Sieges of Boulogne (1544–1546)

Siege of Boulogne
Part of the Italian War of 1542
Date July 19 - September 18, 1544 Location Boulogne, on the French coast of the English Channel Result English victory
Belligerents
England	France
Commanders and leaders
Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, later King Henry VIII	Unknown
Strength
16,000 men	Unknown, perhaps 2000

The Siege of Boulogne took place from 19 July to 18 September 1544, during Henry VIII's invasion of France.

Henry VIII launched many attacks on France, hoping to reclaim some of the territory controlled by England in centuries past. England had once controlled large sections of France, primarily in the southwest. When Henry VIII came to power, the only land it laid claim to on the Continent was Calais. He was largely motivated, in his assaults on France, by the aid given by France to the Scottish rebels. This tension was heightened by Henry's rejection of papal authority, thus alienating the Catholic Scots, as well as France and Spain from friendly relations with England. After awaiting an invasion by the Catholic states (which never came), Henry began to launch attacks on France, seeking to regain territory. In 1544 he acquired the aid of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, who also held the post of King of Spain, and whose Catholic allegiances were, for a time, overruled by the political advantages of an alliance against France.

The Siege

In 1544, a large English force departed from Calais, split into two parts, and aiming to secure the surrounding territory. One group advanced south, to Montreuil, under the Duke of Norfolk, while the other, under the Duke of Suffolk, moved to the coast town of Boulogne and began to lay siege to it. Several weeks later, Henry arrived to take command of the siege himself. The lower section of the town, fortified lightly, fell quickly to heavy bombardment, which continued through August. By September, the upper town was breached and taken, but the central castle still held out. French resistance fighters' firepower prevented any approach on foot, so English men dug under the castle, and the French forces eventually surrendered, on September 13.

However, Charles V then switched sides, allying with King Francis I of France, and aiding in an attempt to retake Boulonge. Luckily for the English, the Franco-Italian attackers were disorganized, and quickly turned to chaotic plunder rather than guided siege tactics. They were easily expelled, suffering losses upwards of 800 men.

Over the following years, neither England nor France found the strength to engage in full-on war with one another. French attempts to retake Boulogne failed, while English attempts to gain more territory around Calais and Boulogne also failed. Henry awaited a large French invasion fleet which never came, and most of the military action of the remainder of his reign consisted of fighting off Scottish raids.

References

• Davis, Paul K. (2001). "Besieged: 100 Great Sieges from Jericho to Sarajevo." Oxford: Oxford University Press.