1. Leeds Events

Available every weekend
Crossbow Range
Jester’s Yard
Discover
Hands-on
Explore

2. Armour for a courtier of Queen Elizabeth I

This armour was made for a courtier of Queen Elizabeth I and is the only armour in the gallery that is made up for the tourney.

3. Sir Henry Lee

Sir Henry Lee was Elizabeth I’s Champion in the 1580s and he arranged her famous Accession Day jousts. Lee was also Master of the Armouries at the Tower of London.

4. Arena

Here we put on exhibitions of military and sporting skill at arms, including jousting. There is seating for over 1200 people.

5. Key Stage 2: Discover the Tudors

The Royal Armouries Museum is the perfect place to discover the world of Tudor King Henry VIII and his love of sport and tournament. Pupils can get up close to his personal armours, try on armour and handle weapons from the collection.

6. What's On

Our summer events run Saturday 23 July to Sunday 4 September

Charge down to the museum for loads of summer fun. Come rain or shine there’s always something exciting going on.

7. Home

Royal Armouries – National Museum of Arms and Armour, keeper of Tower of London history, and the National Collection of Artillery. Museums in Leeds, West Yorkshire; Tower of London; and Fareham, Portsmouth, Hampshire.

8. Tournament Films

There are 21 films in this series. All are related to either the Tournament gallery or the wider theme of tournament. All films can be found throughout the Tournament section or in many of the interactives.

9. Tournament Fun

Try our tournament games and quizzes, and have some fun!

10. Tournament Games

Have fun with our tournament games. Help Henry VIII dress for his foot combat, or if you are feeling brave you can fight him in the foot combat or in a joust.

11. Discover Heraldry

Explore the different shields and discover to whom they belonged and what they mean.

12. Tournament Gallery

See how tournaments developed over hundreds of years, and the armours used for foot combat, jousting and for horses.

13. Introduction to Tournament

The Tournament gallery at the Royal Armouries, Leeds, is about the combat sports that knights once took part in.

14. Tournament Events

Learn how tournaments began, how they developed and how they ended

15. The horned helmet

King Henry VIII’s ‘horned helmet’

16. The horned helmet

‘Horned helmet’ presented to Henry VIII, by Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian

17. Foot combat armour

Henry VIII’s Foot combat armour

18. Tonlet armour

Henry VIII’s Tonlet armour

19. The Field of Cloth of Gold

In 1520 Henry VIII met Francis I, King of France, at the Field of Cloth of Gold. The aim was to make England and France allies rather than enemies.

20. Sir Christopher Hatton

This vamplate, with its restored gilding, was fitted over the lance to protect the hand.

21. Robert Radcliffe, Earl of Sussex

This portrait was probably painted to commemorate Robert Radcliffe’s first appearance in a tournament at Windsor.

22. The 'Almain Armourer's Album'

The album contains armour design drawings for some of Queen Elizabeth I’s leading courtiers, advisors and military leaders including Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, Sir Henry Lee and Sir Christopher Hatton.

23. The 'Moustache masked' helmet

This helmet has a most unusual visor in the form of a human face. It is a virtuoso example of metalworking: the moustache and nose were not attached but made as one with the visor. The moustache would have been particularly difficult to make.

24. The Lion armour

This is the finest decorated armour in the Royal Armouries collection. It was possibly made for King Henri II of France.