Pageantry and Representation in the late-Henrician Navy

Pageantry and Representation in the late-Henrician Navy: the Battle of the Solent and Admiral Claude d’Annebault’s Visit to London.

Speaker: Benjamin W. D. Redding, University of Warwick

Abstract: Between the 20^th and 30^th of August 1546, Claude d’Annebault, Admiral of France, visited London as an honorary ambassador following the signing of the Treaty of Ardres. After a major French naval invasion attempt in the previous year, it was appropriate that d’Annebault’s entrance via the Thames was planned to include a ceremonial presentation of England’s naval resources. 

Bio: Dr Redding defended his doctoral thesis at the University of Warwick in March 2017. The project assessed the relationship between navy and state in the early modern period and argued that naval advances should always be considered within their broader international context. His article ‘English Naval Expansion under the French Threat, 1556-64’ was published in November 2016 in the International Journal of Maritime History. Current research interests include the role of visual culture in early modern naval developments and a reassessment of the fall of Calais in January 1558.

This event is being hosted by the Sir Michael Howard Centre for the History of War