Step into Henry VIII's court and help prepare the king for tournament glory.
The year is 1520 and your pupils have been summoned to the Tudor court. The king is preparing to travel to France for the spectacular Field of Cloth of Gold where he must impress the French king. But disaster has struck: the rules for the foot combat have changed and Henry's armour will no longer do.
As newly appointed members of Henry’s court, pupils must help Lady Bess and Sir Thomas save the day. They will learn how Tudor courtiers behaved and help to prepare a replacement suit of armour fit for a king. Working in the Tournament Gallery, pupils will use Henry VIII’s actual armour as inspiration for their own royal designs.
Prepare your class for the Tudor court or continue the learning back in school with our free Tudors Learning Resources for free videos, images and audio files to use.
This workshop supports KS2 history through a study of an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066, using Henry VIII, Tudor court life and the Field of Cloth of Gold as a vivid case study of monarchy, power, display and international rivalry.
The King’s armour
Joining Lady Bess as new armourers to the king, pupils work beside Henry VIII’s actual armour in the Tournament gallery. Inspired by the collection, they sketch Tudor designs and emboss their own armour piece fit for a king and get hands-on with replica armour to discover how it moved and protected the body.
Dance, duel and impress
Pupils join sword and dance master Sir Thomas as he prepares them to be received at court. They learn the manners, movement and skills needed to impress and move climb up the social ladder of Tudor society. Through etiquette, dance and a sword school, pupils will discover how courtly life combined performance and status.
(Medieval and Tudor)
Tournaments were once legendary throughout Europe as sporting competitions for the rich, famous and powerful. See the highly decorated essential items worn, used and exchanged as gifts by King Henry VIII and other nobleman. This gallery evokes the colourful and lavish spectacle of these glorious events, and a new display celebrates the history of modern jousting.
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