The armoury of the Dukes of Medinaceli at Cogolludo

Castilian noble armouries became fundamental elements from the second half of the sixteenth century in the symbolic manifestation of the status of different aristocratic houses and their social, historical and political standing. One of the most important houses, that of the Dukes of Medinaceli, amassed its own and installed it in one of their most important palaces at Cogolludo. This article aims to contribute to knowledge of this site and offer a first look at one of the most important Spanish armouries before its transfer to Madrid, dealing with its development, chronology, content, display and forms; its evolution and transfer where it came to comprise another armoury; and its remnants that were added to sets of weapons that originated elsewhere.