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In order to pursue his ambitions in France, Henry VIII formed an alliance with the Holy Roman Emperor, Maximilian I. This painting records their meeting and the main events pertaining to Henry’s first campaign against the French in 1513.

The composit
European Armour in the Royal Collection

An introduction to European armour in the Royal Collection.

2. Power Dressing

As well as a protective covering, armour has throughout history been a powerful emblem of personal identity. With other military attributes like the sword and commander's baton, it offered a symbolic inventory for the performance of social status. Hierarchies, religious allegiance and power might be asserted by armour's expense, its decoration with particular insignia or the martial skill it implied. 

For this reason, in the sixteenth century it became increasingly common for artists on the Continent to represent monarchs and military leaders wearing armour – either standing, or mounted on horseback in the tradition of Roman equestrian sculpture. In England, the fashion for monarchs to be painted in armour became widespread in the early seventeenth century, when the Stuart Kings embraced this mode of self-representation.


The income from your ticket contributes directly to The Royal Collection Trust, a registered charity. The aims of The Royal Collection Trust are the care and conservation of the Royal Collection, and the promotion of access and enjoyment through exhibitions, publications, loans and educational activities.