Introducing Vivienne Brereton - Historical Fiction Author

Author Vivienne Brereton

Thank you so much, Judith, for inviting me onto your Blog to talk about the 1520 Field of Cloth of Gold, near Calais in France.  This event was intended to be a summit meeting between Henry VIII of England and François I of France but quickly turned into perhaps the most memorable occasion of the sixteenth century.

Field of the Cloth of Gold (Wikimedia commons)

Why did you decide to use the Field of Cloth of Gold as the backdrop for your Tudor series: ‘The House of the Red Duke’?

I first became aware of the event when I went to stay with a French family just outside Rouen, in Normandy, when I was about seventeen. I can remember being dazzled by a sculpture depicting the Field of Cloth of Gold on the outside of the sixteenth century Hôtel de Bourgtheroulde. In a touch of synchronicity, the image on my A level history book was taken from a painting of the same event. So I suppose it entered my subconscious at a fairly early age.

Henry VIII meeting Francis I Wikimedia Commons

Why do you think it captured the public imagination, both then and now?

It had all the right ingredients: royalty, wealth, beauty, outstanding sportsmen, music, fine dining. And the invitations were only for the chosen few. Imagine all our most famous events all piled together in one big extravaganza and you would be close to how the twelve thousand participants appeared to a sixteenth century audience. It was a combination of the red carpet at the Oscars or Cannes; the Grand National; the final of Masterchef; Paris fashion week; the Last Night of the Proms; an architectural bonanza. And a whole host of royals and celebrities thrown in for good measure.

  In 2020, the five hundred year celebrations have sadly been halted because of the pandemic but it doesn’t stop us looking back at it in awe.

Could you describe two of your favourite moments from it?

I am writing this on June 7th, the five hundredth anniversary of the meeting between François and Henry. Here were two good-looking, highly intelligent, sporty young men, of twenty-five and twenty-nine respectively, who along with the twenty-year-old Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, dominated the stage of Europe. Three warlike young men who were used to getting their own way in everything. So the anticipation of meeting one another that year must have been almost unbearable. There were huge fears on both sides that it might turn out to be a trap or an ambush so even when the two of them rode down a hill to meet each other, everyone on both sides were collectively holding their breath. In a later novel in the series, I had great fun imagining what was going on in the two royal heads when they finally set eyes upon each other.

   The second favourite moment for me was the impromptu wrestling match between François and Henry, instigated by the latter and won by the former. The two of them were drinking in a pavilion when Henry came up with the bright idea, not realizing that François would defeat him with a ‘tour de Bretagne’, some kind of special trick that left a red-faced Henry flat on his back.

   In England, wrestlers from Cornwall and Devon were considered the best but on this day, English pride was well and truly defeated. Henry, being Henry, asked for a re-match but was turned down. I love how Joycelyne Gledhill Russell describes the English records as being ‘silent’ on the matter but points out how Robert de La Marck, Seigneur de Florange, an eyewitness, mentions it in his memoirs. Classic Henry, ha ha!

Field of the  Cloth of Gold Wikimedia Commons

After all the jousting, the preening, prancing, flirting, dancing and dining came to an end, what do you think was achieved, if anything?

    The two major sources for the Field of Gold, the 1969 version by Joycelyne Gledhill Russell and the 2013 one by Glenn Richardson, differ on this. Russell concludes that it was all a very expensive, extravagant mirage, considering Henry went off to meet Charles of Habsburg immediately afterwards. Richardson, on the other hand, sees the lasting value for England for many years to come, cementing its place on the European stage. I think it was a mixture of the two, but far more the second. It certainly didn’t do England’s image any harm. The very fact that its reputation has lasted five hundred years until 2020 is a testament of its place as one of the most wondrous, ambitious events ever staged.

   

Thank you so much for inviting me, Judith. I’ve really enjoyed answering your questions. And if anyone is interested in finding out more about the event, they’ll find it my novel. 

‘The House of the Red Duke’, Book One ‘A Phoenix Rising’ can be ordered in bookshops or as a kindle. Below is the blurb.

COME AND PARTY LIKE IT’S 1520! AT THE EXTRAORDINARY FIELD OF CLOTH OF GOLD, near Calais. A series set against the Tudor, Valois, and Stewart courts of Henry VIII, François I of France, and James IV of Scotland. MEET THOMAS. Head of the Howards. One of the most powerful families in Tudor England, known for their good looks and charms. Soldier. Statesman. Courtier. Thomas is also a keeper of secrets. From the furthermost tip of Cornwall, up to the wilds of Scotland, and across the NarrowSea to France, Book One spins a fast-paced tale of intrigue, love and action. Explosive family secrets are concealed behind the ancient walls of castles in three lands. But there are no secrets that time does not reveal.

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Illustrations from WikimediaCommons