King Henry VIII

Henry came to the English throne in 1509 at the age of 18. As a young man he excelled at tennis and wrestling and loved skill at arms, archery, jousting and foot combat.

The Royal Armouries collection contains many of Henry VIII’s original armours including those for jousting and foot combat. Henry employed the finest craftsmen in Europe at his armoury at Greenwich.

Notable objects located in this gallery


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Scary Horned Helmet

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King Henry VIII's Foot Combat armour

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The whole truth

The phrase "Lock, stock and barrel" refers to something in its entirety, the whole thing – in the same way that a complete gun has a lock, a stock and a barrel.

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