Greenwich armour is the plate armour in a distinctively English style produced by the Royal Almain Armoury founded by Henry VIII in 1511 in Greenwich near London, which continued until the English Civil War. The armoury was formed by imported master armourers hired by Henry VIII, initially including some from Italy and Flanders, as well as the Germans who dominated during most of the 16th century. The most notable head armourer of the Greenwich workshop was Jacob Halder, who was master workman of the armoury from 1576 to 1607. This was the peak period of the armoury's production and it coincided with the elaborately gilded and sometimes coloured decorated styles of late Tudor England.
Armour of George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland (1558–1605), 1586
Gilded Greenwich harness of King Henry VIII
Sir Nicholas Carew wearing an early Greenwich armour of 1532–33.
The garniture of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, as depicted in the Jacob album
Plate armour is a historical type of personal body armour made from bronze, iron, or steel plates, culminating in the iconic suit of armour entirely encasing the wearer. Full plate steel armour developed in Europe during the Late Middle Ages, especially in the context of the Hundred Years' War, from the coat of plates worn over mail suits during the 14th century.
Full plate armour for man and horse commissioned by Sigismund II Augustus, Livrustkammaren in Stockholm Sweden (1550s).
Bronze muscle cuirass, Italy, c. 350–300 BC
A Japanese 16th–17th century suit of plate armour with a western-style cuirass (nanban dō gusoku)
Italian suit of armour with sallet, c. 1450
