The Tower of London, Her Majesty's Palace and Fortress, located on the banks of the River Thames, was founded by King William the Conqueror (1066-1087) with the construction of the White Tower. In the following centuries it was successively extended with fortified walls, towers and buildings. The Tower has served as a fortress, mint, menagerie, jewel house, place of execution and prison. One of the most famous executions at the Tower took place in 1536 when Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII, was executed.