French King who made an alliance with Henry VIII at the Field of Cloth of Gold

French king who made an alliance with Henry VIII at the Field of Cloth of Gold. The Mail on Sunday UK newspaper prize crossword clue.

The answer is Francis

The Field of the Cloth of Gold (French: Camp du Drap d’Or) was a site in Balinghem – between Ardres in France and Guînes in the then-English Pale of Calais – that hosted a summit from 7 to 24 June 1520, between King Henry VIII of England and King Francis I of France.

The summit was arranged to increase the bond of friendship between the two kings following the Anglo-French treaty of 1514. These two monarchs would meet again in 1532 to arrange Francis’s assistance in pressuring Pope Clement VII to pronounce Henry’s first marriage as illegitimate. Under the guidance of English Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, the chief nations of Europe sought to outlaw war forever among Christian nations.

The site is indicated by a commemorative plaque on the D231 road (Route de Marquise) at 50.8523°N 1.9229°E. Though now in France, Balinghem was at the time regarded as part of England. This was probably the main reason for it as the choice of meeting place; being English territory but surrounded by France renders it as close to neutral territory as was practicable.