Hey, this is Heather from the Renaissance English History Podcast, and this is your Tudor Minute for June 7.Today in 1520 the first day of the Field of Cloth of Gold took place.
This was the long anticipated meeting between Henry VIII and Francis of France where the two countries celebrated their treaty of peace, and held a lavish tournament. There were so many times throughout the planning that it seemed as if the summit would never actually take place.
For example, at one point the English thought that the French building plans weren’t coming along as quickly as they should, and they suspected the French weren’t planning on being there after all. There was haggling over where exactly the summit should take place considering England still held land in France - Calais.
But it finally came together, thanks in large part to the work of Cardinal Wolsey, and for several weeks these amazing tents went up housing the court; replicas of palaces made of wood and canvas, holding furniture, and fountains flowing with red wine.
That’s your Tudor Minute for today. Remember you can dive deeper into life in 16th century England through the Renaissance English History Podcast at englandcast.com where there is an episode on the Field of Cloth of Gold.
