The Great Tent of Bruges….

In April 1382, at peace negotiations between England and France, the participants were entertained by the Count of Flanders, who erected “the great tent of Bruges” in which to wine and dine the gathering. This was between Calais and Boulogne. I’m curious about this great tent. Just how big was it? We’re accustomed to seeing smallish pavilions in medieval illustrations, but this must surely have been more like a huge marquee. Froissart appears to be the only source for this great tent. You can read about medieval tents and pavillions here.

The above was, until recently, the sum total of my knowledge concerning this mysterious great tent. Today, yet again when searching for something else, I came upon the following concerning these negotiations. It is from Divided Houses by Jonathan Sumption:  :-

“….Charles VI established his court at Abbeville, a day’s ride south of Calais, so that the Council could meet whenever decisions were required. The two [French] royal uncles set up their headquarters at Boulogne and travelled several times a week to Leulinghem to meet Lancaster and Gloucester. The bleak flats around the village were transformed into a scene of unparalleled splendour. The Duke of Burgundy [son-in-law of the Count of Flanders] had an immense tented pavilion, looking like a miniature walled town with avenues and streets, which was said to have a capacity of 3,000. The Duke of Lancaster’s pavilion was reported to be even grander, with chapels, arcades, law courts and markets and bell-towers sounding out the hours. At nearly £5,000, the English embassy was the most expensive mission to France for many years….

….On the opening day of the conference the whole mass of noblemen, officials and clerks crammed into the church for the reading of the ambassadors’ procurations. The humble thatched church had been decked out with unbecoming tapestries depicting the great battles of the ancient world….”

Now I’m more confused than ever. Tents like these must have been beyond gigantic! A capacity of 3,000? Avenues and streets? This can’t be right. Can it? Has something been misinterpreted along the way? As far as I can see, the way Mr Sumption has worded it, there’s only one interpretation: the tent was like a miniature walled town. Yes?

It must have resembled the biggest of Big Tops!

You can see illustrations of various medieval pavilions at this site.

But, aha! What’s this in the two illustrations below? On the left in both cases.

Are these more likely to be what is meant by a “Great Tent”? One large pavilion surrounded by smaller ones, all connected by tented corridors? I suppose anything on these lines could involve any number of concentric circles of pavilions and corridors, thus making the avenues and streets?

Once again, over to you, ladies and gentlemen. If you can shed further light on this, I’d love to hear.