft his ends Justified the means at whatever the cost a professional spy Walsingham had a number of weapons in his Armory codes disappearing inks even murder in the 17th century as today information was power the importance of secrecy meant that ingenious means were used to keep messages secret the first codes were simple numerical ciphers with numbers substituted for letters other codes included puncturing the pages of a book with a pin the pin holes indicating letters that could be strung together to form messages disappearing ink was used by spies writing with orange or lemon juice The Secret Message disappeared as it dried to read it the page would be heated over a candle flame and the message would reappear this disappearing ink was still being used 300 years later one of the most ingenious and simple medieval spy codes was made by wrapping a strip of cloth or parchment around a cylinder often something like a rolling pin or broom handle the message was then written on the cylinder and unwrapped even if intercepted the message looked like nothing more than a string of random letters and even if you knew the method you needed the same cylinder to get the letters back to where they should be Walsingham was obsessed with codes but the great spy Master also recruited the brightest Minds in the country to be part of his spy Network Christopher Marlo the great poet and playwright also had a secet Secret Life as one of Wis singham's spies his secret clandestine activities cut short his legacy as a writer who could have been as famous as one of his friends William Shakespeare but Marlo had unsavory friends and strange habits on May the 30th 1593 he went on a drinking spree with three other spies two of whom had been implicated in the Bingington plot no one knows what happened that night but before it was over the 29-year-old Marlo had his throat slashed and bled to death some say Marlo Knew Too Much and was assassinated others say it was an argument over a lover still others claim it was merely an argument over a barbill no arrests for his murder were ever made his death remains one of History's great Mysteries now his statue stands in Canterbury outside the theater that bears his name but Marlo the spy and great playright carried the secret of his murder to the Grave after nine centuries as Britain's most notorious Fortress in prison the tower now plays a far friendlier role today its only captives are millions of tourists who come to see the Magnificent crown jewels and thrill to lurid Tales of historical Mayhem gleefully related by the tower Waters but the beef eaters were shocked one day in 1991 after a tour of the ancient blood soaked alleys of the tower a middle-aged woman stepped out of the crowd she approached the guide and asked quietly can you show me the place where they shot my father the woman's question revealed the tragic story of her father the last man to be executed in the tower her father was Joseph jackobs a German spy who was supposed to help guide enemy planes over England during World War II to ensure the skies were clear enough for Nazi planes to find their targets the German air force needed constant updates on the unpredictable English [Music] weather the only way to obtain this information was to have it transmitted out of England by German spies spying is dangerous work and most spies are highly trained professionals but Joseph jackobs was a poorly trained amateur a porn in the deadly ruthless game of wartime intelligence jackobs was a dentist and had already served in the German military in the first world war but at the age of 42 he was again drafted into the German Army in a bureaucratic blunder Jacobs was ordered into the German secret service he was given 3 weeks training in radio communication and meteorology but he received no special training as an Espionage agent jackob was considered Expendable jackobs was supplied with a radi transmitter hidden in the briefcase road maps of Great Britain a set of false identity papers and a [Music] pistol with these simple tools the dentist would be air dropped into England to establish a clandestine Weather Service in the heart of enemy territory the amus Spy was to radio regular reports to Nazi headquarters slipping into British airspace under the cover of Darkness Jacobs parachuted into Huntington England in January Not only was Jacobs not a spy but the dentist had little experience as a [Music] paratrooper he landed in a farmer's field and shattered his ankle a painful and immobilizing injury it would prove to be his fateful Achilles heel and his undoing as a novice [Music] spy he tried to escape and painfully hobbled to the nearest out buildings hungry and tormented by his injury Jacob surprised the farmer's wife terrified she tried to raise an alarm trying to silence her jackobs pulled his pistol and limped off to her [Music] hungry in terrible pain exhausted Jacobs dragged himself back to his Landing [Music] site he fired his pistol to attract help a farmer working nearby heard the shots and discovered the unlikely sight of a parachute spread across the middle of his field when he went to investigate the farmer found jackobs lying unconscious beside it [Music] taken into custody by local police and army reservists jackobs denied that he was working for the Germans did he think they would take