European Armour in the Royal Collection
An introduction to European armour in the Royal Collection.
Sabatons from the armour garniture of Henry VIII for the field and tilt (RCIN 72834.l and m)
c.1540During the period of armour's regular use, the fashionable shape of civilian shoes influenced the shape of the sabaton – the piece of armour covering the foot. In the fifteenth century, long, tapering sabatons echoed the pointed poulaines of medieval dress, but by the first half of the sixteenth-century these had given way to square-toed sabatons such as these, which were made for Henry VIII (1491-1547) in about 1540. Contemporary shoes and sabatons of this type are known as 'bear's-paw' fashion. The king wore domestic shoes of this shape in the 'Whitehall Mural', which was commissioned in 1537.