Henry VIII of England

On June 7, 1520, Henry VIII of England met Francis I (François) of France near Calais for an astonishingly grand European festival designed to improve relations between the two great rival kingdoms. So magnificent was the occasion that it became known as the Field of Cloth of Gold.

The organisation was a long-drawn-out process orchestrated by Henry’s right-hand man, Cardinal Wolsey. In charge of the whole thing was Charles Somerset, Earl of Worcester, Lord Chamberlain, and a distant cousin of Henry VIII. He had three subordinates: Sir Edward Belknap, Sir William Sandys, and Sir Nicholas Vaux (uncle of Catherine Parr). The primary date had been set in 1519 but had been postponed, which made the French nervous. They wanted this alliance made before Henry could be persuaded to make a different alliance with the Empire. Indeed, Emperor Charles tried to spoil the meeting by making a surprise visit to England just before the time Henry and Katherine were readying themselves to depart on their journey to France.

One of the early bones of contention was where the meeting would be held. Henry was willing to travel to English-held Calais, but Francis’ advisors did not want the King to leave his own territory. In the end, Francis overruled his advisors.

The next issue is where it would be held; there were no castles or residences large or grand enough to hold such a meeting. At the suggestion of Francis, a temporary town was constructed.

The temporary palace in the English camp was built from timber covered with stretched canvas and painted to look like stone.

The inside of the courtyard was lined with terracotta roundels like those at Hampton Court Palace, and the windows were glazed with so much stained glass that the French called it the Crystal Palace. The ceilings were studded with Tudor roses on a gold background. Chairs were smothered with cushions of various shapes and sizes, overlaid with golden tissue, and rich embroidery hung in the state apartments.

On the French side, an army of tent makers had been brought in to erect pavilions of the finest cloth; in the middle was a 120-foot tent made of gold cloth. It was reported as spectacular, but strong winds brought it down before the meeting even started.

Late in the evening of June 7, each king left their camp with their retinues and met at Val d'Or (the Golden Valley). They removed their hats, dismounted, and embraced warmly, then walked arm in arm together as everyone looked on.

What followed were eighteen days of tournaments, celebrations, and competitions where Henry and Francis showed off their skill, wealth, and sophistication.

The tournaments consisted of jousting and combat on both horseback and foot. Both Henry and Francis were accomplished sportsmen, but to save embarrassment and injury, the two kings fought on the same side against teams of volunteers.

The weather was fickle, and it rained for several days at one point. The revellers had to find other ways to entertain themselves, so they turned to wrestling.

After a few drinks, Henry abandoned protocol and grabbed Francis by the collar and challenged him to a wrestling match. Francis, being the more skilled wrestler, easily threw Henry to the ground. Still smarting, Henry challenged Francis again in archery; Francis was unable to lift a heavy English long bow, and Henry’s good humour was restored.

An estimated 12,000 people attended the Field of Cloth of Gold, and all had to be catered for. Accounts reveal that they took nearly 200,000 litres of wine and 66,000 litres of beer. Some of this ran through the wine fountain that stood in front of Henry's temporary palace. English food supplies included 98,000 eggs, more than 2,000 sheep, 13 swans, and 3 porpoises.

The event ended on June 24, 1520; it was deemed a success as it brought peace between the two nations - for a while.

Sources:

Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 10, p. 327.

The Field of Cloth of Gold, Glen Richardson