Our Collection: Henry VIII's Armour - Field of Cloth of Gold

[@verablexitasap858]

Insane that it was made purely by hand before machines. Brillant, Beautiful, Incredible

[@Jagdkomodo]

Well there were 'machines' at the time, like predecessor of the power hammer; the trip hammer and polishing was done with grinders that were manually powered. Armor in the fifteenth century was at its peek. It was still useful and armouring techniques were advanced, even compared to the tools we have nowadays. Which by the way does not make the artisanship that was exercised in those days less remarkable.

[@verablexitasap858]

@@Jagdkomodo wow that is amazing to know! Thanks. I love that. Now I'm gonna go searching armor and metal working in 16th century england lol. Damn googling and you tube is so addicting

[@shockwave6213]

They used water wheel powered tools. Trip hammers as stated before and few people know this or even think about it, but how do you think they got rust off of chainmail? They would attach a bucket or barrel to a wheel, fill it with sand and let it turn with the chainmail sealed inside it for a few hours.

[@verablexitasap858]

@@shockwave6213 f'ing geniuses existed throughout the ages and it worked great. Amazing

[@goofygrandlouis6296]

There's one piece of the armor that doesn't seems proportionate though. That or the King was a very "blessed" man.

[@georgetsaki9576]

The first armor is phenomenal

[@xxbeatuupzz]

I think they missed out a measurement for the first amour. I'm sure I'm not the only one that wants to know what the size of the codpiece is

[@Jake-qc3mj]

That's not a codpiece, that's a damn battering ram.

[@goofygrandlouis6296]

WOW. No wonder he needed 8 wives.

[@randomgaming3961]

Fashion was wildin’ back then

[@worldtraveler930]

I guess you could say he got rather Excited about Jousting!!! 😁

[@darinmullins4770]

I know where he gained weight first

[@feralart]

Were they preparing for him to fight with an erection too? lol

[@wonderboy2402]

feralart apparently it happened, even back during Greek times.

[@Damienx247]

It was constructed for tournaments rather than the battlefield, thus the codpiece is for showing off to the women in the audience.

[@magtegi2]

having the cod piece extended forward helped absorb the shock directed toward you family jewels it was also common to get stabbed in that area since usually that area wasn't covered

[@schizoidboy]

It has to be remembered that armor was made specifically for the wearer especially something the king was going to wear. I heard that the armor shown had to be worn with Henry's specific size, this compares to his later years when he got heavy, but before then we get a hint at his athletic side and what he might have looked like when he was younger.

[@deamoneater357]

Could you imagine getting all that on and then having an itch you couldn't scratch?

[@shockwave6213]

Oh god. Please don't put that idea in my head. I'm gonna have a similar set made to join the Armored Combat League.

[@dolsopolar]

@@shockwave6213 did you just reply a 7 years ago comment

[@nimkomanlol2425]

@@dolsopolar hahaha

[@javiersaravia9593]

@@dolsopolar he might read it tho

[@shockwave6213]

And now im replying to your 8 month old comment. LOL :)

[@godofimagination]

I bet you could fistfight a bear in the original suit and be safe.

[@KAESowicz]

+godofimagination I think that the bear is strong enough to bend plates and crush fighters body.

[@7dayspking]

+KAESowicz Definitely, the plate is very durable but the man inside is not. All of the thrashing about against the armour would also hurt like hell...not to mention that his brain would be flying about inside of his head.

[@shun2240]

U can fight a bear in armor but you need a halberd to kill the bear

[@7dayspking]

Zlasher Semi Pro Arguably you don't need anything to kill a bear.

[@shun2240]

wew try to fight a bear with bare hands and see how it ends up.

[@alexanderren1097]

Imagine how unstoppable Henry would have been in this harness in his prime?!

[@Oliverklozov13]

He would've been able to kill so many more wives.

[@nicktheloser2974]

@@Oliverklozov13 wife slayer prime

[@blackpowderkun]

French: Bring out the boiling oil.

[@ohgoditsjames94]

@@blackpowderkun Boiling oil is a myth, oil was far too valuable at the time. Boiling water and rocks were the go to.

