In 1520, the King of England, Henry VIII, met with the King of France, Francis I, upon a field in northern France not far from Calais. On one level, the meeting was part of Cardinal Woolsey's triangulation strategy, positioning England as the difference maker in the struggle between France and Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain. On another, it was an opportunity for displays of royal magnificence by both princes, and feats of courage and skill during the days of tournaments that amused the two courts. In the end, little of lasting value was accomplished, and the event serves in many ways as a brilliant coda to medieval Christendom before the horrors of the Reformation.
Russell's book is an exhaustive academic study of this legendary gathering. As such, the casual reader is likely to find it exhausting. Still, there is much of value and interest here, not only to the antiquarian, but also to those attempting to better understand a moment and period out of which the modern world was birthed.
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