English Renaissance Dress

When the first Tudor monarch, Henry VII came to the throne in 1485, the long and bloody battle between the English royal houses, known as the War of the Roses, finally ended. The civil war had taken its toll on the fortunes of the English nobility, and had been a dark time for the country, as a whole. This was reflected in the sombre clothing of the period. By the time his son, Henry VIII, became King, England had entered into a more prosperous, and light-hearted era. Clothing had become a symbol of this new prosperity, and no where is this more evident, than in the many portraits of Henry VIII, and later, of his daughter, Elizabeth I.

The portrait is a depiction of a royal family gathering that could never have taken place, because both his father Henry VII, and his mother, Elizabeth of York, were dead by the time Henry had married his third wife, Jane Seymour, who is pictured on the far right side of the mural. However, it is a beautiful painting, and an insight into the changes in style that evolved into the opulent English Renaissance dress.

This picture is a copy of the Whitehall Palace Mural by Remigius van Leemput, 1667, which is on display at Hampton Court Palace. Even though the mural was painted many years after the deaths of Henry VII and Henry VIII, it was based upon portraits that had been painted of them while they were still alive. Notice the difference between the staid, almost clerical, floor-length robes worn by Henry VII, and the vibrant, colorful, and elaborate garments worn by his son. Henry VIII was proud of his calves, and often boasted that he never had to pad his leggings. The doublet and hose, combined with the luxurious, broad-shouldered surcote, was the perfect garb to show his legs to their best advantage.

The difference between the clothing of Jane Seymour and that of Elizabeth of York, while not as striking, is there never the less. The bodice of Jane's dress features the distinctive square-cut neckline that bared much of the neck and shoulders, while Elizabeth's is much more demure, with very little exposed flesh. Also notice, the sleeves of Elizabeth's dress are much plainer and more stream-lined than those worn by Jane. The Renaissance head dress that Jane is wearing, was designed to show off much more of the face, neck, and shoulders, than the modest, almost nun-like, late Medieval style worn by Elizabeth.

When Elizabeth was a very young girl, she was often passed over and neglected, partly because of the bitterness her father felt towards her mother, Anne Boleyn, and his elation at finally having a son. In a letter to the King from her nurse, the nurse begs Henry to provide the child with clothing, saying that Elizabeth had neither gown, kirtle or sleeves. However, as Elizabeth grew and matured, the King began to value the loyalty and the character of the daughter he once so cruelly overlooked.

This portrait of Elizabeth was painted in 1546, when she was about thirteen years of age. It has been attributed to William Scrots, and now hangs in Windsor castle, as part of the Royal Collection. The garments she wears display many of the characteristics we have come to associate with English Renaissance dress; the square-cut, bejeweled neckline, the extremely elongated V-shaped bodice, the flowing, bell-shaped sleeves and open front skirt that reveal the elegantly embroidered shift underneath. This ensemble was definitely fitting for a young lady of noble birth; however, it was modest in the extreme compared to the English Renaissance clothing that would come to be known as Elizabethan.

While growing up, Elizabeth carefully studied the intrigues and the workings of court life, but most especially she studied her father. After all, he was the sole determiner of her fate; whether she was made a bastard or a lady was totally in his hands. One of the many traits that Elizabeth acquired from her father, was knowing what could be used to her advantage; and when she became queen, she would use her clothing. She knew that her grandfather, Henry VII had been perceived by the people as miserly mainly because of his austere mode of dress; and she was determined not to make the same mistake. Even though her coffers were depleted from the ruinous excesses of her predecessors, Elizabeth wanted her people to see her as being confident, powerful, and giving; and as such, she dressed the part.

Some might say that for Elizabeth to have become queen was truly miraculous, after all both her younger brother Edward, and her older sister Mary, had to die, and to die childless, at that. I believe that Elizabeth felt that it was not so much a miracle that she became queen, but that her life had been spared long enough for it to happen. When she learned that her sister Mary had died, and that she was to be made Queen of England, Elizabeth is reported to have said "It is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes."

When she became Queen, Elizabeth knew that she would need a wardrobe that would display to her people, and to the world, the image that she so wanted to project; namely that of a generous Queen with the resources to back up that generosity. However, she also knew that in reality, there were very little funds that could be spared for such ostentation. She was extremely meticulous with all the accounts related to the procurement of her wardrobe. She always knew to the pence, how much material had been acquired, and how much was used. In the beginning, she also chose garments that could be easily altered to accommodate changing styles. She was especially clever in the use of sleeves, to make an older gown appear new.

