Siege of Boulogne
Encyclopedia
There were two sieges of Boulogne
, in the Pas-de-Calais, during the Italian War of 1542–1546. Boulogne was fortified and defended as an English possession on the French mainland between 14 September 1544 and March 1550.
's third invasion of France
. Henry was motivated by French aid to England's Scottish
enemies. In 1543 he allied with Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
, (also King of Spain), whose Catholic allegiances were, for a time, overruled by the political advantages of an alliance against France.
In early 1544, a large English force departed from Calais. Later it split into two parts. One part, under the Duke of Suffolk
, moved to the coast town of Boulogne
and laid siege to it on 19 July. A few 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. The French garrison's firepower prevented any approach on foot, so the English dug mines under the castle, and the French surrendered on 13 September.
However, Charles V then made peace with France
. The French then attacked in the Second Siege of Boulogne.
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 subsequently much of the military resource during his and his son's reigns was diverted to war in Scotland.
to raise the siege; Henry VIII
himself left for England at the end of September 1544, ordering the Dukes of Norfolk
and Suffolk
to defend Boulogne. The two Dukes quickly proceeded to disobey this order: leaving some 4,000 men to defend the captured city, they withdrew the rest of the English army to Calais. The English army, outnumbered, was now trapped in Calais; the Dauphin, left unopposed, concentrated his efforts on investing Boulogne. On 9 October, a French assault nearly captured the city, but was beaten back when the troops prematurely turned to looting.
and Thomas Palmer, treasurer of Guines, brought additional instructions directly from Henry VIII. Another outlying fort was built on a hill to east from May 1546. Now called Mont Lambert, it was then called Boulemberg. However, Nicolas Arnold, the captain of Boulogne complained of its shortcomings; it held no well, or room for storage. It was abandoned in 1549 on the approach of a French army. The French fortified south of the Liane, building the Fort de Châtillon and Fort d'Outreau
. The building of any new fortifications was supposed to have ceased under the Treaty of Camp (or Treaty of Ardres) made in June 1546. The treaty provided that the English would evacuate Boulogne in 1554 in return for 2,000,000 crowns. The English possession of Boulogne was eventually compromised by the French construction of a fort at Marquise
, north of the town, which could blockade supplies. Although records are incomplete, it is clear that large numbers of English labourers died or became sick during the works. Of 1,200 men sent in January 1545, only 300 were still working in June.
taken after Henry VIII's death on 20 January 1548. Most of their wheels and stocks were said to be rotten and decayed. The totals were; 4 cannons; 5 demi-cannons; 10 culverins
; 14 demi-culverins; 18 sakers
; 21 falcons, falconets, and chamber falcons; 25 great brass mortars; 19 small brass mortars; 9 iron mortars; 3 iron bombards; 3 iron cannon-perrier; 16 port-pieces; 24 fowlers
; 7 slings; 12 double bases; 54 shrimp bases; 114 privy bases; 2 robinets; and 73 brass hagbuts
. The guns were in four positions; the Old Man; High Boulogne; Base Boulogne; and the Boulemberg (Mont Lambert). When Boulogne was returned to France in March 1550, Edward VI noted that the guns too would be handed over. These included recently captured pieces and; 2 basilisks; 2 demi-cannon; 3 culverins; 2 demi-culverins; 3 sakers; 16 falcons; 94 arquebus a croc with wooden tails (muskets for fixed positions); and 21 iron guns.
and Francis I of France
in March 1547.In June 1547, an international dispute arose over a wall the English were building at the harbour. The French claimed it was a new fortification in breach of truce under the Treaty of Camp, while the English maintained that it was merely a sea wall to protect the haven. In the diplomacy, this dispute was connected with arguments over English and French intentions and intervention at St Andrews Castle
in Scotland. In the summer of 1548, the French observed the mole
was provided with a flanker and cannon; the English insisted it was merely to protect the workmen. French ships fired at it and the English returned fire. Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset
told François van der Delft that the French were constructing forts at Boulogne in contravention of treaty in September 1548; in December the French managed to destroy two new outposts the English were building, and another fort nearer to Guînes
and Calais called Fort Fiennes.
A major attempt on Boulogne by the French was repulsed in May 1549. The Imperial ambassador, Simon Renard
, reported a failed assault on the fort at Boulemberg, or Mount Lambert. The French leader, Gaspard II de Coligny, sieur de Châtillon, a nephew of the Constable of France
, set ladders against the fort at 2:00am but the alarm was sounded by members of the garrison who he believed he had successfully bribed. 200 French were killed. The English suspected treachery as four guns blew up on their first firing and around seventy men were absent without leave. The womenfolk in the fort were said to have saved the day. Some laughed at Châtillon, saying he had made his scaling ladders too short, although the action was well-conceived as the fort was crucial to the defence of the town. Moreover, the action was said to be in breach of treaty.
