Armor Fit for A King

This suit of armor was made for Henry VIII, King of England in the early part of the 16th century, in his older years after he had gained weight and was suffering from various ailments, including gout.  It may have been worn by him in the siege of Boulogne in 1544, his last campaign.  It was almost certainly constructed for use in both mounted and unmounted combat, as it was originally fitted with a detachable reinforcing breastplate that had a rest for a lance attached to it, and a reinforcement for the left the pauldron.

The armor is described in the inventory taken after Henry's death of his belongings, in 1547, as being of Italian making.  Whether it was actually crafted in Italy or supplied by a Milanese merchant who was licensed by Henry to import luxury goods and armor into England is unclear.

After Henry's death, the armor was given to William Herbert, first Earl of Pembroke (c.1507-1570), who was Henry's esquire and also the executor of his will.  It is recorded at the seat of the Pembroke family from 1558 until it was sold in early part of the 20th century.  Sometime around the end of the 18th century the origins of the armor were mistaken and it was believed to have belonged to Anne de Montmorency, Constable of France.  This error was not discovered until recently.

The armor is an early example of the “anime” type, in which the breastplate and backplate are constructed of horizontal overlapping plates connected and made flexible by rivets and internal leather straps. The decoration and ornament is typically Italian.  It is made of steel, blackened, etched and gilded, and leather, and weighs just over 50 pounds.

Source:  The Metropolitan Museum, http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/23936

Cloughoughter Castle, Ireland

The ruins of Cloughoughter Castle stand in what used to be the Irish Kingdom of Breifne (what you DAoC players may recognize as “Breifine” from the Kingdom of Hibernia) and what is now the County Cavan.  It is built on an island in the Lough Oughter.

Photo courtesy of Conde-Nast Traveller

The castle was believed to have initially been constructed c1200-1225, possibly under the control of the Anglo-Norman William Gorm de Lacey.  But by 1233 it came under the control of Clan O’Reilly, who held it for a considerable length of time.  When Britain established the Plantation of Ulster, Hugh Culme was granted control of the castle.  Perhaps a little too spartan for his taste, he built a residence on the mainland shore and used the castle on the island as an armory.

Photo Source: flickr.com/photos/naomimiki

During the Irish Rebellion of 1641, Philip O’Reilly and several other conspirators captured Culme and imprisoned him and several other “plantationers” in the castle, where they were held for several years.

The castle was attacked by British forces under Cromwell after the Irish were driven off the mainland and forced to take refuge in the castle.  The castle was bombarded from the shore, and in March 1653, it was the last stronghold of the rebellion to fall.

Interior of tower showing stairs from base to top.
Photo source: www.360doc.com/content/12/1209/10

The Church and Science

The dichotomy between religion and science, particularly Christianity, did not always exist as it currently does.  In fact, as the Church was the primary vehicle for education in the Middle Ages, many scientists of that era were ecclesiastics.  In fact, David C. Lindberg, in his 1986 publication "God and Nature: Historical Essays on the Encounter Between Christianity and Science" describes Jesuits as, "the single most important contributor to experimental physics in the seventeenth century."

The pursuit of science, however, was not limited to monks cloistered away in monasteries.  Parish priests and bishops, such as Tiedemann Giese who was Bishop of Kulm and later Prince-Bishop, were also among those who zealously pursued scientific knowledge.

Other well-known scientists who were also ecclesiastics of various echelons within the Catholic Church include Copernicus, Albertus Magnus, Roger Bacon, Gregor Mendel, Theodoric Borgognoni, and Francesco Grimaldi, to name a few.  These men conducted research and published papers on subjects ranging from astronomy to physics to medicine.

For example, Albertus Magnus, who lived from about 1206 to 1280 AD, was a Dominican friar and Bishop of Regensberg.  He is considered the patron saint of natural sciences, completing works in physics, logic, metaphysics, biology, and psychology.  He was beatified in 1622 and canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1931.

