King Henry's Map of the British Isles

King Henry's Map of the British Isles Facsimile Edition

King Henry's Map of the British Isles, London, British Library, B.L. Cotton MS Augustus I.i.9 − Photo 2

King Henry's Map of the British Isles, London, British Library, B.L. Cotton MS Augustus I.i.9 − Photo 3

King Henry's Map of the British Isles, London, British Library, B.L. Cotton MS Augustus I.i.9 − Photo 4

King Henry's Map of the British Isles, London, British Library, B.L. Cotton MS Augustus I.i.9 − Photo 5

King Henry's Map of the British Isles, London, British Library, B.L. Cotton MS Augustus I.i.9 − Photo 6

King Henry's Map of the British Isles, London, British Library, B.L. Cotton MS Augustus I.i.9 − Photo 7

King Henry's Map of the British Isles, London, British Library, B.L. Cotton MS Augustus I.i.9 − Photo 8

King Henry's Map of the British Isles, London, British Library, B.L. Cotton MS Augustus I.i.9 − Photo 9

King Henry's Map of the British Isles, London, British Library, B.L. Cotton MS Augustus I.i.9 − Photo 10

King Henry's Map of the British Isles, London, British Library, B.L. Cotton MS Augustus I.i.9 − Photo 11

King Henry's Map of the British Isles, London, British Library, B.L. Cotton MS Augustus I.i.9 − Photo 12

King Henry's Map of the British Isles, London, British Library, B.L. Cotton MS Augustus I.i.9 − Photo 13

King Henry's Map of the British Isles, London, British Library, B.L. Cotton MS Augustus I.i.9 − Photo 14

King Henry's Map of the British Isles, London, British Library, B.L. Cotton MS Augustus I.i.9 − Photo 15

King Henry's Map of the British Isles, London, British Library, B.L. Cotton MS Augustus I.i.9 − Photo 16

King Henry's Map of the British Isles, London, British Library, B.L. Cotton MS Augustus I.i.9 − Photo 17

King Henry's Map of the British Isles, London, British Library, B.L. Cotton MS Augustus I.i.9 − Photo 18

King Henry's Map of the British Isles, London, British Library, B.L. Cotton MS Augustus I.i.9 − Photo 19

King Henry's Map of the British Isles, London, British Library, B.L. Cotton MS Augustus I.i.9 − Photo 20

This historic map of Britain, Angliae Figura, hung on the walls of Hampton Court Palace, where its owner, King Henry VIII, would have consulted it frequently. Now a treasure of the British Library, it is the most important manuscript map of Britain created during Henry's reign.

The Iconic Image of the Realm of Henry VIII

At the end of the 1530s the Lord High Admiral noted that Henry VIII had become "marvellously inflamed" by a new map. The Angliae Figura had recently been presented to the King as a New Year's gift in 1537 by the Archdeacon of Rochester. Now housed in the British Library, this beautiful artefact has become one of the most famous representations of Henry's realm.

Henry was the first English monarch fully to realise the potential of maps as practical instruments of government. The Angliae Figura was both lavish and useful. Made from a single piece of vellum, it contains eight pinholes around its edges, suggesting that it was attached to a board. It was probably protected by curtains, which accounts for its pristine state. Containing the latest cartographical advances, it would have looked strikingly modern to its sixteenth-century viewers. The accuracy and detail of this map would have made it invaluable to Henry in implementing his policies, both foreign and domestic.

An Historic Portrait of the British Isles

Angliae Figura was the most realistic depiction of Britain to date. The positioning of towns along the east coast of England, from Rye to Berwick-upon-Tweed, is correct, and there are 633 place names, more than any map hitherto. No border is shown between Wales and England, reflecting the recent Acts of Union.

A Revealing Snapshot of the King's Political Ambitions

The title panel is shaped like a royal coat of arms, denoting the map's purpose as a portrait of Henry's realm. Given that the map includes Scotland and northern France, this was a bold statement of political ambition in the late 1530s, as Henry sought to deal with his troublesome neighbours.

We have 1 facsimile edition of the manuscript "King Henry's Map of the British Isles": King Henry's Map of the British Isles facsimile edition, published by The Folio Society, 2009

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King Henry's Map of the British Isles

Commentary (English) by Barber, Peter

Limited Edition: 2750 copies

Full-size color reproduction of the entire original document, King Henry's Map of the British Isles: the facsimile attempts to replicate the look-and-feel and physical features of the original document; pages are trimmed according to the original format; the binding might not be consistent with the current document binding.

The map is reproduced in facsimile tied with a silk ribbon and presented in a buckram covered box lined in fabric. The image is printed on both sides of Neobond – a remarkable material which looks and feels like vellum and which lies flat when unrolled.

King Henry's Map of the British Isles Facsimile Edition

The Iconic Image of the Realm of Henry VIII

An Historic Portrait of the British Isles

A Revealing Snapshot of the King's Political Ambitions