In terms of increasing the size and elegance of her wardrobe, probably the most ingenious ploy used by Elizabeth, was to let it be known that she enjoyed receiving gifts of clothing and fabric. For those courtiers, politicians, and diplomats anxious to please her Majesty, and secure her favor, this was an opportunity to good to pass up. Soon, Elizabeth was being lavished with all the best sixteenth century feminine articles of clothing that money could buy. Presents were made to her of gold embroidered sleeves, jewel encrusted stomachers, and her personal favorite, the extremely expensive, and difficult to obtain, knitted silk hose. By her imaginative combinations of these garments, most were unaware that a substantial portion of the royal wardrobe, was paid for, not from the royal treasury, but from the pockets of the English nobility and foreign diplomats.

The portrait above is known as the Ermine Portrait; painted in 1585 by Nicholas Hilliard, a frequent painter of Elizabeth. It is part of the collection of the Marquess of Salisbury, and can be seen at Hatfield House. It was at Hatfield, that Elizabeth first learned that she was to be Queen. The costume she is wearing is an excellent example of how Elizabeth used her wardrobe to inspire confidence. Who could fail to be impressed by a monarch with such clothing as this. Notice how the effect of the entire ensemble is pulled together, right down to the spots on the ermine, which seem to mirror the golden dots on the gown, and the tiny golden crown-like collar around its neck.

When Elizabeth reluctantly signed the order for the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, she must have known that war with Spain, would now be almost inevitable. As long as Mary was alive, Philip of Spain was not eager to undertake the expensive and dangerous campaign of a direct assault upon England. However, since Mary, who felt herself to be the rightful Queen of England, had bequeathed the crown to Philip, upon her death; Philip now felt that England was his for the taking.

Elizabeth ardently hoped that war could be avoided, and carried out a long series of negotiations to that end, even though her closest advisors warned her that her desire for peace was hopeless. By spring of 1588, the Queen, herself, realized that it was time to prepare for war. In charge of her navy was Charles Howard, Lord Effingham as Lord High Admiral, while the land forces were in the hands of her long-time friend and confidant Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester.

Philip of Spain never really intended to make a serious naval campaign; the mighty Armada was to be used to convey the massive amounts of men, horses, and ammunition that were meant to land and to mount a devastating attack on English soil. It was the goal of Charles Howard and his Vice-Admiral, Francis Drake, to prevent this at all cost. Elizabeth, alarmed at the tremendous amount of money that was being spent on naval preparations, began to oversee the operations herself. Howard and Drake had to account their expenditures to her on an almost daily basis.

July 1588 had seen some of the worst storms in decades, so this had bought the English some time; but on July 19th, the Armada was sighted by watchers on board the Lizard. By nightfall, the Spaniards were anchored off Plymouth. When the moon rose at 2:00 AM on the morning of the 20th, they received the first of the many surprises they would encounter in the campaign; the English navy had come up
behind them.

Rather than engaging in direct confrontation, Lord Howard had devised a brilliant strategy of surprise attacks, that kept the Armada on the run. The much lighter weight English ships were faster and more maneuverable, which made them ideal for this kind of warfare. In the very first battle, the Spaniards thought they would take Lord Howard's ship, which had been rammed. Instead, the crew lowered the boats, towed the ship around, and she was able to sail away from capture.

The English kept up a relentless assault, attacking again on the 23rd, 24th, and 27th of July. However, by July 28th, the Armada was getting perilously close to the appointed landing site. During the night of the 28th, the English sent fire ships among the closely packed Armada to force them out. The Armada fled up the east cost. The next day, July 29th, off the coast of Gravelines, saw the last stand of the force that had come to be known as the "Invincible" Armada against what the Spaniards considered, an upstart English navy.

Due to weather conditions along the coast, relaying of messages of the navy's success was delayed in reaching the Queen. So, fearing the worst, that the Spanish troops had actually landed, and were now on their way, on August 8th, Elizabeth came to Tilbury to join Leicester's army. It was here, mounted upon a beautiful white horse, wearing borrowed armor, that that she made her famous ride amongst the troops; telling them "I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and a king of England too". By the end of her ride, there was no man there, that was not prepared to die for her. Such was the effect of her speech that when the news came of the great Armada's defeat, that there would be no landing of Spanish troops on English soil, along with the tremendous joy, many men also expressed regret that they had not had the chance to fight for their Queen.

The portrait above, is one of three paintings known as Armada portraits. This version, painted by an unknown artist, is from late 1588. This image is rich with symbolic meaning, not only depicting the defeat of the Armada, but also, by her hand resting upon the globe at the point of the North American continent, the emerging prominence of England in the New World. Perhaps, the most poignant symbol, that of pearls, for purity, comes from the lovely pearl necklace. This necklace was left to her in his will, and was the final gift from the man dear to her heart since she was a young woman, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, who died on September 4th, less than a month after helping Elizabeth to her greatest victory.