Albertus Magnus
Painting by Joos van Gent

Or, how about Theodoric Borgognoni, who lived from 1205 to 1298.  He was also a Dominican friar and the Bishop of Cervia.  He was a medieval surgeon who made important contributions to antiseptic practices and the use of anasthetics.

Anatomical drawing by Theodoric Borgognoni
showing circulation of the blood.  Image from
Wikipedia Commons

And of course, let's not forget Copernicus (1473-1543).  He was mostly just a canon of the church with ecclesiastic connections through his family rather than serving as an active priest.  He was well-known in his day as a physician, but is remembered primarily because of his work in astronomy and his publication of works on heliocentrism.

Copernicus Self-Portrait

Not until the Renaissance did the partnership between Church and Science begin to weaken.  Learning was no longer strictly centered within the Church.  As scientific pursuits called into question some of the early assumptions about the natural world that the Church, in the absence of any real knowledge, had embraced, the partnership began to dissolve.  

Medieval Needlework

While tapestries were woven by skilled artisans, usually commissioned by a noble to depict noteworthy accomplishments or events in his life or by the church to depict religious scenes, other needlework was done on an individual basis.

Below are examples of modern cross-stitch needlework done from Medieval-era patterns.  Photos provided courtesy of HyperbOrean.

The pattern book these were taken from was by Johann Siebmacher, and you can download that here:
Johann Siebmacher Book

Parade or "Court" Armor

In the Middle Ages, a king was required to be many things:  statesman, judge, arbitrator, soldier.  He was usually surrounded by other kings who were not averse to expanding their territories by annexing that of weaker rulers, so kings often used displays of wealth and power to help foster the image of being too formidable to safely attack, or perhaps of being more valuable as an ally.

Many kings were required to be true soldiers and spent much of their reigns on the battlefield.  For state occasions, however, where the need to appear as the commander of his army or to project his image as a capable warrior arose away from the battlefield, kings had armor which wasn't designed for protection, but which reflected their wealth, status, and affiliations.

Below are detail pictures of the parade armor for Emperor Ferdinand I, who succeeded his brother, Charles V, as Holy Roman Emperor in 1558.

Breastplate showing engraved image of the Virgin Mother and Child, a motif common to the armor of
Ferdinand's brother, Emperor Charles V, who Ferdinand succeeded.  The armor was made by Kunst Lochner,
one of the premier armor smiths of the era in Nuremburg.

The backplate here is engraved with the crossed staves and fire steels of the Order of the Golden Fleece, of which
Ferdinand was a member.  The toe caps of the boots, which are not pictured, have the imperial double-eagle surmounted
by a royal crown to signify his status as king of the Romans and successor to his brother, Charles V.

Source:  http://thewickedknight.tumblr.com/post/75993459636/armor-of-emperor-ferdinand-i-germany-1549-made-by

On February 6, 1649....

Depiction of Charles II c. 1642-1643
Image courtesy of:  http://british-history.tumblr.com/

On this day in 1649 the Scottish parliament declared Charles, the son of the late King Charles I of England, to be King Charles II of England.  England, however, refused to recognize him as such.

Even Scotland was leery of Charles, who had attempted a failed invasion of Scotland and was not allowed to enter the country until he agreed to honor Presbyterianism.  Charles II did not become King of England until 1660, when the Restoration began.

Marriage Contract, Henry VIII x Katherine of Aragon

Marriage contract between Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon

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Marriages between high-ranking personages were as much business contracts and treaties as they were a solemn union before God.  Marriages were made to cement alliances, acquire property or territory, or to secure gold via a dowry.

The above marriage contract is that between Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon.  It was signed in 1503 and the Pope granted the dispensation for the marriage the following year.  But in 1505, Henry VII had begun to question his wisdom in contracting an alliance with Spain and forced his son to repudiate the betrothal.  Katherine was left stranded in England.  She had little money, little chance for a new suitor, and little prospect of returning to Spain.


When Henry VII died and his son became Henry VIII, he honored the agreement and married Katherine on June 11, 1509