King Henry, having taken Boulogne through sheer force of will, stood at the height of his final campaign, but he could not convert occupation into dominance. The victory, though real, yielded no strategic transformation. Faced with financial strain, dwindling supplies, and an unreliable ally in Emperor Charles, he abandoned further escalation. The peace he signed with France was not born of strength, but of exhaustion... a reluctant admission that the age of English conquest on the Continent had passed. With that treaty, Henry’s long pursuit of martial glory ended: not in triumph, but in limitation. It marked the quiet extinguishing of a military legacy forged in fury, but ultimately constrained by the realities of power.
Boulogne. July 19 - September 18, 1544.
English Forces: 16,000 Soldiers to take Boulogne, 4,000 to hold it.
French Forces: ~ 2,000 Soldiers.
Additional Reading and Episode Research:
- Scarisbrick, J.J. Henry VIII.
- Cornish, Paul. Henry VIII's Army.
- Ridley, Jasper. Henry VIII.
Social Media:
www.HistorysGreatestBattles.com
Youtube | TikTok
Support The Show:
https://covertwars.com
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Cardiac Cowboys
The heart was always off-limits to surgeons. Cutting into it spelled instant death for the patient. That is, until a ragtag group of doctors scattered across the Midwest and Texas decided to throw out the rule book. Working in makeshift laboratories and home garages, using medical devices made from scavenged machine parts and beer tubes, these men and women invented the field of open heart surgery. Odds are, someone you know is alive because of them. So why has history left them behind? Presented by Chris Pine, CARDIAC COWBOYS tells the gripping true story behind the birth of heart surgery, and the young, Greatest Generation doctors who made it happen. For years, they competed and feuded, racing to be the first, the best, and the most prolific. Some appeared on the cover of Time Magazine, operated on kings and advised presidents. Others ended up disgraced, penniless, and convicted of felonies. Together, they ignited a revolution in medicine, and changed the world.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.