IN compiling this volume I believe I can claim, in a sense, to have broken new ground, for although a description of the Spanish Royal Armoury finds a place in every Guide and Hand book to Madrid, no exhaustive survey Of the contents of this priceless treasure-house, apart from the official catalogue, is in existence. The present work is based on the admirable catalogue prepared in 1898 at the instigation of Queen Maria Cristina by the Conde de Valencia de San Juan, to whom, with peculiar pleasure, I desire to make full acknowledgment of my indebtedness. To the formal descriptions of the exhibits, which the Conde de San Juan has collated with invariable accuracy, I have prefixed a brief sketch of the historical develop ment of Spanish arms and armour, which, I venture to hope, will make the book more acceptable, both to the Specialist in armour, and to those who visit the Armoury without any particular knowledge of the subject.