In June 1520 the King of France and the King of England met in a field outside Calais to celebrate peace. The celebrations that accompanied this meeting were so magnificent and luxurious that they have become known as The Field of Cloth of Gold. The diplomatic negotiations were ultimately worthless but for Henry VIII and François I it was a chance to compete for honour and glory, and no expense was to be spared. This talk explores the reason for their meeting, the extravagant celebrations themselves, and the aftermath of this magnificent yet futile event.
Dr Gillian White specialises in the history and visual arts of late medieval and sixteenth-century England. After beginning her career at the Warwickshire Museum, she worked as Curator/Collections Manager at Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire and now teaches part-time at Leicester and Oxford Universities.
