The Field of Cloth of Gold Virtual Summit

June 2020 marks 500 years since King Henry VIII and King Francis I of France hosted an elaborate festival known as the Field of Cloth of Gold to improve relations between the two countries. Sarah Morris from the Tudor Travel Guide is hosting a special virtual summit that you can attend! Here's what Sarah has to say:

"During a blustery 18 days in June 1520, an historic event took place in the Pale of Calais. Here King Henry VIII of England and King Francis I of France met in an ostentatious display of power, wealth and status. Masterminded by Thomas Wolsey, the aim was to join the two kingdoms in a pact of solidarity and friendship, notably against the insurgence of the Ottoman Empire, which was threatening Christian Europe at the time.

It was a spectacular event that became famous in its own lifetime. Now 500 years on, over the weekend of the 9-10 May 2020, The Tudor Travel Guide is celebrating this historic event by holding a FREE two-day virtual summit. You will hear from experts in their fields talking about a range of different aspects of the event: from the social, political and cultural context, to original research to locate Henry's celebrated temporary palace, clothing & textiles, food and more..."

Speaker line up:

Saturday 9 May:  

Professor Glenn Richardson: The Context and Aims of the Field of Cloth of Gold - The English Perspective.

Professor Maria Hayward - Clothes and Textiles at the Field.

Tracy Borman: All the King's Men - Influential Courtiers at the Field of Cloth of Gold.

Brigitte Webster: Food and Feasting at the Field of Cloth of Gold.

Sunday 10 May:

Professor Charles Giry-Deloison: The Context and Aims of the Field of Cloth of Gold - The French Perspective.

Tracy Borman: All the King's Men - Influential Courtiers at the Field of Cloth of Gold.

Julian Munby: Location Henry VIII’s Famous Temporary Palace at Guines.

Natalie Grueninger and Sarah Morris - Henry VIII and the Road to Calais.

One of the lucky participants will have a chance at winning a book bundle of books written by the speakers!

How to sign up:

This online summit is FREE attend. You simply need to register you name and email address. Don't worry if you can't make the dates and times advertised or are in a different time zone. All the videos will remain available to view until the 24 June 2020 to coincide with the final day of the actual event, 500 years ago. However only those registering for the event will have access to the videos.

To register:

Sign up will open on Thursday 9 April 2020 and will remain open until 48 hours before the event, i.e. Midnight on Weds 7 May 2020.

Follow this link to the sign-up page: https://thetudortravelguide.lpages.co/the-field-of-cloth-of-gold-500-register