Sieges of Boulogne

Overview

The sieges of Boulogne were two sieges which took place between England and France during the Rough Wooing and Italian War of 1542–1546. The first took place from 19 July to 14 September 1544 and the second from September 1544 to 16 May 1550. An earlier siege of Boulogne had taken place in 1492 when the English Tudor King Henry VII laid siege to the lightly defended lower town of Boulogne in the Pas-de-Calais, France. Fifty years later as allies of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, during the war against the French, the English returned led by Henry VII's son and heir, Henry VIII. Boulogne was fortified and defended as an English possession on the French mainland between 14 September 1544 and March 1550.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Sieges of Boulogne formed part of the Italian War of 1542–46, in which England under Henry VIII committed a substantial force of 40,000 troops against a French garrison recorded at 2,000. The presence of Henry VIII alongside senior commanders the Duke of Suffolk and the Duke of Norfolk indicates the operation carried considerable weight within English strategic priorities during the conflict. On the French side, Henry II and Gaspard II de Coligny were associated with the engagement, pointing to French efforts to contest or recover the position. The disparity in recorded force sizes suggests the English held a pronounced numerical advantage in the siege operations.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (5)