Field of the Cloth of Gold, locality between Guines and Ardres, not far from Calais, in France, where in 1520 Henry VIII of England and Francis I of France met for the purpose of arranging an alliance. Both kings brought large retinues, and the name given the meeting place reflects the unexampled splendor of the pageantry. The political consequences were negligible, because Henry, who had been undecided whether to support Francis or Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, had already turned toward the emperor and shortly afterward made an alliance with him.
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