[@blackpowderkun]

@@ohgoditsjames94 bet they make an exemption for Henry.

[@chrisdooley6468]

Henry in his younger years was obviously a monster in this armor. Everything I’ve read about him (I’ll defer to others if I’m mistaken) said he was an expert in fighting with armor and wasn’t someone to be taken lightly in competition/battle.

[@2jz-boi]

i wish plate armour would come back into fashion, i know it's not needed anymore but it's stylish af

[@gdjets]

When the zombie apocalypse hits, it will be in high demand!

[@BlueSkyCountry]

Modern bullet resistant combat armor using ceramic and steel plates are a form of plate. Mail is coming back too in the form of facial recognition defeating clothing. Some Chinese dudes were testing out mail shirts that were somehow able to mess up EMF comms and disrupt facial recognition cameras around the wearer. The mail was probably charged to emit a low level EMP type frequency to create interference with the cameras' inputs.

[@MichaelPoage666]

@@gdjets I've been waiting to see a scene like that in a movie or tv show. Just a guy in full armor wading thought zombies swinging a mace or war hammer. You could probably take a nap surround by zombies in that first armor, lol.

[@riproar11]

Buy yourself a suit! I own a full plate armor suit that is a mid-quality museum replica along with four helmets and three forged swords. The arms are Italian Avanti replicas and are well-made, and even the forearm sections rotate. The chest plate is German gothic and really ornate with fluting all over the back. The lower leg and sabatons were custom-made to my measurements. It was a real hit when my friend asked me to show up at his kid's Halloween party as I was heading up to a party in the city. I actually drove with the whole suit on!

[@butters395]

gun's ruined everything 😒

[@dan_s_higginson]

Few know the whole royal family have splayed webbed toes.

[@Corbyloc]

Dan Higginson today’s Royal Family?

[@nibirananda9381]

That's why they can't let anyone be barefeet.

[@MrWeAllAreOne]

@@Corbyloc that was a joke!😂

[@Corbyloc]

Street Skater 66 I believe anything is possible.

[@eedwardgrey2]

Finally proof they're reptilians

[@LinksRoyal]

well....look at the balls part ...HE IS PREPARED :D

[@SpeedRacer_IRL]

@Yungdaggerdick That was the style at the time, believe it or not XD

[@sirapple2406]

WHY ARE THERE NO REPRODUCTIONS OF THIS KIND OF ARMOUR I NEED TO SEEI IT IN ACTION!!!!!!!!!!!

[@JakubB2000]

This was made for kings and was incredibly expensive to make. Even with modern machinery it would be incredibly difficult to make a suit that moves so seamlessly. These pieces of armour are a work of art.

[@andrewsuryali]

Rings for mail could be mass-produced, and linking them actually requires a very short time. I once managed to rivet together an entire mail sleeve in under two hours (then couldn't figure out how to attach it to the body), and I'm a 20th century amateur. Hammering a single lame into shape takes about 10 minutes from demonstrations, but finishing it would take 2-3 hours.

[@nibs8837]

I was sent from "Today in Tudor History"! Very informative!

[@Yoharu160]

another amazing video! i just love the incomplete foot combat armour, is an inspiration for novice armourers, and again these videos make an incredible source of information and inspiration, pleace, keep doing these videos, the mean a lot to people like me. you have my thanks. Tomas Suazo Santiago,Chile

[@richardgoode5314]

The craftsmanship in the suit of armour as a great invention.

[@madpenguin9402]

All for show in a fun tournament. The guy never stepped foot in battle except from the sidelines far away. In a tournament nobody would try and beat the king, too much trouble for them in punishment!

[@SarSaraneth]

You know he wasn't the king of France, right?

[@adamhatton7579]

Lived in the shadow of his father who set up the throne so it would be easy for him.

[@stanleysmith7551]

@@SarSaraneth Actually, France/Francis l. the king of France beat Henry in a wrestling match during this tournament, which is a remarkable achievement, considering Henry himself was 6'1 and quite muscular. (He wasn't getting fat until his leg injury some 10 years later.)

