Royal Armoury of Madrid facts for kids
The Royal Armoury of Madrid (or Real Armería de Madrid) is a super cool collection of old weapons and armor. It holds the personal gear of the Kings of Spain. You can also see military weapons, suits of armor, and even art like tapestries and paintings. Some of the most amazing pieces belonged to Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and Philip II. Many people think it's one of the best collections in the world, right up there with the Imperial Armory in Vienna.
The idea to give special care to this collection started after Emperor Charles V passed away in 1558.
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Where the Armoury Has Been
The armor of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor mostly came from Brussels to Spain in 1556. It arrived by ship in Laredo and then went to Valladolid. After he died, his weapons were spread out. Some were in Valladolid, some at the Monastery of Yuste, and maybe some at the Alcázar of Madrid.
The First Armoury Building
Around 1553, a building was chosen to be the new stables for the Alcázar. It seems Philip II himself designed it. You can even see a sketch he made in the Archivo General de Simancas.
This first armoury was part of the Royal Stables. These were built by Gaspar de Vega between 1556 and 1564 for King Philip II. Once the stables were done, the king ordered the Armoury to move into a wing of the Stables. This wing was right in front of the main part of the Alcázar.
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The new armoury building had a long, rectangular hall. It was about 63 meters long and 10 meters wide. It had a ground floor and a main floor. The roof was made of slate with stone edges. Downstairs, there were three sections. The upper floor, where the armor was kept, was completely open. The inside of the hall was finished in 1565. It was painted white and decorated with many azulejo tiles from Talavera de la Reina pottery.
A special part of this building was the "Arc of the Armoury." This arch connected the Alcázar to the outside. It was built when Charles II of Habsburg was king.
The Current Home of the Armoury
In 1884, a fire partly destroyed the building Philip II had built. King Alfonso XII ordered a new building to be constructed, no matter the cost. This new building is where the Armoury is today. Alfonso XII died before it was finished. Queen Maria Cristina made sure the work was completed. The main floor of the new building was designed as a huge room. It was decorated with tapestries, weapons, and outfits. The entire collection was moved here. The new facility opened in 1893.
Today, the Royal Armoury of Madrid is on the ground floor of the Royal Palace of Madrid. It's still considered one of the best in the world, along with the Imperial Armoury in Vienna. It has pieces from as early as the 1400s. The collection is famous for the tournament armor made for Charles V and Philip II. These were crafted by top armor makers from Milan and Augsburg. One amazing piece is the full armor and weapons that Emperor Charles V used in the Battle of Mühlberg. This armor was even shown in his famous painting by Titian, which is now at the Museo del Prado. The Armoury has some of the most important armor pieces in Europe. Many were signed by Filippo Negroli, a very famous armor designer.
Amazing Collections
In the old building, weapons were kept in big wooden "drawers." These were like huge closets. The weapons were carefully placed in the room. The most important weapons were inside these drawers. Firearms, bows, and some knives were placed above the windows. Longer pole weapons were at the ends of the room and near the drawers. Two small cannons were at the western end.
The way weapons were organized inside the drawers was more detailed. First, they were grouped by their owners. Weapons belonging to Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor were mostly in the first eight drawers on the south side. Those of Philip II were next to his father's on the north wall. Second, some drawers held complete sets of armor. These included the armor, horse gear, and clothing for Charles V and Philip II. Third, weapons were grouped by type. For example, one drawer might hold only knives, or chain mail, or items with similar decorations like damascene. Other drawers held special weapons important to the royal family. These included trophies from battles like Mülhberg and Pavia. There were also weapons of legendary figures or items with symbolic meaning. Examples include the ceremonial sword of the Catholic Monarchs, a rapier sent by Pope Clement VII to Charles V, and armor sent to Philip II by the shogun Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Swords believed to belong to El Cid, el Gran Capitán, Roland, and Boabdil are also there.
The main part of the current collection comes from what Philip II kept when he made Madrid the capital. This includes his own armor, but especially his father's, Charles V. Charles V had also kept weapons from his father, Philip I of Castile, and his grandparents, Ferdinand II of Aragon and Maximilian I, Holy Holy Roman Emperor. The armor of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and Philip II are the most important pieces. Other important items were added over time. These include medieval weapons from the Treasury of the Alcázar of Segovia. There are also firearms from Charles V and Philip II. The collection has child-sized armor for the Princes and Infantes of Spain. Military trophies and diplomatic gifts are also present. These gifts came from people like the Duke of Mantua to Charles V, and the shogun Toyotomi Hideyoshi to Philip II. Other gifts were from Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy and James I of England to Philip III. Also, from Infanta Isabel Clara Eugenia and Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand of Austria to Philip IV. Even the Sultan of Turkey sent gifts to Charles III. Finally, there are many famous firearms made in Madrid for royal hunting trips.
