Why the Field of Cloth of Gold?

Early modern queens consort and dowager and diplomatic gifts

“…Catherine gave some of Francis I's younger gentlemen bonnets, while Francis's mother bestowed a jewelled crucifix on Henry's chief minister Cardinal Wolsey. 51 Diplomatic gift exchanges needed to be reciprocated, but that reciprocity was not always direct. The presence of the queens also permitted diagonal gifting, as the queens each presented gifts to the other's husband: at their parting Catherine presented Francis with a diamond and a ruby ring, while Claude gave Henry two rings of equal value.…”