Henry VIII – Dressed to Kill at Tower of London

Display of Monarch's Personal Weapons and Armour in the White Tower

Mar 6, 2009

The 500th anniversary of Henry VIII's accession to the English throne in 1509, will be marked by a display of the king's personal arms and armour at the Tower of London.

The Tower of London, in partnership with the Royal Armouries, will host a spectacular exhibition of Henry VIII's personal arms, armour, weapons and military equipment to celebrate the 500th anniversary of his accession to the English throne.

Henry VIII: Dressed to Kill will be the most comprehensive exhibition of its kind ever to be held in the UK. Many of the items have not been publicly shown before and the display will show Henry as we have never seen him before: sportsman, warrior, monarch and icon.

The display will feature loans from international collections as well as artefacts from the Royal Armouries' own massive collection.

Henry spent a fortune establishing a workshop to produce the finest armour to ensure that he was always dressed to kill, such as the unfinished foot combat armour made for the king to wear at the Field of Cloth of Gold in 1520. This suit, which weighed a staggering 42.7 kg (94 lb), shows many features which were to become the trademarks of the Greenwich workshop. These included sets of articulating lames (fabric interwoven with metal threads) inside the joints, so that the body could move freely while still being protected. NASA scientists studied this suit of armour when designing the first space suits, back in the 1960s.

Also on display will be a Horned Helmet, presented, as a gift to Henry, by the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I, in about 1514. At this time the monarch was already the Emperor's ally against the French. It is believed that the helmet is the only surviving component of the suit of arms. There has been much debate over whether the spectacles and ram's horns were part of the original helmet, or were added at a later date. The question has also been raised: why was this bizarre gift presented by one ruler to another?

21st-Century Technology will Show 500 Year-Old Craftsmanship

The latest technology will be used to provide the best possible insight into the use of these hand-crafted items and the craftsmanship involved in their manufacture. Photographic, video and scanning technology will reveal their intricate construction and extraordinary decoration.

Henry VIII: Dressed to Kill, plus an exciting programme of re-enactments and other events, will run from 3rd April 2009 until 17th January 2010. Full details can be obtained from Historic Royal Palaces.

More Henry VIII Celebrations in London

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