“The Cloth of Gold Camp: Episode 2/3 of The English Monarchs and France – Henry VIII and Francis I of Tudor”

Young, handsome, warriors, humanists, Francis I and Henry VIII have many points in common, which make them the archetypes of the prince of the Renaissance. Born three years apart, they ascended the throne a few years apart, in 1509 for Henry VIII, and in 1515 for Francis I. They died the same year, in 1547. Throughout their lives, the King of France and the King of England gauged each other, judged each other, wrote to each other, formed alliances, met, discussed and clashed.

Francis I seems to prevail in this balance of power. Henry VIII, quicker to envy his neighboring rival, who reigns over a more powerful and richer kingdom, willingly monitors the evolution of their respective positions. The cultural influence of France under François I was such that Henry VIII and his courtiers could not escape his influence, particularly in the field of fashion and the arts. Henry VIII thus invited continental artists, particularly French ones, to the English court. The English king is still inspired by the French model, when he creates the office of gentleman of the Private Chamber (gentleman of the Privy Chamber) in imitation of the court of France.

Nevertheless, the King of France also needs his British counterpart to weigh in the game of alliances against his great rival, the Emperor Charles V. This is why he pays high pensions to the King of England and to several of his advisers and courtiers, in line with a practice initiated by Louis XI. In return, by the Treaty of Westminster signed in 1527 which proclaims perpetual peace between the two kingdoms, England undertakes to provide financial assistance to the French expedition to Italy.

Henry VIII, however, plays a troubled game in the power relationship between Francis I and Charles V, which agitates Europe in the sixteenth century. He does not hesitate to alternately take the side of one then the other, according to his interests at the time. Despite numerous treaties of peace, alliance and financial support signed with the King of France, Henry VIII allied himself with Charles V and took part in the Italian wars against François I.

In June 1520, François I and Henri VIII met physically for the first time during the Cloth of Gold camp, between Ardres and Guînes. The diplomatic meeting aims to ratify the alliance between their kingdoms which had been concluded two years earlier by the Treaty of London. France is indeed seeking to seal an agreement that will allow it to defend itself against the rise to power of Charles V.

This meeting is an opportunity for the courts of France and England to compete in splendor and splendor, as underlined by the name given to the camp, which is said to be the Cloth of Gold because the fabrics used for the tents and capitals of the court are of silk embroidered with gold. Henry VIII had a small temporary palace built, which astonished and impressed contemporaries. The festivities – tournaments, archery competitions, banquets, masses – follow one another.

However, the consequences of this diplomatic meeting are limited. England ended up allying with Charles V against France, but the escalation of magnificence deployed by the two kings remains in the memories, as a testimony of their desire to impress each other. These days of June 1520 are therefore only a demonstration of power on the part of François Ier and Henri VIII, who intend to prove to the world the wealth of their courts and their kingdoms.

In 1532, in Calais and Boulogne-sur-Mer, François I and Henri VIII meet for their second and final interview. The context is then slightly different. Henry VIII finds himself in a delicate position as he seeks to have the papacy annul his marriage to his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, in order to marry Anne Boleyn. The King of England then seeks the support of François I. Despite treaties and diplomatic meetings in the flesh, which always seem to want to proclaim peace, the two kings are gradually moving towards open conflict. Between 1543 and 1546, they were at war, from the moment Henry VIII allied himself with Charles V until the signing of the Treaty of Ardres which restored peace between Henry VIII and François I.

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To talk about it

Guillaume Frantzwa is a paleographer archivist, curator of heritage at the Center for Diplomatic Archives of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. He is a specialist in cultural exchanges and artistic commissions in the society of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
He has notably published:

Cedric Michon is a historian, professor of modern history at the University of Rennes 2, specialist in the European Renaissance.
He has notably published:

Sound references

• Archive on Francis I in The Great Hours of ChambordRTF, 4 août 1953
• Reading by Jeanne Coppey and Louise André of an extract from Four Years at the Court of Henry VIII by Sebastiano Giustiniani, edited and translated by Rawdon Brown, 1854
• Archive on the Cloth of Gold camp, The Tribune of HistoryFrance Inter,
• Excerpt from the TV series The Tudors created by Michael Hirst, season 1, episode 2, 2007
• Excerpt from the film A man for eternity by Fred Zinnemann, 1967
• Archive on gurnard stuffed with Boulonnaise, Regional gastronomyJune 24, 1966
• Show credits: Origami of Ron