Research

Henry was almost constantly in motion, whether in ritual procession, travelling between his own residences or those of favoured courtiers, hunting in the field, or embarking on longer progresses. Often he was accompanied by his wife, turning royal journeys into vehicles of queenship as well as kingship.

The Logistics theme will use archival sources to establish Henry VIII’s itinerary and map the various progress routes and venues over the course of the reign. The primary focus is upon the implementation, organization and advanced planning that supported the progresses.

At their heart, royal progresses were a performance of royal power: opportunities for the king to see his subjects and (perhaps more importantly) be seen by them, to bestow favour upon his hosts and thereby to cement his lordship. This theme explores this key concept of ‘performance’ in both symbolic and practical terms.

The ‘Legacy’ strand of the Henry on Tour project, led by Kate Giles, will be conducted by Heritage360 at the University of York and project partners DigVentures.