pity on him did he think his cover story would work history never recorded his thoughts but we know that he had been caught red-handed he had a luga pistol radio transmitter forged identity papers and and a map showing the location of two nearby [Music] airfields by now Jacob's injury was so bad that the reservist had to put him on a stretcher before driving jackobs to London to await his fate [Music] [Music] after his ankle was set jackobs was transported under military guard to a maximum security London prison for captured spies and sabots the hapless dentist appear appeared before a military Court to be tried under strict wartime secrecy during the trial Jacobs claimed he was actually a native of Luxembourg and help Jews escape from Germany he said he was sent to a concentration camp because of his anti-nazi activities Jacob said he only offered to become a spy so he could get out of Germany and join the anti-nazi underground but the claim to be escaping from Nazi Germany was a cover story used by all German spies and an investigation showed Jacobs charged huge fees to help Jews Escape Germany his military service in the first world war proved he was German not a citizen of Luxembourg Swiss police records indicated he had been imprisoned in 1924 for selling counterfeit gold Joseph jackobs was convicted as a spy in sabur and was sentenced to [Music] death during the second world war spy were normally hanged in the prison where they were held but Jacobs couldn't stand at The Hangman's Gallows because of his shattered ankle the dentist would have to be shot by a firing squad the agony of the incompetent spy was further prolonged when the arrangements for his execution had to be changed Jacob's prison did not have a military firing squad the crippled prisoner had to be transported to the Tower of London where soldiers on active duty could do the job so The Condemned German spy was moved to the ancient cells of the Fortress to meet his faithful appointment with history at 7:00 in the morning on August the 15th 1941 a truck carrying the crippled dentist spy wound through the tower's Maze of Alleyways the truck stopped at an indoor rifle range on the outskirts of the tower's properties as jackobs was carried out a guard pinned a small black Target over his heart piles of hay were stacked against the back wall to catch the bullets in front of the hay was a wooden [Music] chair Jack was tied to the chair an officer removed Jacob's glasses and covered his head with a black hood the firing squad six members of the Scots guards filed quietly across the entrance of the rifle range each Soldier carried a Springfield rifle in the tradition of firing squads one rifle was loaded with a blank cartridge this gave Comfort to each Rifleman on the squad that there was a chance he had not fired a fatal shot [Music] at 7:12 a.m. August the 15th 1941 the order of fire was given and Joseph jackobs was executed the German dentist that became a spy entered the history books as the Tower of London's last victim like some Implement of medieval torture the bullet riddled chair in which Joseph jackobs met his fate still survived kept as an historical artifact the chair remains safely in storage it will stay hidden until it no longer haunts the descendants of Joseph jackobs the last victim in the long and tragic history of the [Music] tower unlike the deadly Justice Meed out by the tower for most spies one clandestin agent who was a rebel and a traitor ended up being the toast of London he was also the the only American ever held in the tower most spies wasted away in the tower's dank cells waiting for execution but one spy the only American ever to be imprisoned in the Fortress lived the high life in prison he carried on a romantic Affair and became a London [Music] celebrity 1780 The War of Independence was in full Fury Henry lawrens a former president of the American Continental Congress was on a secret and Deadly Mission the journey was soon to end in disaster Lawrence's boat dodged the British Navy on the way to Europe his secret mission was to get aid for the American forces battling against Britain but fate was to give him another place in history clinging to the North American Coast as long as possible Lawrence's tiny ship emerged from the protection of a fog Bank to confront a massive British Manor War bearing down on it [Music] we British forces clambered aboard the [Music] ship before they could grab lawen he threw his secret diplomatic couch overboard but a sharpey English sailor spotted the oil skin pouch floating on the water the contents of the pouch spelled out Lawrence's mission in detail he was headed to Holland to cement a treaty to support the colony in its war against the British that was all the evidence the British needed Henry lawrens was arrested as a spy and a traitor aware of their captives political importance the British government did not subject Lawrence to a public trial but he was interrogated for weeks on end insisting he was an ambassador and entitled to diplomatic immunity lawrens refused to answer questions but the contents of his diplomatic pouch revealed everything lawrens was negotiating with a foreign power an act punishable by death Henry lawrens was was convicted of high treason and left in a Cell in the Tower of London as added humiliation Lawrence had