Babylon from BL Royal 15 E VI, f. 4v

Miniature of the city of Babylon with Nectanebus enthroned in his palace bearing an inscription 'La cite de babyloine', with another palace with inscription reading 'le chastel du Chaire', a garden with an inscription reading 'le jardin du Beaulme', and a watermill with an inscription reading 'les moulins de Babiloine', with a full border containing Margaret's arms (the royal arms of England impaled with those of Anjou) supported by a herald wearing a tabard of Shrewsbury arms, and the arms of John Talbot, earl of Shrewsbury with the arms of Beauchamp, earls of Warwick in pretence, for his wife, Margaret Beauchamp, in the lower margin. Image taken from f. 4v of Poems and Romances (the 'Talbot Shrewsbury book'). Written in French.

The BL Royal Manuscript Collection, also known as the Royal Collection, consists of over 2,000 manuscripts that were once owned by the British monarchs, including English and later British kings and queens from the late 12th to the 19th centuries. These manuscripts are notable for their historical and artistic value.

The collection was initially stored in various royal libraries and palaces, such as the Tower of London and Westminster Palace. During the English Civil War in the 17th century and the subsequent Interregnum, many royal treasures, including manuscripts, were dispersed and sold. Some manuscripts were lost, destroyed, or ended up in private hands.

In 1757, King George II donated the Old Royal Library to the British Museum (which later became the British Library), where the manuscripts were integrated into the museum's collections. This marked the formal establishment of the Royal Manuscript Collection within the British Museum.