Rivalry of kings: France and England in 1527
This gold seal of King Francis I of France was attached to his confirmation of a treaty with King Henry VIII of England in 1527. Not to be out-done, Henry had his own gold seal made for the French copy of the treaty. The original is in the National Archives in Paris, but this copper-gilt copy was made in 1905.
The seal of Francis I is a fine example of French goldsmith's work. On the front, it shows the king seated on a throne supported by lions and attended by angels. It reads 'Plurima servantur foedere, cuncta fide' (Most things are preserved by treaty; everything by trust). On the back are the arms of France, surrounded by the collar of the Order of St. Michael. It reads 'Franciscus Primus Dei Gratia Francorum Rex Christianissimus' (Francis I, by the grace of God the most Christian king of the French).
Henry's seal may have been designed by the artist Hans Holbein. One side shows Henry on a throne. The reverse side shows the arms of England and France quartered, surrounded by the collar of the Order of the Garter. It reads 'Ordine junguntur et perstant foedere cuncta' (All things are joined by order and stand firm by treaty).
In honour of their new friendship both kings were admitted into each other's orders of chivalry. These were the Order of St. Michael (French) and the Order of the Garter (English). The French gave Henry a beautifully illustrated book, containing the ordinances or rules of the Order of St. Michael. The page shown here is an illumination of Louis XI of France, surrounded by members of the order he founded.
An order of chivalry was an elite medieval 'club'. Most rulers of European states founded their own order, with specific rules and grand ceremonies each year. It was a great honour to be asked to join. The only members of the Order of the Garter were the monarch, Prince of Wales and 24 Knight Companions. The Order of St Michael had just 36 members.
Henry received the honour from a party of French ambassadors at his palace in Greenwich. The chronicler, Edward Hall, tells how the ceremony was followed by a feast and jousts. These continued 'til they had broken a [hundred] staves' and nightfall brought an end to the day's celebrations.
This was a time when France and England were often at war. Plus Francis and Henry were competitors to be the leading king of the age. Almost as soon as Francis was made king, Henry was writing of his 'ambitious mind and insatiable appetites' and the need to 'bridle' him. They met for the first time in June 1520 at the Field of Gold Cloth, for a fortnight of jousting, wrestling and dancing during yet another peace settlement. The Venetian ambassador said of the event: "these sovereigns are not at peace ... they hate each other cordially".
By the mid 1520s, English foreign policy had come around to alliance with France. So in 1527 the two countries signed this 'Treaty of Perpetual Peace'. It didn't last long. Henry ordered the invasion of France in 1543.
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