Edward VI recorded this night assault in his chronicle, with a failed attempt to burn the ships in the harbour. In the summer, Coligny bombarded the pier with a battery of 20,000 shot, and blockaded the mouth of the haven with artillery. The English over-ran this artillery position and the French set up another which was less commanding. An attempt to foul the harbour with a hulk laden with stones also failed to incovenience the English garrison.
in Scotland. Simon Renard reported that the English captain accepted his order to surrender from the Privy Council
with a sigh. Henry II of France
formally entered the town on 16 May 1550. He stayed three days and visited the forts of the Boulemberg, Ambleteuse
, the Tower of Ardres
, the Great Fort and Fort Châtillon (also called Châtillon's garden). He was impressed with some of these recent fortification works and also with the English scheme for bringing freshwater to the town. Henri II determined to continue building the English star fort
at Ambleteuse and the neighbouring work at Blackness
. The French also admired the mole, which they called 'la Dunette,' and when completed Henri II compared it to a Roman work. The Basilica of Notre-Dame de Boulogne, destroyed or badly damaged by the English, was to be rebuilt, Henri II gave the church a silver statue of Our Lady, and other nobles subscribed money.
.
Boulogne-sur-Mer
-Road:* Metropolitan bus services are operated by the TCRB* Coach services to Calais and Dunkerque* A16 motorway-Rail:* The main railway station is Gare de Boulogne-Ville and located in the south of the city....
, in the Pas-de-Calais, during the Italian War of 1542–1546. Boulogne was fortified and defended as an English possession on the French mainland between 14 September 1544 and March 1550.
First siege
The Siege of Boulogne took place from 19 July to 18 September 1544, during King Henry VIII of EnglandHenry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
's third invasion of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Henry was motivated by French aid to England's Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
enemies. In 1543 he allied with Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
, (also King of Spain), whose Catholic allegiances were, for a time, overruled by the political advantages of an alliance against France.
In early 1544, a large English force departed from Calais. Later it split into two parts. One part, under the Duke of Suffolk
Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk
Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, 1st Viscount Lisle, KG was the son of Sir William Brandon and Elizabeth Bruyn. Through his third wife Mary Tudor he was brother-in-law to Henry VIII. His father was the standard-bearer of Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond and was slain by Richard III in person at...
, moved to the coast town of Boulogne
Boulogne-sur-Mer
-Road:* Metropolitan bus services are operated by the TCRB* Coach services to Calais and Dunkerque* A16 motorway-Rail:* The main railway station is Gare de Boulogne-Ville and located in the south of the city....
and laid siege to it on 19 July. A few 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. The French garrison's firepower prevented any approach on foot, so the English dug mines under the castle, and the French surrendered on 13 September.
However, Charles V then made peace with France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The French then attacked in the Second Siege of Boulogne.
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 subsequently much of the military resource during his and his son's reigns was diverted to war in Scotland.
Second siege
The Second Siege of Boulogne was an engagement late in the Italian War of 1542-1546. The Dauphin's army descended on Montreuil, forcing the Duke of NorfolkDuke of Norfolk
The Duke of Norfolk is the premier duke in the peerage of England, and also, as Earl of Arundel, the premier earl. The Duke of Norfolk is, moreover, the Earl Marshal and hereditary Marshal of England. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the title refers to the...
to raise the siege; Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
himself left for England at the end of September 1544, ordering the Dukes of Norfolk
Duke of Norfolk
The Duke of Norfolk is the premier duke in the peerage of England, and also, as Earl of Arundel, the premier earl. The Duke of Norfolk is, moreover, the Earl Marshal and hereditary Marshal of England. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the title refers to the...
and Suffolk
Duke of Suffolk
Duke of Suffolk is a title that has been created three times in British history, all three times in the Peerage of England.The third creation of the dukedom of Suffolk was for Henry Grey, 3rd Marquess of Dorset, in 1551. The duke also held the title Baron Ferrers of Groby...
to defend Boulogne. The two Dukes quickly proceeded to disobey this order: leaving some 4,000 men to defend the captured city, they withdrew the rest of the English army to Calais. The English army, outnumbered, was now trapped in Calais; the Dauphin, left unopposed, concentrated his efforts on investing Boulogne. On 9 October, a French assault nearly captured the city, but was beaten back when the troops prematurely turned to looting.
