Chapter 448: Under Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is divided into three parts: the Upper, Middle and Lower Areas.
The upper area is mainly the private residence of the royal family, including the king's and queen's dining room, painting studio, dance hall, audience hall, living room, St. George's Hall, etc., which houses many royal paintings and treasures.
Almost every ancient building in Europe treasures these objects, but none of them are as precious as the famous paintings and treasures that William collected in most of Europe, they are priceless, and even William himself can no longer describe their preciousness in words.
The various dolls and miniature models of the various rooms that the queen of Ulaka was very fond of, these models were so elaborate and meticulously made that they were even the candlesticks, plates, saucers, knives and forks placed on the table; The crystal chandeliers on the ceiling, the delicate carvings of the dining table and chairs, and the drapery of the bed are vividly carved.
Looking at these lifelike models, it feels like stepping into a fairy tale world, which makes people fall into infinite reverie......
William took great pains to make these dolls and models, and he made them specially made by craftsmen, in order to please Urakar and prepare a great surprise for her.
Every room in the royal private residence in the upper district, where the living room, bedroom, living room...... Everywhere it is a testament to the royal grandeur.
Like all palaces in Europe, each house is decorated with paintings by famous painters of the time, and the ceiling depicts auspicious pictures of gods, good harvests, and so on.
In the central part of the castle, a huge round tower is built on a high hill in the center of the castle.
Built to defend against foreign invasions, this round tower is the strongest part of Windsor Castle and is the last defense of the castle.
On this 28-meter-high tower, William deliberately installed several counterweight trebuchets and bed crossbows of various sizes, and reserved gun emplacements for future installations, plus countless firing holes, the firepower of the central round tower of Windsor Castle was enough to withstand the simultaneous attack of thousands of people.
William also added a majestic dome to it, making it the tallest building in Windsor Castle.
Climb to the top of the tower for a great view of the town of Windsor and the castle.
Walk down the round tower and come to the lower area.
The "Lower Zone" to the west, which refers to the entrance to Windsor Castle from the River Thames, is home to the famous church of St George's Chapel.
This Gothic church, William put a lot of effort into it, and its architectural achievements are second only to Westminster Abbey in the city of London.
The historical Windsor Castle also has a romantic love story that has been passed down through the ages and has been controversial for many years.
It is said that at the beginning of the 20th century, after King Edward VIII ascended the throne, he met an American married woman, Mrs. Simpson.
Edward VIII was attracted by her unique beauty and elegant temperament, and for the sake of this dream lover, the infatuated Edward VIII actually chose to give up the British Empire.
Later, the two secretly married and became the most criticized couple of the British royal family. After abdication, Edward VIII lost all royal power, and only ended up with the false name of Duke of Windsor.
After spending several months at Windsor Castle, the Duke and his lover moved to France to settle down where they remained until their deaths.
This affair of "not loving the country and loving the beauty" not only made the castle famous, but also added a bit of lingering romantic atmosphere to Windsor.
Windsor Castle has such a fascinating romantic love story, which is why William chose Windsor Castle as his and the queen's residence and residence.
The history of later Windsor Castle dates back to the time of William I, with a floor area of approximately 45,000 square metres.
Like Buckingham Palace in London and the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, Windsor Castle is the main administrative residence of the British monarchy.
William I, the Conqueror, in order to prevent the English people from resisting, built nine large castles about 32 kilometers apart in the suburbs around London, forming a defensive line of pillboxes that could support each other.
Windsor Castle, the largest of the nine castles, is located on a hill by the River Thames and was built in 1070 and is nearly 1,000 years old.
Between 1070 and 1086, William I was on loan from Crowe Manor to the site of Windsor Castle, where the first castle was built, the prototype of Windsor Castle.
At that time, the fort was a wooden fence instead of the heavy stone walls seen in later generations. It is not clear how Wilhelm I designed the structure of the castle, and no early buildings have been preserved, although it is known that it was purely a military base.
After William I, Windsor Castle continued to be used and was expanded or remodeled several times.
Wilhelm I's successor, Wilhelm II, also enlarged and renovated the castle, but Wilhelm II's younger brother Henry I was the first king to live at Windsor Castle.
Henry I, whose reign was still precarious and because he feared for his own safety, made Windsor Castle his official residence and celebrated Pentecost at the castle in 1110. His wedding to Adrisia, Duchy of Brabant (Henry I's second wedding), also took place at Windsor Castle in 1121.
The earliest surviving buildings in Windsor date back to the time of Henry II (who ascended the throne in 1154), who built stone walls to replace the wooden fences that surrounded the castle and built the first stone bunker on an irregular hill in the middle of Windsor Castle.
Over the course of nearly a millennium, many English kings and queens had a direct influence on the construction and expansion of castles, including their forts, residences, administrative residences, and sometimes even prisons.
The history of the castle is also closely related to the British monarchy, following the history of Windsor Castle back to the reigning British monarch at the time.
In times of peace, Windsor Castle would be expanded with many large and ornate rooms; In times of war, castles are fortified, a pattern that remains unchanged to this day.
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In order to build Windsor Castle, William has invested 30,000 pounds, most of which comes from the treasury of William's four people, in addition to some taxes.
After all, the state was in a difficult situation, and although William confiscated a large amount of church assets and took the power to collect tithes for himself, which greatly increased the national tax revenue, the state finances were still not sufficient, because it required a steady stream of funds to support the expansion of the army and the needs of war.
In order not to hinder the normal operation of the government, William did not draw a large amount of tax from the treasury, but used a large amount of funds from the royal treasury to build Windsor Castle.
A month later, William will be with Uraka. Ximena was married at Windsor Castle.