Field of the Cloth of Gold

Francis I (portrait by Jean Clouet, Louvre Museum, Paris)

Henry VIII (portrait by Joos van Cleve, Royal Collection, Hampton Court)

The two monarchs who met at the Field of the Cloth of Gold

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Location of the Field of the Cloth of Gold in modern Pas-de-Calais

The Field of the Cloth of Gold (French: Camp du Drap d'Or, pronounced [kɑ̃ dy dʁa d‿ɔʁ]) was a summit meeting between King Henry VIII of England and King Francis I of France from 7 to 24 June 1520. Held at Balinghem, between Ardres in France and Guînes in the English Pale of Calais, it was a very expensive display of wealth by both kings.^[1]

The summit was arranged to increase the bond of friendship between the two kings following the Anglo-French treaty of 1514. The two monarchs would meet again in 1532 to arrange Francis's assistance in pressuring Pope Clement VII to pronounce Henry's first marriage as illegitimate. Under the guidance of English Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, these European states sought to outlaw war forever among Christian peoples.^{[citation needed]}

The Pale of Calais, home to the meeting in Balinghem, was the final English possession in France. This territorial leftover from the Hundred Years' War caused some tensions between the English and French, as the latter preferred a location closer to the border, but topographical considerations proved the decisive factor.^[2]

^ Richardson, Glenn (July 2020). "Field of the Cloth of Gold". History Today. Vol. 7, no. 7. pp. 28–39.
^ Richardson, Glenn (2014). The Field of Cloth of Gold. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press. pp. 68–69. ISBN 978-0-300-14886-2.

[1] Richardson, Glenn (July 2020). "Field of the Cloth of Gold". History Today. Vol. 7, no. 7. pp. 28–39.

[2] Richardson, Glenn (2014). The Field of Cloth of Gold. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press. pp. 68–69. ISBN 978-0-300-14886-2.

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