Fortifications
After Henry VIII's personal visit to Boulogne on 18 September the English began fortifying their position. Boulogne had a high and low town, and the citadel of Boulogne was in the low town adjacent to the harbour near the mouth of the river Liane. To the north a roman lighthouse called the 'Old Man' was fortified, and a new fort built between the Old Man and Boulogne in 1545 was called the 'Young Man.' The surveyor of these works was John Rogers who had been a master mason. The military engineer Richard LeeRichard Lee (engineer)
Sir Richard Lee was a military engineer in the service of Henry VIII of England, Edward VI and Elizabeth I. He was a commander of Henry VIII of England| and appointed surveyor of the King's works.-Surveyor of Calais:...
and Thomas Palmer, treasurer of Guines, brought additional instructions directly from Henry VIII. Another outlying fort was built on a hill to east from May 1546. Now called Mont Lambert, it was then called Boulemberg. However, Nicolas Arnold, the captain of Boulogne complained of its shortcomings; it held no well, or room for storage. It was abandoned in 1549 on the approach of a French army. The French fortified south of the Liane, building the Fort de Châtillon and Fort d'Outreau
Outreau
Outreau is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:Outreau is a large industrial town and port situated adjacent to, and west of Boulogne, on the N1, N142 and D19 roads...
. The building of any new fortifications was supposed to have ceased under the Treaty of Camp (or Treaty of Ardres) made in June 1546. The treaty provided that the English would evacuate Boulogne in 1554 in return for 2,000,000 crowns. The English possession of Boulogne was eventually compromised by the French construction of a fort at Marquise
Marquise, Pas-de-Calais
Marquise is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:Marquise is a farming, quarrying and light industrial town, situated some northeast of Boulogne, at the junction of the D191, D231 and D238 roads...
, north of the town, which could blockade supplies. Although records are incomplete, it is clear that large numbers of English labourers died or became sick during the works. Of 1,200 men sent in January 1545, only 300 were still working in June.
Armoury
The guns of Boulogne were listed in the inventory of English crown possessionsInventory of Henry VIII of England
The Inventory of Henry VIII of England compiled in 1547 is a list of the possessions of the crown, now in the British Library as Harley Ms. 1419....
taken after Henry VIII's death on 20 January 1548. Most of their wheels and stocks were said to be rotten and decayed. The totals were; 4 cannons; 5 demi-cannons; 10 culverins
Culverin
A culverin was a relatively simple ancestor of the musket, and later a medieval cannon, adapted for use by the French in the 15th century, and later adapted for naval use by the English in the late 16th century. The culverin was used to bombard targets from a distance. The weapon had a...
; 14 demi-culverins; 18 sakers
Saker (cannon)
The saker was a medium cannon slightly smaller than a culverin developed during the early 16th century and often used by the English. It was named after the Saker Falcon, a large falconry bird native to the Middle East....
; 21 falcons, falconets, and chamber falcons; 25 great brass mortars; 19 small brass mortars; 9 iron mortars; 3 iron bombards; 3 iron cannon-perrier; 16 port-pieces; 24 fowlers
Veuglaire
The Veuglaire was a wrought iron cannon, and part of the artillery of France in the Middle Ages...
; 7 slings; 12 double bases; 54 shrimp bases; 114 privy bases; 2 robinets; and 73 brass hagbuts
Arquebus
The arquebus , or "hook tube", is an early muzzle-loaded firearm used in the 15th to 17th centuries. The word was originally modeled on the German hakenbüchse; this produced haquebute...
. The guns were in four positions; the Old Man; High Boulogne; Base Boulogne; and the Boulemberg (Mont Lambert). When Boulogne was returned to France in March 1550, Edward VI noted that the guns too would be handed over. These included recently captured pieces and; 2 basilisks; 2 demi-cannon; 3 culverins; 2 demi-culverins; 3 sakers; 16 falcons; 94 arquebus a croc with wooden tails (muskets for fixed positions); and 21 iron guns.
Continuing conflict
There was a truce between the French and English at Boulogne according to a treaty made between Edward VI of EnglandEdward VI of England
Edward VI was the King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death. He was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine. The son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Edward was the third monarch of the Tudor dynasty and England's first monarch who was raised as a Protestant...
and Francis I of France
Francis I of France
Francis I was King of France from 1515 until his death. During his reign, huge cultural changes took place in France and he has been called France's original Renaissance monarch...
in March 1547.In June 1547, an international dispute arose over a wall the English were building at the harbour. The French claimed it was a new fortification in breach of truce under the Treaty of Camp, while the English maintained that it was merely a sea wall to protect the haven. In the diplomacy, this dispute was connected with arguments over English and French intentions and intervention at St Andrews Castle
St Andrews Castle
St Andrew's Castle is a picturesque ruin located in the coastal Royal Burgh of St Andrews in Fife, Scotland. The castle sits on a rocky promontory overlooking a small beach called Castle Sands and the adjoining North Sea. There has been a castle standing at the site since the times of Bishop Roger...
in Scotland. In the summer of 1548, the French observed the mole
Mole (architecture)
A mole is a massive structure, usually of stone, used as a pier, breakwater, or a causeway between places separated by water. The word comes from Middle French mole and ultimately Latin mōlēs meaning a large mass, especially of rock and has the same root as molecule.Historically, the term "mole"...
