Claimed by Francis I of France
Serves 8 · 3 of 10 items checked · 5 aisles
Produce
- Checked by Desiderius Erasmus
Meat & Poultry
- Checked by Francis I of France
Dairy & Eggs
- Checked by Charles V
Gathering
An evening at Fontainebleau
1535 · Fontainebleau, France
Francis I shows Charles V, Erasmus, and Copernicus the château and gallery that make his court the equal of any in Italy.
Francis has rebuilt Fontainebleau into a palace of galleries and gardens, and he walks his guests through it himself. Charles V, who is passing through France on his way from Spain to the Netherlands, has accepted the visit; Erasmus, old now and famous, has been persuaded to come; Copernicus is in the party of a bishop and has been brought along.
The king talks about art and architecture as a form of power, and about the library he is assembling at Blois. Charles answers with the scale of his empire; Erasmus with the republic of letters; Copernicus, quietly, with the order of the heavens. They eat tortellini in broth, roast partridge, a vegetable torte, and zabaglione, and the evening ends with the king promising Erasmus a pension and meaning it.
The table
Host: Francis I of France
Charles V — Crossing France under safe conduct on his way to the Low Countries.
Desiderius Erasmus — Aged and celebrated, courted by every prince in Europe.
Nicolaus Copernicus — Traveling with a bishop's retinue, and near the end of his great work.
The menu
Everything you need to host this menu, sorted aisle by aisle:
The menu
10 of 30 items checked
Claimed by Charles V
Serves 2 · 2 of 6 items checked · 5 aisles
Claimed by Desiderius Erasmus
Serves 8 · 4 of 10 items checked · 4 aisles
Claimed by Nicolaus Copernicus
Serves 4 · 1 of 3 items checked · 2 aisles
Claimed by Francis I of France
Serves 12 · 0 of 1 item checked · 1 aisle
The conversation
Francis I of France
I would make my court the envy of Europe — painters, poets, and scholars at my table. Let the sword rest and the mind work.
Charles V
A court of artists is a fine thing, but it will not answer a Habsburg army.
Desiderius Erasmus
No, but it will answer a Habsburg idea. Patronage outlives the cannon.
Nicolaus Copernicus
And a new map of the heavens may outlive the map of Europe.
A reconstruction — imagined from the figures' own writings.
This gathering is an editorial recreation grounded in the biographies of those present; it did not necessarily take place as described.