Until the seventeenth century, monarchs transported lavish tapestries with them when they travelled. Easily rolled up and transported between residences, these furnishings brought colour and grandeur to courtly interiors, signalling the presence of the sovereign. When Henry VIII (1491–1547) travelled to Calais to meet Francis I of France (1494–1547) in 1520, he stayed in a temporary palace hung with tapestries and velvets. This tapestry series, commissioned by the King around 1540, was frequently transported and displayed within England to mark important occasions across the country. Henry VIII and his successors used the panels for events such as the solemnisation of peace with Spain in December 1530, the celebration of St George's Feast in April 1635, and the receptions of the Moroccan and Spanish ambassadors in 1637 and 1649 respectively. Pieces from the set were also hung in Westminster Abbey for the coronations of Charles II and James II. These were a portable means of asserting the Crown's magnificence and continuity as the court travelled for official engagements.