Madrid’s Royal Armoury is considered to be one of the leading collections in the world within its genre. The armouries are comprised of luxury and high artistic and technical quality weaponry which reflected the way of thinking and the primary activities that comprised European palace life between the 15th and the 19th centuries. These collections are closely linked to the European ideal of knighthood, which developed in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance - an ideal based on the military role of the nobility as a system of norms and attitudes, a model of life where defending religious beliefs, training for war, loyalty, wisdom, charity and courtesy played a major role. As a result, the arms and weaponry of the era soon took on a symbolic role within this ideological universe.The Royal Armoury is a collection which can only truly be explained within the context of Spanish history. Spain’s control of a large part of Europe during the 16th and the beginning of the 17th century explains the country’s high quality weapons, which came from the best German, Italian and Flemish renaissance workshops, which were under Spanish reign at the time. The collection was created on the wishes of King Philip II of Spain (1527-1598) starting with his father’s armoury, Emperor Charles V (1500-1558), where weapons from his ancestors were also safeguarded. The decision to establish a collection in Madrid was respected by his successors, allowing for it to continue to grow richer with contributions over the years, up until the present day. The exhibition will be separated into seven sections:The Spanish and European cavalry’s ideal,The Royal Armoury of Madrid,Art and palace life during the Renaissance,Hunting as a pastime and military training,Weaponry and diplomacy,The splendour of the Baroque period to the Contemporary Age ,The concept of China throughout the history of the Royal Collections.The exhibition opens from 29 September 2007 to 6 of January 2008 at The Palace Museum.