to pay rent for his cell and find his own food drink bedding coal and candles he even had to pay his guard's wages [Music] the cause of American independence attracted the admiring attention of many rebellious young londoners Elizabeth Vernon the teenage daughter of the tower Jailer was excited to befriend the middle-aged American rebel Henry Lawrence the meeting would change Lawrence's [Music] life Elizabeth sympathized with Lawrence's work for American Freedom she arranged contact for him with London newspapers that supported the American revolutionaries from his cell lawren wrote a series of Articles and letters furthering America's war effort he needed a way to keep the letters from being destroyed by prison guards Elizabeth aided Lawrence by hiding the papers in her underwear and smuggling them out of the tower past the suspicious eyes of her prison guard father [Music] swept up in a thrill of clandestine meetings and hushed conversations the teenaged Elizabeth and the middle-aged revolutionary became involved in a passionate [Music] romance words spread through London about the famous Colonial Rebel being held prisoner in the tower American Independence was a trendy cause among the London glitterati The Eccentric lawren became a celebrity and the toast of the Town a parade of London's fashionable Society flocked to the tower to visit lawen they brought him wine Brandy and news about the war in America probably his most unusual visitor was the notorious Selena Countess of Huntington and her flamboyant lover the lady Anne UR 15 months after Henry lawrens first entered the dark confines of the tower the British surrendered to George Washington America had won the war and a new nation was born Henry Lawrence was released on parole as he prepared to return to the newly independent United States lawrens received an urgent letter from Benjamin Franklin he was in order to join Franklin and Paris to negotiate the peace treaty between America and England from being a traitor imprisoned in the Tower of London lawren was now dictating the terms of Victory to the defeated country that had just recently jailed him the peace treaty was signed but fate intervened again to keep Lawrence in Britain he was appointed the first American ambassador to London the former secret agent and traitor was now welcomed at the Royal Court jokingly known as Tower lawrens the new Ambassador spent 18 months in London he frequently visited his former prison at the tower to see his love Elizabeth when lawrens returned to America in 1786 he left his beloved Elizabeth behind and rejoined his wife and children but he never forgot his jail Romance when lawrens died six years later he left Elizabeth a substantial Legacy proof he remembered her love and the extraordinary courage of a young woman who helped a convicted Rebel fight for his country a traitor like Henry lawrens was too important for the crown to execute but in another case of high rank the privilege of a British Diplomat and nobleman was not enough to save him from The Hangman's noose at the Tower of London sir Roger casement was man who led three lives a respected Diplomat who earned a Knighthood he became a spy and traitor to England but his double life hid a deeper and more secret third [Music] life a sex scandal that led to tragic disgrace and death casement was a Consul with over 20 years service in the British foreign office with a Flawless record and staunch morality casan had been selected to investigate reports of Human Rights abuses in the Belgian Congo and Peru one of the most respected members of the Foreign Service he was given the rare honor of a Knighthood in the end he would become the first person in 300 years to be stripped of the title as a native of Ireland casement was concerned with the welfare of Irish people when he retired as a British Diplomat he devoted himself to the Irish cause [Music] in the early 1900s Britain was considering Irish home rule turmoil and violence shook [Music] Island distracted by the eruption of World War I in 1914 Britain delayed settling the Irish problem but in Ireland the struggle continued while thousands of men volunteered for the British armed forces their country tore itself apart with strikes and riots loyalties were divided between duty to King and Country and desire for political Freedom caseman stepped into the volatile and dangerous situation to support the Irish in a bold and foolhardy move casan decided that Ireland should use the world war as an opportunity to break away from Great Britain he went as far as calling for Island to seek German support in its bid for Independence the British saw it as a traitorous stab in the back casement went to the United States to raise money to help drive the British out of Ireland when war in Europe broke out casement met with the German military attache in Washington Arrangements were made for casement to travel to Germany to meet with high ranking military officials in Germany casement laid out plans for an Irish German alliance against the British he asked for 200,000 rifles for the Rebel Army and an invasion force of 50,000 German troops to back the revolution the Germans were happy to ferment an Irish revolution in Britain's backyard hoping to weaken them and draw British forces away from the battlefields of France the Germans allowed