[@SarSaraneth]

@@stanleysmith7551 Yes, that was my point. Henry had the authority to punish or harass any _English_ knight who defeated him in a tournament, but all of his influence over _French_ combatants was diplomatic.

[@ChromeLuxx]

Codpiece I believe is what you are referring too.

[@yamanmustafa7574]

To is what you believe you are referring to.

[@antimageantimage3424]

@@yamanmustafa7574 I see this many times, people try to reply a comment and instead make there own comment. I don't know it's a bug or the mistake from user's end. BTW, I think he tried to reply to the comment talking about his big groin

[@yamanmustafa7574]

@@antimageantimage3424 *their. I am well aware of what a codpiece is. I'm presuming you're inept at ascertaining what I was referring to.

[@dinnerboons1504]

@@yamanmustafa7574 What the guy means, is that the comment was actually supposed to be a reply to someone else.

[@mojothemigo]

That was all tournament armor. Tournament armor was usually a little heavier/thicker and the covering on the armpits and the back of the legs was usually chainmail as apposed to steel strips called lames. Love this subject, I love talking about it, not trying to be a Nitpicky McDouche

[@guymoore3794]

That skirt is fabulous

[@mugshot749]

A suite of armour like this in today's money would cost as much as a private jet.

[@mezzanoon]

Man I really hope for a 4K update from the Royal Armouries! Loved these vids

[@FlamboyanToPossuM]

I want to make a joke about how he must've liked to lancelot but I don't know how...

[@riverrun88]

Wish the camera would have stayed steadier during the fight exhibit.

[@lordbear1095]

God now I know why fighting knights was so difficult. The sound of clanking metal was so horrendous that anyone fighting them would immediately die of their fucking eardrums exploding

[@mrbrightsidetf2]

The armour is goddamn gorgeous, even with that adorable skirt. I didn't know they actually made armour skirts back then, interesting.

[@Sirsethtaggart3505]

Fantastic armour

[@crazy8sdrums]

So many secrets... Thanks for the great video!

[@ethanr2469]

What is the weight of the entire suit?

[@kristofantal8801]

"The armour weights 42.6kg (approximately 94lbs) which is twice the weight of a normal battle armour." royalarmouries.org/stories/object-of-the-month/object-of-the-month-for-april-henry-viiis-foot-combat-armour/

[@2jz-boi]

@@kristofantal8801 damn wearing that would make you strong af

[@BlackKnight-th8ml]

In 0:25 whats that technique in its elbow underneath the big Λ peace

[@Mububban23]

Excellent video, thankyou so much for sharing it in such detail

[@madisonelectronic]

The TSA would love this.

[@nicktheloser2974]

Are comments about the codpiece being removed? There aren't nearly enough people talking about it

[@matthewmiller9485]

What about the armpits? They look open like on any other suit of armor. However, that may have been because articulating the armpit with plate proved to be an impossible challenge, even for the best armorers of his time!

[@SoulRipper66]

Did you just ask a question and answer it for yourself?

[@matthewmiller9485]

The armpits may be very enclosed, but if you raise the arms high enough, will there be a gap in the armor where there is no plate? That's what I was asking and I don't know if we can know just from looking at the video.

[@SoulRipper66]

Matthew Miller The only way to protect it is by using chain mail. Armpits, the back of the knee, the neck gap these are all considered weak points that cannot be plated because they restrict movement. When fighting knights, if you don't have a polearm (polearms have a crushing\force trauma which can deal damage even if you got plate on, it can also dent the armor which can cause huge discomfort and sometimes the dents can deal damage to the knight himself) you usually try to go for the weak points mentioned with any stabby\sharp object you have.

[@RoyalArmouriesMuseum]

Matthew Miller I have passed on your question to our curator of European Armour, who will hopefully provide you with a definitive answer.

[@7dayspking]

+Alexander Anderson Ahh a lot of later period armour has articulations on the back of the knee....including both sets seen in the video.....also on the foot (which is far more complex than the knee.)....also a neck plate was commonly worn as well.....(maybe you mean the section under the chin??? Especially with a sallet?

