Sieges of Boulogne (1544–1546) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sieges of Boulogne (1544–1546) |
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The Sieges of Boulogne were a series of important battles that took place in France between 1544 and 1546. These sieges were part of a bigger conflict called the Italian War of 1542-1546. The first main siege happened from July to September 1544, and a second one followed in October 1544.
Many years before, in 1492, an English king named Henry VII had also tried to capture Boulogne. Fifty years later, his son, King Henry VIII, returned to Boulogne. This time, England was allied with Emperor Charles V against France. After the English captured Boulogne in 1544, they held onto it as their own territory in France until 1550.
Contents
The First Siege of Boulogne
| Siege of Boulogne | |||||||
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| Part of the Rough Wooing and the Italian War of 1542–1546 | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 England |
 France |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| 1. Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk 2. King Henry VIII |
Jacques de Coucy, Seigneur de Vervins | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 40,000 men | Around 2,000 | ||||||
The first siege of Boulogne happened from July 19 to September 14, 1544. This was during the third time King Henry VIII of England invaded France. King Henry wanted to capture Boulogne because France was helping England's enemies in Scotland. In 1543, Henry made a new alliance with Emperor Charles V, who was also the King of Spain. They teamed up against France.
English Attack on Boulogne
In early 1544, a large English army left the area around Calais. This army then split into two groups. One group, led by the Duke of Suffolk, marched to Boulogne and began the siege on July 19. A few weeks later, King Henry VIII himself arrived to take charge of the siege.
The lower part of the town had weak defenses. It quickly fell to heavy cannon fire, which continued through August. By September, the upper part of the town was also broken into and captured. However, the main castle in the center still held out. The French soldiers inside the castle had strong firepower, which stopped the English from getting close on foot. So, the English dug tunnels under the castle. Finally, the French soldiers surrendered on September 13.
After this victory, Emperor Charles V made a separate peace agreement with France. This meant France was free to attack Boulogne again, leading to the Second Siege of Boulogne. For several years after, neither England nor France had enough strength for a full-scale war. French attempts to take Boulogne back failed. English attempts to gain more land around Calais and Boulogne also failed. King Henry waited for a big French invasion fleet, but it never came. Much of England's military effort then went into a war in Scotland.
The Second Siege of Boulogne
The Second Siege of Boulogne was a battle that happened late in the Italian War of 1542–1546. The French army, led by the Dauphin (the French king's eldest son), moved towards Montreuil. This forced the Duke of Norfolk to stop his siege there. King Henry VIII himself left for England at the end of September 1544. He ordered the Dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk to defend Boulogne.
However, the two Dukes quickly decided not to follow this order. They left about 4,000 men to defend the captured city. They moved the rest of the English army back to Calais. The English army, being outnumbered, was now stuck in Calais. The Dauphin, facing no opposition, focused his efforts on attacking Boulogne. On October 9, a French attack almost captured the city. But the French troops started looting too early, and the English managed to push them back.
Fortifications and Weapons
After King Henry VIII visited Boulogne on September 18, the English started building strong defenses. Boulogne had a high town and a low town. The main castle was in the low town, close to the harbor and the Liane river.
Building Defenses
To the north, a very old Roman lighthouse, known as the Tour d'Ordre, was made stronger and called the 'Old Man'. A new fort was built between the 'Old Man' and Boulogne in 1545. This new fort was called the 'Young Man'. The person in charge of these building projects was John Rogers, a master builder. Military engineer Richard Lee and Thomas Palmer also brought special instructions from King Henry VIII.
Another fort was built on a hill to the east starting in May 1546. This hill is now called Mont Lambert, but back then it was called Boulemberg. However, the captain of Boulogne, Nicolas Arnold, complained that this fort wasn't very good. It didn't have a well for water or enough space for storage. It was left empty in 1549 when a French army approached. The French also built forts south of the Liane river, like Fort de Châtillon.
A treaty signed in June 1546, called the Treaty of Camp, was supposed to stop any new forts from being built. This treaty also said that the English would leave Boulogne in 1554. In return, they would receive 2 million crowns (a type of money). However, the French built a fort north of the town, which could stop supplies from reaching Boulogne. This made it harder for the English to keep the town. Many English workers became sick or died during these building projects. For example, out of 1,200 men sent in January 1545, only 300 were still working by June.
English Weapons
After King Henry VIII died in 1547, a list was made of all the English crown's possessions, including the guns in Boulogne. Many of the gun parts were old and rotten. The English had many different types of cannons and smaller guns. These guns were placed in four main spots: the Old Man, High Boulogne, Base Boulogne, and the Boulemberg fort. When Boulogne was given back to France in March 1550, King Edward VI noted that the guns would also be handed over.
Ongoing Fights
There was a truce (a temporary stop to fighting) between the French and English at Boulogne in March 1547. But disputes still happened. In June 1547, an argument started over a wall the English were building at the harbor. The French said it was a new fort, breaking the truce. The English said it was just a sea wall to protect the harbor. This argument was linked to other disagreements about what England and France were doing in Scotland.
In the summer of 1548, the French saw that the English had added cannons to the pier. The English still said it was just to protect the workers. French ships fired at it, and the English fired back. In December, the French managed to destroy two new outposts the English were building.
A major French attempt to take Boulogne back failed in May 1549. The Imperial ambassador, Simon Renard, reported a failed attack on the fort at Boulemberg. The French leader, Gaspard II de Coligny, tried to use ladders to climb the fort at 2:00 AM. But the English soldiers inside were warned, supposedly by people he had tried to bribe. About 200 French soldiers were killed. The English suspected betrayal because four of their own guns exploded, and many men were missing. People said the women in the fort helped save the day.
King Edward VI wrote about this night attack in his diary. The French also tried to burn the ships in the harbor, but that failed too. In the summer, Coligny fired many cannonballs at the pier and tried to block the harbor mouth with artillery. The English captured this artillery position. The French tried to block the harbor again with a ship full of stones, but it didn't bother the English soldiers.
English Leave Boulogne
Even though the English had agreed to leave Boulogne in 1554, they actually returned the town to France earlier, in 1550. This was part of the Treaty of Boulogne, which also ended the war in Scotland. The English captain who was ordered to surrender the town reportedly sighed when he heard the news.
Henry II of France officially entered Boulogne on May 16, 1550. He stayed for three days and visited the forts built by the English. He was very impressed with some of these new forts and with the English plan for bringing fresh water to the town. Henry II decided to keep building some of the English forts. The French also admired the pier, which they called 'la Dunette'. When it was finished, Henry II compared it to a great Roman structure. The main church in Boulogne, which had been destroyed or badly damaged by the English, was to be rebuilt. Henry II gave the church a silver statue, and other nobles also gave money.
