Knights do battle at Hampton Court's grand tournament to mark 500th anniversary of Henry VIII's ascension to throne
12:24pm Tuesday 31st August 2010 in
Visitors to Hampton Court Palace were transported back in time as it hosted a grand tournament.
The palace was transformed for the tournament, complete with jousting and sword fights.
The event was part of a series run by the palace to mark the 500th anniversary of King Henry VIII's ascension to the throne.
Costumed re-enactors took visitors on a journey back to the summer of 1535 over the bank holiday weekend, when the king was married to his second wife, Anne Boleyn.
Although his health was deteriorating, King Henry still took part in some of the live contests.
There was also a chance to see the team of cooks produce a Tudor feast in Henry VIII’s kitchens as well as traditional music and dancing from the period.
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Battle: A knight prepares for action in the joust
Clash: The knights lances make contact in the grand tournament
Crowd: Spectators watch the joust at Hampton Court
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ChrisSquire says...
3:06pm Tue 31 Aug 10
‘ . .The most important consideration in this final decade was the king's increasing age and ill health . . was putting on an enormous amount of weight . . eventually he had to be moved around his palaces in a . . carrying chair. He also suffered enormous pain from a chronic leg ulcer which produced dangerous attacks of fever . . either varicose veins or osteomyelitis; the ulcer was made much worse by Henry's insistence on riding. He could become black in the face with pain.’