Play at crystal palace
The Field|June 2020
Was The Field of Cloth of Gold, the meeting between Henry VIII and Francis I 500 years ago this month, the greatest party ever thrown?
- ALLAN MALLINSON
Play at crystal palace

According to Sellar and Yeatman’s 1066 And All That, King Henry VIII played tennis with the King of France on the Field of Cloth of Gold, and this was the origin of the motto of the Prince of Wales: “Ich dien.” It’s a good joke but the motto Ich dien – German for “I serve” – was adopted by the Prince of Wales nearly 200 years earlier, after the Battle of Crécy (1346), along with the famous three feathers supposedly plucked from the crown of the King of Bohemia, killed in the battle fighting on the French side. There is no record of Henry playing tennis with King Francis at the Field, although they famously wrestled.

The Field of Cloth of Gold (sometimes ‘of the Cloth of Gold’) was a summit conference under sumptuous canvas, Tudor glamping on a scale never surpassed. It was a fortnight’s tournament during the summer of 1520, a friendly but serious mutual display of power, wealth and martial arts to cement the nascent friendship between England and France. For there had been little but enmity between the two for centuries.

The Field was the idea of Henry’s Lord Chancellor, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. England in pre-Reformation Europe was a Catholic power to be wooed by other powers, notably France, Spain and the Holy Roman Empire, and the meeting would give Wolsey and the King not only an opportunity to cement the peace but also to decide which horse to back if it came to war again.

Voltaire famously quipped that the Holy Roman Empire was “neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire”. It was, in fact, a strange conglomerate, mostly German, in central Europe, and its emperor was elected. In AD800, Pope Leo III, hardpressed by rivals in Rome, had turned for help to Charlemagne, King of the Franks, and in gratitude had crowned Charlemagne Imperator Romanorum.

この蚘事は The Field の June 2020 版に掲茉されおいたす。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トラむアルを開始しお、䜕千もの厳遞されたプレミアム ストヌリヌ、9,000 以䞊の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしおください。

この蚘事は The Field の June 2020 版に掲茉されおいたす。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トラむアルを開始しお、䜕千もの厳遞されたプレミアム ストヌリヌ、9,000 以䞊の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしおください。

THE FIELDのその他の蚘事すべお衚瀺
Rory Stewart - The former Cabinet minister and hit podcast host talks to Alec Marsh about the parlous state of British politics, land management and his deep love of the countryside
The Field

Rory Stewart - The former Cabinet minister and hit podcast host talks to Alec Marsh about the parlous state of British politics, land management and his deep love of the countryside

The gently spoken 51-year-old former Conservative Cabinet minister is a countryman at heart. That's clear: he even changes into a tweed waistcoat for the interview, which takes place at his London home and begins with a question about his precise career status. Having resigned from the Commons and the Conservative Party in 2019, the former diplomat and soldier has reinvented himself, first with an unconventional but promising run as an independent for the London mayoralty (abandoned because of COVID19 in 2020) and then as a media figure, co-hosting one of the country's most popular podcasts, The Rest Is Politics, alongside Alastair Campbell, the former Labour spin doctor.

time-read
4 分  |
November 2024
Fodder
The Field

Fodder

Local fare with the feel-good factor.

time-read
2 分  |
November 2024
Celebrating the game changers
The Field

Celebrating the game changers

Once served only in the traditional manner, the fruits of our forays now find their way into all manner of diverse and delicious dishes, say Neil and Serena Cross

time-read
3 分  |
November 2024
The first civil engineer
The Field

The first civil engineer

John Smeaton left an indelible mark on the field of engineering and, three centuries after his birth, his legacy remains as strong as ever

time-read
6 分  |
November 2024
School spirits
The Field

School spirits

From grey ladies and ghostly gardeners to more malign entities, public schools are a rich repository of unnatural phenomena

time-read
8 分  |
November 2024
'A long way from Piccadilly or Pall Mall'
The Field

'A long way from Piccadilly or Pall Mall'

Marking 150 years since the birth of Sir Winston Churchill, Dr Conor Farrington explores this eminent statesman’s often-overlooked 1907 tour of British East Africa: a journey rich with enchanting natural beauty and sporting adventure

time-read
7 分  |
November 2024
Top of the pups
The Field

Top of the pups

Canines in all their guises were celebrated at The Field Top Dog Awards lunch at Defender Burghley Horse Trials whether eager on the peg, patient at home or perpetually making mischief

time-read
6 分  |
November 2024
Angling for success
The Field

Angling for success

It’s never too early to shape up for next season’s salmon and trout, and these top fishing schools are here to help

time-read
7 分  |
November 2024
Talking scents
The Field

Talking scents

The canine nose is an astonishingly complex piece of biotechnology that man has harnessed for sustenance and sport for thousands of years

time-read
7 分  |
November 2024
Wall-to-wall excitement
The Field

Wall-to-wall excitement

Criss-crossed by formidable drystone walls, the High Peak Harriers’ scenic country provides a day out with an exhilarating difference

time-read
7 分  |
November 2024