Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle.

Windsor Castle in the early modern period (1500–1700) served as both a royal residence and a potent symbol of Tudor and Stuart authority. Under Henry VIII, the castle functioned as a hunting retreat and was part of a wider courtly network tied to royal progress and performance. Henry’s frequent use of Windsor reflected his emphasis on dynastic display and religious control; he famously buried his third wife, Jane Seymour, in St George’s Chapel, which became a favored royal mausoleum.

During the Elizabethan era, the castle played a more occasional role in court life, but its association with chivalric tradition remained strong through the Order of the Garter, whose annual ceremonies were held at Windsor. Elizabeth I occasionally used the site for refuge during times of plague in London, reinforcing its image as both a sanctuary and a center of sovereign pageantry.

The Stuart monarchs—particularly Charles I—left a more contested legacy at Windsor. Charles used the castle as both a royal retreat and a stage for visual propaganda, commissioning artistic works and reinforcing royal ceremonial at a time of growing political tension. During the English Civil War, Windsor Castle was seized by Parliamentarian forces and repurposed as a military headquarters and prison, most notably housing Charles I himself before his execution in 1649. The Interregnum marked a rare rupture in the castle’s royal use.

After the Restoration in 1660, Charles II undertook significant renovations at Windsor, transforming the medieval fortress into a lavish baroque residence modeled on Versailles. The refurbished State Apartments reflected his desire to restore royal magnificence and cultural leadership after years of republican rule. These changes cemented Windsor’s role as a key site of monarchical image-making in late 17th-century England.