Henry VIII’s Drunken Wrestling Match With Francis I
Public DomainA crop from The Field of the Cloth of Gold (circa 1545), which depicts the two kings’ wrestling match.
In June 1520, two of Europe’s greatest Renaissance monarchs — 28-year-old Henry VIII of England and 25-year-old Francis I of France — convened near Calais for an extravagant, two-week-long diplomatic summit known as the Field of the Cloth of Gold. The event cost the equivalent of approximately $19 million and involved over 12,000 attendees in an unprecedented display of wealth.
“There were sham castles, temporary chapels, fountains running wine, great cellars full of wine free as water to all comers, silk tents, gold lace and foil, gilt lions and such things without end,” Charles Dickens wrote of the event in A Child’s History of England.
Though tournament rules dictated the two kings shouldn’t compete directly against each other, an enthusiastic and possibly intoxicated Henry issued a challenge to Francis, often quoted as: “Brother, let us wrestle!”
It proved disastrous for the English monarch. Francis swiftly overthrew Henry, but the king recovered his composure and retaliated by challenging Francis to an archery contest, showing off his longbow skills with a weapon too heavy for Francis to draw. The two men then proceeded to dinner together, though the damage was done.
Public DomainKing Henry VIII and King Francis I.
Some historians debate whether the incident actually occurred, but others believe Henry bore a lasting grudge from the public humiliation. Just 23 months after the tournament, Henry VIII allied with Holy Roman Emperor Charles V to declare war on France.
“Of course,” Dickens wrote, “nothing came of all these fine doings but a speedy renewal of the war between England and France, in which the two Royal companions and brothers in arms longed very earnestly to damage one another.”