The collection also has important weapons from the Middle Ages and the start of the Renaissance. Some were from Charles V's armory, inherited from his family. Another group came from the Royal Treasury of the Alcazar of Segovia. Philip II moved these to Madrid. Other pieces were bought, donated, or transferred between the reigns of Ferdinand VII and Alfonso XII. You can see symbols of the kingdoms of Castile, León, and Aragon. These are on the spurs and cloak of Ferdinand III of Castile, from his burial in the Cathedral of Seville. There's also the crest of Drac Alat said to belong to Martin of Aragon. The royal sword of the Catholic Monarchs is also here. It was used in Spanish court ceremonies until the 1700s.
Weapons from the time of the Catholic Monarchs and the Late Middle Ages are also in the collection. There are war weapons from the Granada War. These include defensive pieces from Spanish, Italian, and German workshops. Two of the oldest portable firearms in Spain are also here. These early guns still show influences from archery. Special helmets and armor pieces from a famous Spanish workshop are also notable. Their exact origin is unknown, but they might be from Aragon. The Nasrid sultanate of Granada is shown through a small but important collection. It has examples of three types of weapons made in Granada. These include a genet from Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand of Austria's collection. There's also a leather shield from Charles V's armory. A dagger with a belt, pouch, and a case for a Quran are also present. These were captured from Muhammad XII (Boabdil) at the Battle of Lucena. They were later given to Alfonso XIII.
The collection also has weapons linked to important people and events from the time of the Catholic Monarchs. These include the sword of Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba (el Gran Capitán). There are also weapons from Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor. These include a horse headpiece, a chest armor, and two horse armors. These pieces show his power and family through their decorations and symbols. These weapons came from Charles V's collection. He also kept weapons from his father, Philip I of Castile. These represent the marriage alliances between the Catholic Monarchs and Maximilian. Philip I of Castile's armory is now split between the Hofjagd und Rüstkammer in Vienna and the Royal Armoury of Madrid. The Madrid collection mainly has weapons he used after his marriage to Joanna of Castile. These include a two-handed sword with his personal motto. There are also helmets and horse headpieces from Flanders, Germany, and Italy. Among these are two helmets by Filippo Negroli from Milan. There are also three suits of armor that are very rare.
Armour from Charles V and Philip II
The armor collections of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and Philip II are the most important part of the whole museum. Philip II's weapons are closely linked to his father's. They often came from the same German or Italian workshops around the same time. Many of Philip II's armors were even made while Charles V was still alive. The armors of both Charles V and Philip II were created between 1519 and 1560. This was during the Renaissance, a golden age for armor making.
These armors were not just for war. They were luxury items that showed power. They were used for court events like fairs, tournaments, military parades, and jousting. Most of Charles V and Philip II's armors were "fitting armors." This idea was invented by Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor. It meant a basic armor could have extra pieces added. These pieces were decorated in the same style. This allowed the armor to be changed for different uses. It could be used for fighting on foot, for fairs, for horse tournaments, for war, or for parades. The Spanish Royal Collection still has many of these extra pieces. It also has many horse armors that go with these suits.
These types of luxury weapons were valued for their clever design and technical skill. Their formal design and decoration were also very important. The decorations had many meanings. They showed ideas about chivalry, humanism, and ancient Roman traditions. They used symbols that were allegorical, religious, heraldic, or related to the royal family. The decorations were made using techniques like etching, light embossing, gilding (gold), silvering, bluing, and damascening (inlaying gold and silver). Because of this, luxury weapons could only be made in a few highly skilled workshops in Europe. The most important ones were in Germany and northern Italy. For Charles V, famous workshops included Kolman and Desiderius Helmschmid from Augsburg, and Filippo Negroli and his brothers from Milan. For Philip II, Franz and Wolfgang Grosschedel from Landshut, Desiderius Helmschmid, and Antoni Peffenhauser from Augsburg were key. Other skilled armorers also made pieces for them.
See also
In Spanish: Real Armería de Madrid para niños
