Glenn Richardson - The Field of Cloth of Gold

For Olivia and Katherine

Published with assistance from the foundation established in memory of Oliver Baty Cunningham of the Class of 1917, Yale College.

Copyright 2013 Glenn Richardson

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Richardson, Glenn.

The Field of Cloth of Gold / Glenn Richardson.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 978-0-300-14886-2 (hardback)

1. Field of Cloth of Gold, France, 1520. 2. FranceForeign relationsGreat Britain. 3. Great BritainForeign relationsFrance. 4. Francis I, King of France, 1494-1547. 5. Henry VIII, King of England, 1491-1547. 6. FranceCourt and courtiersHistory16th century. 7. Great BritainCourt and courtiersHistory16th century. I. Title.

DC113.5.R53 2013

940.22dc23

2013023518

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Contents

Illustrations

Artist unknown, Henry VIII, c. 1520. The National Portrait Gallery, London.

Jean Clouet, Francis I, 1526. The Louvre, Paris.

Artist unknown, Cardinal Wolsey, undated. The National Portrait Gallery, London.

Bust of Cardinal Giovanni de'Medici, later Leo X, attributed to Antonio de'Benintendi, c. 1512. Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

Unknown artitst, The Triumph of Chastity over Love, c. 150710. Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

Embarkation at Dover, English School, c. 1540s, Hampton Court Palace. Royal Collection Trust Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2013.

The Field of Cloth of Gold, Hampton English School, c. 1540s, Hampton Court Palace. Royal Collection Trust Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2013.

Design for tents, British Library, Cotton Augustus III, 18.

Design for tents, British Library, Cotton Augustus III, 19.

Meeting of Henry VIII and Francis I, Bas-relief from the Htel Bourgtheroulde, Rouen. Muse des Monuments Franais/photo Giraudon.

Tonlet armour of Henry VIII, English, Greenwich, 1520. Royal Armouries.

Francis and Henry after Wrestling. Bridgeman Art Library.

1 Henry VIII in about 1520, at the time of the Field of Cloth of Gold.

2 Francis I by Jean Clouet. The portrait was made at the time of his return from captivity in Spain in 1526. The hopes of peace expressed at the Field could not prevent a war between the king of France and the Holy Roman Emperor.

3 Cardinal Wolsey, the architect of the Universal Peace inaugurated at the Field of Cloth of Gold and the chief organiser of the event.

4 Pope Leo wanted peace throughout Europe in order that its rulers might together check the power of the Ottomans. His plans were hijacked by Wolsey and made to serve the interests of Henry VIII.

5 One of a series of tapestries which may have belonged to Cardinal Wolsey and of the kind that decorated his apartments in the temporary palace at Gunes.

6 A painting from the 1540s that celebrates Henry VIII's naval power. It evokes the scene in Dover harbour as Henry crossed to Calais in 1520, but is not an accurate portrayal of that event.

7 This painting represents a number of different aspects of the Field including Henry's procession to meet Francis I on 7 June 1520, the meeting of the two kings that day and the jousts and the feasting that followed. Note the fountain flowing with wine in the lower right-hand corner.

8 The designs for tents depicted in this large painting are generally accepted to be ones for the Field. They feature gold decorative work on the rich red velvet which covered the canvas structure. The roofs feature king's beasts of various kinds.

9 Another set of designs for tents for the Field. These feature the Tudor livery colours of white and green. The roofs are set with stands to hold king's beasts.

10 This bas-relief shows the moment when Francis I and Henry VIII first encountered each other on horseback on the evening of 7 June 1520, closely watched by the leading members of their entourages and attendants.

11 This armour was adapted by the Greenwich armouries from the original set intended for use at the Field after Francis I insisted on the use of the tonlet, the protective skirt, and a reinforced visor. Note the two-handed heavy tournament sword that Henry favoured in the foot combats.

12 This humorous depiction of the episode of the wrestling match between Francis and Henry VIII is very much at Henry's expense. The match is mentioned by one French commentator but English sources are, perhaps unsurprisingly, silent on the subject.

Preface

T HIS BOOK IS about an extraordinary meeting that took place in northern France in the summer of 1520 between Henry VIII of England and Francis I of France: the Field of Cloth of Gold. The two kings and their vast entourages were accommodated in tents and pavilions that were dressed in luxuriant fabrics, especially the cloth of gold that gives the event its name. At the Field each king strove to show his rival that he was a successful warrior, an effective governor and a great patron in a way that he hoped would secure the other's co-operation, or at least acquiescence, in his own plans. There has never been anything in the history of Europe since that quite equals it. So the Field offers a unique insight into many aspects of the world of Renaissance princes.