casement to visit prisoner of war camps and recruit a fighting unit from the thousands of Irish prisoners but casement scheme found no support even the Irish who wanted a free Island had no intention of helping the hated Germans win the war after 10 months casement had only 55 volunteers the Germans finally agreed to supply the Irish Rebels with 20,000 obsolete rifles and 1 million rounds of ammunition the plans were made a freighter would carry the arms to Island by Steemer casement would be taken by submarine to meet it revolutionaries in Ireland would start the uprising against British rule with a surprise attack on Easter [Music] Sunday Roger casement knew his Revolution was doomed the Irish could never hope to win independence without outside help he had to get word to his comrades to stop the uprising plan for Easter Sunday now less than 2 weeks away casement was desperate to stop the blood bath that would surely happen time was running out Good Friday 1916 a German ubot deposited the Spy Roger casement off the Irish Coast he had 2 days to stop the planned Irish Uprising that he knew would end in disaster and he was also waiting for a shipment of arms to the Irish Rebels but a fateful turn of events would tragically unravel cement's grand plan for Irish Independence unknown to casement the freighter carrying the arms had been intercepted British intelligence was aware of the entire plot 6 hours later local police found sir Roger casement huddled against the cold April [Music] drizzle because of the war and political unrest he was subjected to a routine search casan turned out to be a sloppy spy he was was carrying a ticket stub for a German train the name of the ship delivering the weapons and A Cargo manifest for 20,000 rifles he was arrested and charged with treason Easter morning 196 dawned to find casement locked in the tower and Island in a state of Siege a thousand Rebels stormed to Dublin's courts and main post office the government declared martial law the British British military moved in in the ensuing battles 200 civilians and 130 British soldiers and police were killed sir Roger casement the honored civil servant was now the most hated man in [Music] Britain when questioned by Scotland Yard caseman denied he was a traitor he declared that loyalty is a sentiment not a law in his mind having no sentiment for Britain his actions could not be Criminal [Music] what came next was a Twist that stunned everyone sir Roger casman's other hidden life was uncovered it was the shocking secret of his sex habit police uncovered what were to be called The Black Books hidden in casements London flat in these Diaries they expected to find a record of espionage activity but instead they were astonished to find graphic accounts of a secret life filled with hired boys and an insatiable appetite for casual sex with men particularly black [Music] men in the conservative morality of the time the revelations were so abnormal they were considered a mental disease shocked at the black books disclosure about the real Roger casement the government offered the Diaries to casman's defense [Music] lawyers the evidence of Espionage left no doubt of the verdict but the Diaries might allow a plea of insanity it would be humiliating but it could save sir Roger from being executed for treason incredibly casement refused the offer somehow the seriousness of his situation never seemed to Dawn on Roger casement standing in the dock he appeared unaffected by the guilty verdict or the death [Music] sentence Roger casement you will be taken to a place of execution where you will be hanged by the neck until dead may God have mercy on your soul [Music] The Condemned man steadfastly insisted that the British government would not dare hang him he was wrong the day after his conviction Roger casement was stripped of his Knighthood the first such instance in nearly 300 years unaware of casman's sex life the public which admired his human rights record Rose in opposition to his execution the British government feared the the backlash of support would make him a martyr to the Irish cause if he was hanged to diffuse casan support the government leaked word of the secret diaries no one would help casement if they knew about his sex life excerpts in the black books were circulated among casement supporters select newspaper editors were also let in on the Dirty Little Secret The Prime Minister the American ambass the Archbishop of Canterbury and even the head of the Irish Rebels were given copies of the [Music] Diaries within days casement support withered away old friends disappeared and his Irish supporters turned on him [Music] on August the 3r 1916 the most famous conspirator of the disastrous Irish Easter Uprising walked to the Gallows the priest who accompanied him later said Roger caseman ended his life with the Dignity of a prince [Music] Again The Fortress wolves stood as witness to centuries of Cruelty and torture deadly Intrigue and conspiracy the stones have stood for a thousand years but if you listen carefully you can hear the Echoes of stories of heroes and villains of men's Folly and human wisdom Tales from the Tower of London n [Music]

Channel: Real Royalty

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Id: K2oZFxAZOQA

Length: 45min 47sec (2747 seconds)

Published: Fri Apr 26 2024