After my last post on having to make a deep dive into historical research to answer some specific questions I had about Princess Elizabeth Tudor, a friend suggested I have a look at Perplexity, an AI tool. I’ve had very poor results using Chat-whatever-it’s-called for historical research and so have become AI wary. However, my friend is a genius nerd, so I checked it out … and was blown away.
Specifically, I wanted to know where in the Tower of London Elizabeth Tudor’s rooms were when she was imprisoned there in 1554, what they were like and what attendants were held with her.
This was Perplexity’s answer to my first question, “Where were her rooms?”
Elizabeth Tudor, later Queen Elizabeth I, was imprisoned in the Tower of London from March to May 1554, suspected of involvement in Wyattʼs Rebellion against her half-sister, Queen Mary I. She was not placed in a dungeon or a typical prison cell, but rather in the royal apartments within the inner ward of the Tower—specifically, the same suite of rooms previously occupied by her mother, Anne Boleyn, before her execution. Some sources also mention that she spent time in the Bell Tower, particularly at the beginning of her imprisonment or when security concerns were heightened.
What makes Perplexity outstanding is that goes on to list the 5 resources used to come to this conclusion as well as possible follow-up questions.
This led to a very enjoyable few hours. Deep dive indeed!
My verdict: it’s so good it’s scary. That said, it helped that I had done enough “traditional” research (i.e. books: remember them?) to go on to ask pointed questions and spot a few errors.
So: now that I have the answers I was looking for, shouldn’t I be … ahem, writing?
Fascinating. On the other hand, this is what I got when I just Googled "In what rooms was Elizabeth Tudor held in the Tower in 1654?" It seems almost the same answer: "In 1554, Elizabeth Tudor (later Queen Elizabeth I) was initially held in the Bell Tower of the Tower of London, specifically in the upper chamber. She was later moved to the royal apartments within the Tower's inner ward.
While some sources suggest she was initially held in the Bell Tower, others mention that she was held in the Queen's House, which was part of the royal palace complex within the Tower. The Bell Tower was a secure structure, and the upper chamber was considered a strong point, likely chosen for her initial imprisonment due to concerns about her safety and potential for escape or rescue. The Bell Tower is also where her mother, Anne Boleyn, had been imprisoned before her execution. She was eventually granted more comfortable accommodations in the royal apartments."
AI is useful to a degree, but do we need Perplexity?
Fascinating! As a former English teacher (I’ve taught way too many composition 101 classes!). I find LLM’s revolutionary and l believe, if used responsibly, a tremendous asset in teaching both the process as well as the value in writing, no matter what level of competence the writer is operating from.