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Sandra Lawrence looks at the story of The Field of the Cloth of Gold as the 500th anniversary approaches
In June 1520 Henry VIII was in his prime. Virile, athletic and powerful the young king of England was a lodestar to his citizens. Much to Henry's irritation, however, that beacon didn't hit Europe quite so brightly. He had a rival. Francis I of France was three years younger, just as cocky and had friends in very high places. He too had won battles and also loved hunting and the arts. He was also a bit of a ladies' man! In comparison, England looked like a rustic backwater. Not that Francis was sitting too easily on his throne; he'd been hearing some carefully-spread stories about the glories of Henry's court and was beginning to wonder if England was as backward as he'd been told.
Had these two young bucks locked anders on the batdefield things could have ended badly. Instead History chose a different path. The Hapsburg king Charles V was building an empire and the Turkish Ottomans were threatening both realms. It might serve the princes to play nice with each other and Cardinal Wolsey, Henry's right-hand man, engineered a meeting between them. A grand party, where a pair of Royal peacocks could show off in the name of friendship and brotherly love. The kings threw themselves into the concept and, thanks to the sheer amount of bling, this spectacular Royal knees-up is still known today as the Field of the Cloth of Gold.
The first problem was where to meet. Neither king wanted to be seen to be a mere guest in the other's country. Although part of France today, Calais was English at the time, so a field was chosen on the borderland. A guest list was drawn up - 6,000 guests from each country - and the party planners called in.
The wily Cardinal Wolsey headed Henry's royal pageant masters. An expert diplomat, he was determined to make the event...