Royal journeys, palaces and pageantry in England and France 1460-1589: establishing a comparative and multidisciplinary methodology

Why did the rulers of sixteenth-century England and France spend so much time on the road? Building on the ‘Henry VIII on Tour’ UK AHRC-funded research project (Historic Royal Palaces, University of York, Newcastle University) and interdisciplinary research at RicercarLab / Centre d’Études Supérieures de la Renaissance, this project compares the mobility of Renaissance monarchy in terms of purpose, extent, impact and meaning. Henry VIII of England (r. 1509-47) and François 1er of France (r. 1515-47) were intensely aware of one another as rulers, competing for dominance and prestige in Europe. Their extensive journeys and progresses have been described in similar terms, but what were the factors specific to England and France? This project draws out the contrasts between monarchy, government and display in two Renaissance kingdoms engaged in a complex mutual relationship.