was provided with a flanker and cannon; the English insisted it was merely to protect the workmen. French ships fired at it and the English returned fire. Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, 1st Earl of Hertford, 1st Viscount Beauchamp of Hache, KG, Earl Marshal was Lord Protector of England in the period between the death of Henry VIII in 1547 and his own indictment in 1549....
told François van der Delft that the French were constructing forts at Boulogne in contravention of treaty in September 1548; in December the French managed to destroy two new outposts the English were building, and another fort nearer to Guînes
Guînes
Guînes is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France.-Geography:Guînes is located on the border of the two territories of the Boulonnais and Calaisis, at the edge of the now-drained marshes, which extend from here to the coast. The Guînes canal connects with...
and Calais called Fort Fiennes.
A major attempt on Boulogne by the French was repulsed in May 1549. The Imperial ambassador, Simon Renard
Simon Renard
Simon Renard, sir de Bermont was an advisor of the Emperor Charles V and his son Philip II of Spain, overlords of the County of Burgundy and Counts of Burgundy.He was ambassador of Spain in France and England...
, reported a failed assault on the fort at Boulemberg, or Mount Lambert. The French leader, Gaspard II de Coligny, sieur de Châtillon, a nephew of the Constable of France
Anne de Montmorency
Anne de Montmorency, duc de Montmorency, Honorary Knight of the Garter was a French soldier, statesman and diplomat. He became Marshal of France and Constable of France.-Early life:...
, set ladders against the fort at 2:00am but the alarm was sounded by members of the garrison who he believed he had successfully bribed. 200 French were killed. The English suspected treachery as four guns blew up on their first firing and around seventy men were absent without leave. The womenfolk in the fort were said to have saved the day. Some laughed at Châtillon, saying he had made his scaling ladders too short, although the action was well-conceived as the fort was crucial to the defence of the town. Moreover, the action was said to be in breach of treaty.
Edward VI recorded this night assault in his chronicle, with a failed attempt to burn the ships in the harbour. In the summer, Coligny bombarded the pier with a battery of 20,000 shot, and blockaded the mouth of the haven with artillery. The English over-ran this artillery position and the French set up another which was less commanding. An attempt to foul the harbour with a hulk laden with stones also failed to incovenience the English garrison.
English withdrawal
Although by the Treaty of Camp, the English had agreed to evacuate Boulogne in 1554, the town was returned to France in 1550 under the Treaty of Boulogne which also concluded the war of Rough WooingThe Rough Wooing
The War of the Rough Wooing was fought between Scotland and England. War was declared by Henry VIII of England, in an attempt to force the Scots to agree to a marriage between his son Edward and Mary, Queen of Scots. Scotland benefited from French military aid. Edward VI continued the war until...
in Scotland. Simon Renard reported that the English captain accepted his order to surrender from the Privy Council
Privy council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the monarch's closest advisors to give confidential advice on...
with a sigh. Henry II of France
Henry II of France
Henry II was King of France from 31 March 1547 until his death in 1559.-Early years:Henry was born in the royal Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, near Paris, the son of Francis I and Claude, Duchess of Brittany .His father was captured at the Battle of Pavia in 1525 by his sworn enemy,...
formally entered the town on 16 May 1550. He stayed three days and visited the forts of the Boulemberg, Ambleteuse
Ambleteuse
Ambleteuse is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France.-History:Ambleteuse began as a hamlet of a few huts in the middle of the dunes, from which the derisory name of “carcahuttes" was once given to its inhabitants by their neighbors at Audresselles...
, the Tower of Ardres
Ardres
Ardres is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France.Population : 4,198 inhabitants for the commune and 17,610 inhabitants for the canton.-Geography:...
, the Great Fort and Fort Châtillon (also called Châtillon's garden). He was impressed with some of these recent fortification works and also with the English scheme for bringing freshwater to the town. Henri II determined to continue building the English star fort
Star fort
A star fort, or trace italienne, is a fortification in the style that evolved during the age of gunpowder, when cannon came to dominate the battlefield, and was first seen in the mid-15th century in Italy....
at Ambleteuse and the neighbouring work at Blackness
Cap Gris Nez
Cap Gris Nez is a cape on the Côte d'Opale in the Pas-de-Calais département in northern France....
. The French also admired the mole, which they called 'la Dunette,' and when completed Henri II compared it to a Roman work. The Basilica of Notre-Dame de Boulogne, destroyed or badly damaged by the English, was to be rebuilt, Henri II gave the church a silver statue of Our Lady, and other nobles subscribed money.
In popular media
The First Siege of Boulogne was depicted in the 4th season of the television series The TudorsThe Tudors
The Tudors is a Canadian produced historical fiction television series filmed in Ireland, created by Michael Hirst and produced for the American premium cable television channel Showtime...
.
