English Invasion of France (1513)
- When
- 1513
- Where
- Enguinegatte (Guinegate); Thérouanne
- Episodes
- 2
In August 1513, English and Imperial forces under Henry VIII and Maximilian I defeated the French at the Battle of the Spurs near Enguinegatte. Following this victory, the allied army besieged and captured the town of Thérouanne on 22 August.
Episodes
- Battle of the Spurs
Allied English and Imperial forces defeated the French army under La Palice near Enguinegatte.
- Capture of Thérouanne
The French garrison of Thérouanne surrendered to the allied forces on 22 August 1513.
Background and detail
Strategic Context. Henry VIII joined the Holy League in 1511 to oppose France. In May 1513, English troops assembled at Calais under the Earl of Shrewsbury. The campaign aimed to pressure France militarily, with Henry and Emperor Maximilian I coordinating operations in northern France.
Battle of the Spurs. On 16 August 1513, French forces under Marshal La Palice encountered English scouts near Bomy. Maximilian I led the allied cavalry charge after Henry VIII was advised against leading it. The French cavalry broke after a display of English banners, resulting in an allied victory.
Fall of Thérouanne. Following the battle, the allied forces besieged Thérouanne. The garrison, lacking supplies, negotiated with the Earl of Shrewsbury. The town surrendered on 22 August 1513, securing a significant strategic position for the English and Imperial armies.
People involved
- Henry VIII · King of England
- Maximilian I · Emperor
- La Palice · French Marshal
- George Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury · English Commander
Sources
- Battle of the Spurs Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-22
- Thérouanne Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-24
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.