Field of the Cloth of Gold
Preserved but no longer current.
The plain, near Guisnes, where Henry VIII met Francois I in 1520 to discuss the succession to the Empire on the death of Maximilian. It was so called from the splendour and magnificence dis- played. Accompanied by Cardinal Wolsey in an immense panoply of state, Henry met the French king and his nobles who were overawed by this magnificence. Many of the imposing ceremonies were spoiled by the rain and wind that swept the countryside.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Field of the Cloth of Gold” mean?
The plain, near Guisnes, where Henry VIII met Francois I in 1520 to discuss the succession to the Empire on the death of Maximilian. It was so called from the splendour and magnificence dis- played. Accompanied by Cardinal Wolsey in an immense panoply of state, Henry met the French king and his nobles who were overawed by this magnificence. Many of the imposing ceremonies were spoiled by the rain and wind that swept the countryside.
Is “Field of the Cloth of Gold” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.