The story of the Palace Armoury, as perhaps inadvertently hinted at by its very name, may appear to have simply commenced with the establishment of a military storehouse within the Grand Masters’ Palace early in the 17th century. A quick glance, too, at the predominantly late 16th, 17th and 18th century contents of the collection of weapons and armour will also tend to sustain this impression.
A closer look at the exhibits, however, will reveal the presence of various medieval and early 16th century items of arms and armour which do not fit into this tidy picture, but show instead that the history of this Armoury goes back much deeper in time than one is initially given to understand.