[@Breidablik06]

Admit it. You came here for the codpiece

[@halberds8835]

Great vid. Thanks for sharing.

[@cambs0181]

How good was it against musket balls though?

[@kinchan4548]

IS THAT THE SIR GILES CAPEL HELM at 3 minutes in when they did the fighting scene ?! i have always wondered what it would looked like on a suit

[@SpanishInAustralia]

you add exoesqueleton and made this armour with layers of liquid armour and Tungsten Carbide and tesla batery for the exoesqueleton and you have ironmam of 21 century

[@AndreasRitt]

Nice video!

[@MirrenTheDragonKnight]

In regards to the past one, how would the leg protection (I like the addition of lames to better protect the back of the be knees) donned? They seem to be one piece and I don't see any straps or ties. The same goes for the...arse plate. I'm assume it is one piece with the cod piece (as in, they are held by straps? And the second set, I remember seeing on the site, and I still think it is just gorgeous.

[@maxbooncito4340]

Is that your armour or are you happy to see me?

[@TheBitnikas]

Anyone else noticed the face on the butt part of the armour at 0:46?

[@criticviking]

Awsome clip!!!

[@godofimagination]

Tournament armor was definitely thicker, but are you sure it also provided more coverage? It seems to me that anyone who could afford it would have lames at the weak points instead of mail.

[@mazjap]

How did that not rust

[@filmfan4]

Why did the Frence change the rules, what was their motive?

[@marvelousdex9678]

The other contestants had massive codpieces and it put the french to shame, so they made everyone wear metal skirts.

[@alanspruce950]

because the french are good at changing rules to suit themselves

[@a24-45]

What a pity the filming of the fight scene was so blurry, shaky and psychedelic. This action is the thing I wanted most to see , and it would have been brilliant in crisp and focussed, one-take wide angle detail.

[@stephencrompton4352]

Imagine we came up with a new type of composite armour that soldiers could wear, and we ended up going back to full plate style armour.

[@JenniferM13]

You're damn right it would. I was only talking genetics, and that Henry did sire male children despite what some people believe. I wasn't planning to form a faction to try put him posthumously onto the throne.

[@godofimagination]

The armpit makes sense, but it seems to me they could have totally put plate on the back of the thigh. Then again, I don't think I've ever seen infantry plate (besides the 3/4 suits they came up with later).

[@shaider1982]

I wonder if they could have counter balanced the weight of the armor with springs (perhaps bow stringa) like in some exoskeletons today. Might it have allowed heavier armor used without taxing the knight too much

[@tonyg6691]

Are these replicas or the actual suits of armor?

[@RavensEagle]

What I am mostly curious about is, what about the armpits. How does that move is it similar to the insides of the knees and elbows. How high can you lift it. And honestly would want a better close up of the crotch armor from the bottom. Really curious how it folds.

[@MightyJosh1985]

Armour is designed to be a perfect fit. Other than swimming, you can do any function in armour that you can without it. It's a myth its heavy and slows you down.

[@BlackKnight-th8ml]

Where is this armor

[@RoyalArmouriesMuseum]

Hi Black Knight, It is part of our upcoming Tudor Power and Glory exhibition in the Royal Armouries museum in Leeds. Come and visit when we reopen!

[@ethanhigley2845]

Cool

[@waterbird91]

Pretty darn noisy they were. Could of heard them all the way to Sherwood Forest. Poor horses having such a Wight on their backs. Henry was a big ass man.

[@jediknight73]

This is better than iron man armor

[@MrWeAllAreOne]

Why did the first armour not be allowed?

[@RoyalArmouriesMuseum]

Francis I of France changed the type of foot combat to be competed at the Field of Cloth of Gold tournament, from one with a pollaxe to one with a two-handed sword. Thereby requiring a different type of armour.

[@KM-vc2yp]

Nothing like comfort fit armor

[@berner]

That cod piece though...

