Second Siege of Boulogne

The Second Siege of Boulogne was an engagement late in the Italian War of 1542-1546. The Dauphin's army descended on Montreuil, forcing Norfolk to raise the siege; Henry himself left for England at the end of September 1544, ordering Norfolk and Suffolk to defend Boulogne. [Scarisbrick, "Henry VIII", 395–396.] 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. [Phillips, "Testing the 'Mystery'", 47; Scarisbrick, "Henry VIII", 396–397.] The English army, outnumbered, was now trapped in Calais; the Dauphin, left unopposed, concentrated his efforts on investing Boulogne. [Elton, "England Under the Tudors", 195; Phillips, "Testing the 'Mystery'", 47, 51–52; Scarisbrick, "Henry VIII", 397.] On 9 October, a French assault nearly captured the city, but was beaten back when the troops prematurely turned to looting. [Arnold, "Renaissance at War", 180; Phillips, "Testing the 'Mystery'", 48–50.]

Notes

References

* Arnold, Thomas F. "The Renaissance at War". Smithsonian History of Warfare, edited by John Keegan. New York: Smithsonian Books / Collins, 2006. ISBN 0-06-089195-5.
* Elton, G. R. "England Under the Tudors". A History of England, edited by Felipe Fernández-Armesto. London: The Folio Society, 1997.
* Phillips, Gervase. "Testing the 'Mystery of the English'". "MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History" 19, no. 3 (Spring 2007): 44–54. ISSN|1040-5992.
* Scarisbrick, J. J. "Henry VIII". London: The Folio Society, 2004.