Last night at Clos Lucé, there was another event celebrating the 500th anniversary of the ascension of King François I to the throne of France in 1515. The evening was actually a re-creation of an event in 1518 to celebrate the victory in battle between the French and the Swiss near the town of Marignan (French spelling) in Italy. This was only one of many battles fought during the Italian Wars from 1494 to 1559. With this victory, France regained control over the Lombardy region of Italy (at least for awhile). The 21 year old King himself led the French forces into battle and was hailed as a hero.
One element of both the 1518 and the 2015 celebrations was a jousting event. I found it amazing to see these horsemen demonstrate their riding skills while in armor.
Here is a wider view of the performance on the grounds of Clos Lucé (Leonardo's home at the time of the 1518 spectacle).
Probably more fun today than five hundred years ago.
ReplyDeleteNot much chance today of getting oneself killed doing that.
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