[@nigerianprince2620]

Mad to think that it would be the medieval equivalent to the G7 lol

[@mojothemigo]

Very interesting and awsome! However, in the 15th century I still remember reading how mail was still generally a little more expensive then plate. On your side of things, what steel wire and tools do you use or is that a trade secret? A video somewhere of somebody who uses your method and tools?

[@robertbogan225]

Wait did the first suit never see actual use very sad =(. I bet it would be real interesting to try to mount a horse in.

[@StepSherpa]

wow this is very interesting, henry the 8th is my 15x grandfather. and armor is something i has always liked

[@Corbyloc]

Espen Andre Henry Vlll didn’t have grandchildren. Isn’t that correct? So he couldn’t be your grandfather anytime removed, right?

[@rubberdc]

I wonder what Henry thought of this and what it was actually like being dressed into it atthe time .?

[@cbrusharmy]

Complete with room for an erection. Yeah, that sounds about right for Henry VIII.

[@Spiresbeyond]

true, but his claim to the throne would most definitely be disputed.

[@1972malberto]

Imagine how imposing a 6'1" brick shithouse king must have been at court

[@faolan9472]

Why that awfull soundeffect?

[@avus-kw2f213]

4:3 is good

[@moni2415]

I don't know how you can fight in it when you see hardly anything.

[@nasserfirelordarts6574]

I hate it when amazing armour is ruined by crotch armour (cups)

[@mechwarrior5727]

codpiece is what you are referring to

[@Spiresbeyond]

he had one, who would be Edward (sired from his third wife, Jane Seymour.)

[@thetacopunch]

0:13 fun fact some freshly married women would come to where the armor was displayed and poke at the cloth that used to surround the codpeice for good luck in siring healthy children

[@thekerr8728]

Yo Henry packing a side of beef in his pants or what?

[@rowanmark21]

the skirt is upside down

[@Spiresbeyond]

I thought you were saying he had more than 1 legitimate male child.

[@sergiocornejo7441]

el yelmo debia ser tortuoso, apenas si se veia alguna mierda, más el calor.. ufff

[@realityvanguard2052]

shit camera work in the fight. too bad, wanted to see what it was like to move in

[@DangerfieldN]

bruh you telling me you got a 36 in waist and only a 42 in chest? lift a weight for me once

[@mojothemigo]

Lames are easier and cheaper to make then mail. A full suit of plate costs a little less then mail. Similar amount of steel, but it is faster to beat out a thin strip of steel then to make and connect every single little ring. Late Renaissance, iron/steel prices were dropping across the board as they were making much more of it. But on the topic at hand, in many of the surviving armors, the armpit (gussets) armor and back of the leg was mail.

[@PiperTMTotalWar]

Henry's nut guard.

[@JenniferM13]

He had two male children I think.

[@connorkenyon]

Fucking Hell I knew he was big. But he's a man mountain.

[@Spiresbeyond]

yes but he was a bastard, he was acknowledged and he was even given a lordly title. However he died at age 17 of sickness.

[@fastestbasket4327]

All you need is a big, long heavy stick to push the guy in armour over until he falls, and you have basically won.

[@-KillaWatt-]

Armour is surprisingly more flexible than you think. Around the joint areas like hips, shoulders, etc have layered plating that can both flex and overlap one another. Most armour like the ones shown here of King Henry Viii where used by royalty and nobels and due to high costs of producing such armour it was unlikely average soldiers would encounter an armoured knight on the battlefield. This is why a lot of armour we do find or have already are in pretty good condition. They barely seen battle and even when in battle the people wearing the armour usually stayed back from the main engagement.

[@JenniferM13]

No, he also had another son. Henry Fitzroy, who was illegitimate but was acknowledged. Son of Mistress Bessie Blount. And there were several other suspected illegitimate children, some boys & a girl(s?) by various mistresses.

[@chinsawjosh]

That's a big "helmet"

[@AdelaideSwordAcademy]

:)

[@criticviking]

its manly

[@platenoise256]

war skirt

[@JenniferM13]

Aye, but he was still a male child. That's all I was ever alluding to...