Henry leading Time, in an allegory-laden image
James VI and I: a clever, experienced monarch, and complicated man
Queen Anne showed her children how to wield soft power, through art and performance
Infant Henry: as king in a high chair, rattle as sceptre
Prince Charles adored Henry, inherited his collections and love of horses, but not his religion
Princess Elizabeth: real heir to Henry’s legacy. His last words were to ask for her
Sir David Murray: the man who lived closest to Henry all his life
Stirling Castle: Henry’s birthplace, important in the formation of his mentality
Henry practises his signature, as children do
John Harington of Exton: Henry’s best friend
Robert Devereux, earl of Essex: a close friend and future civil war general, on Parliament’s side
Robert Cecil, earl of Salisbury: genius statesman and mentor to the future Henry IX
Sir Walter Ralegh: Henry’s brilliant, unofficial adviser from the Tower
Nonsuch Palace: ‘the single greatest work of artistic propaganda ever created in England’
Sir Thomas Chaloner: Henry’s Lord Chamberlain, scientist, projector, Renaissance man
Henry’s astrolabe: his court magnetised scientists, scholars, inventors
Ben Jonson, poet and dramatist: his masque texts show who Henry was, and thought he was
Inigo Jones, architect and designer of masques for Henry
St James’s Palace: Henry added a gallery, library and riding school, to increase his royal prestige
First ever map of Chesapeake Bay. Made by Robert Tindall for Henry, it’s half empty, ready for Henry to name and claim
In Roman armour and opulent toga, Henry signals fitness to rule – referencing Rome, the Renaissance and all the qualities associated with these
Maurice of Nassau: Calvinist, military genius, inspirational role model for Henry
Henri IV of France: enemy of the Habsburgs, Henry saw him as a second father
Henry illustrating the bottom line of monarchy: when and how to make war
‘King of the Underworld’: Henry as Oberon, by Inigo Jones
Pacing horse, after Giambologna: Renaissance gem, in Henry’s hands when he died
Letters Patent, jewel bright, creating Henry, Prince of Wales: James and Henry together
Richmond Palace: Henry had begun the biggest architectural renovations of the age at his death
The first ‘rough guide’ to Europe: it gives us the voice of Henry’s circle
Frederick of the Palatine: he and Henry believed they would be brothers-in-arms
The Prince Royal, Henry’s first ship: he planned a major renovation of the royal navy
The remains of Henry’s effigy – ravaged for relics by a grieving public in the years after his death
His funeral was the first state funeral for a prince, not a monarch
Stunning Prince of Wales feathers, against a gold sunburst