Chapter Two.
The Holy League War
1511 - 1512
It was October 1511 when Pope Julius II launched the Holy League against France. It included the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, the Papal States, the Confederation of Switzerland and England. The war had been going on since 1508, and this was the next phase of it, and only now did England join it. The new King of England, Henry VIII, was decidedly different from his father, Henry VI. The young king considered himself the chosen one of fate. As soon as he came to power, he made it clear that he wanted to attack France. He also publicly insulted Louis XII's messengers, and when one of the council members wrote a conciliatory letter to the French monarch, Henry became furious. This creation of the Holy League was a great opportunity for him to expand his territories in France.
Even before England joined the alliance, Henry had already helped his future allies. Earlier, in the spring of 1511, he sent an army of about 1,500 people to the Netherlands and a fleet of ships to Spain to fight the Moors there. Ferdinand II of Aragon, Henry's father-in-law, did not take the offensive in Africa, so the English fleet returned home, which angered Henry a bit, but it did not prevent him from concluding an alliance with Spain and signing the Treaty of Westminster on November 17, 1511, to the queen's great joy. Catherine, ever since she was crowned, had always ensured that there were friendly relations between her homeland and England, and the birth of her son further strengthened her position as
"the dearest and much beloved wife of His Grace the King of England."
The War of 1512 began in February of that year, when French troops under the young but capable commander Gaston de Foix left Milan to suppress a rebellion in Brescia. involving approximately 12,000 men. The French attack took place in heavy rain. The defenders inflicted heavy losses on the French, but were ultimately defeated. Gaston's infantry and Lansknechts then proceeded to completely sack the city, massacring thousands of civilians over the next five days. The city of Bergamo then paid about 60,000 ducats to the French to avoid a similar fate.
Gaston, knowing that England would most likely soon attack France and some of his forces would be sent to that front, decided to set out to siege Ravenna. Ramón de Cardona, the Spanish viceroy of Naples, camped his army in the marshy area outside Ravenna. Gaston had approximately 23,000 soldiers and 54 pieces of artillery. Cardona had approximately 16,000 soldiers and 30 artillery pieces; Ravenna's garrison may have numbered about 5,000 men. Gaston sent a formal invitation to battle to Cardona, who readily accepted. The decisive battle of Ravenna took place on April 11, 1512. The Spanish had their back to the Ronco River and maintained a relatively secure front thanks to strong trenches and obstacles prepared by the famous engineer Pedro Navarro. Gaston directed his forces against Cardona. The French army crossed the stream between Ravenna and the Spanish camp unimpeded, formed a semicircle around the enemy fortifications, and began firing from the flanks towards the Spanish position. The heavy bombardment did not worry the well-protected Spanish infantry, but the cavalry could hold out no longer and attacked the French without orders. These charges were easily repelled and the French counterattacked. A bloody, hour-long fight took place in the trenches between the Landsknechts and the Spaniards. At this point, two cannons that Gaston had sent behind the Spanish lines opened fire and wreaked havoc in the enemy's rear. The Spanish retreated and suffered huge losses. During the pursuit, Gaston led a cavalry charge against a retreating Spanish infantry unit. His horse tripped, fell and was shot. French losses reached 9,000, while the Spanish lost almost their entire army. Although the French victory at Ravenna allowed them to take that city and other important towns in the area, the death of Gaston and over a third of his army fatally weakened French power in northern Italy. In May, the French army was forced to leave Milan.
Returning to England, it was there that Henry VIII declared war on France in April 1512 and even earlier called a parliament to raise funds for the war. Archbishop of Canterbury William Warham appealed for peace, but his pleas were ignored and Parliament granted King Henry VIII a tax of two-tenths and two-fifteenths to finance his war with France. Eighteen ships under the command of Lord Admiral Edward Howard were sent to guard the English Channel. 6,000 soldiers were sent to Spain because Henry's father-in-law, Ferdinand II of Aragon, promised to help him regain his ancestral lands, Gascony, lost in 1453. An English army led by the Marquess of Dorset landed at San Sebastian in Spain on June 7, 1512, where they were to join forces with the Spanish army and attack Aquitaine. However, Ferdinand ordered his army to occupy Navarre, leaving the English army without Ferdinand's promised transport, tents, and beer. For years, Navarre had been greedy for the ambitions of Ferdinand, whose father John II of Aragon was once king consort of Navarre. Now Ferdinand, invoking the rights of his wife Germaine de Foix and obtaining a bull from the pope declaring the rulers of Navarre, Catherine de Foix and Jean d'Albert schimasmatics, sent his army and within a few months, all of Lower Navarre came under his rule. The rightful rulers of Navarre fled to the Viscounty of Béarn.
The situation of the English in Spain was difficult, and dysentery broke out in the camp. The army was stuck there, and Ferdinand sent letters to Henry, complaining about the "disobedience of the soldiers of his kingdom." Henry realized that his father-in-law had deceived him, but full of youthful faith he did not abandon the war.
The fleet under Edward Howard performed well in the English Channel, sinking one French ship in July. The English fleet now consisted of 25 ships, including the Sovereign, commanded by Charles Brandon, and the Regent, commanded by Thomas Knyvet. On August 12, 1512, The English attacked a French fleet of 22 ships off the coast of Brest. The French fleet withdrew beyond the Cordeliere, which was engaged with the Regent. The Cordeliere magazine then exploded, destroying both ships and killing approximately 600 Englishmen, including Knyvet and 1,000 French sailors.
Meanwhile, France and Scotland renewed their Auld alliance. This year was kind to Scotland, because on April 10, 1512, Queen Margaret Tudor gave birth to a healthy boy with a tuft of red hair, named James after his father and created Duke of Rothesay. While his brothers James and Arthur were weak and died as toddlers, he seemed to be the picture of health, and by the end of the year it was announced that Queen Margaret was expecting a child again, with the baby expected to be born just before Easter 1513.
In the fall of 1512, plans for an invasion of France began to be prepared in England, and in December 1512 the unfortunate soldiers finally returned from Spain, and their commander, Thomas Gray, was put on trial and ultimately acquitted.
The year ended with a surprise. On December 25, 1512, Anne of Brittany, who so far gave birth to only healthy two daughters, gave birth to a healthy son, named Louis after his father. The entire court was celebrating the birth of the baby Dauphin, but three people were visibly sad. It was the ambitious Dowager Countess of Angoulême, Louise of Savoy, who had once heard a prophecy that her son Francis would become king and from then on she believed in it. Louis's birth clearly went against her plans, so Louise, Francis, and Margaret, Duchess of Alencon, were disappointed with the turn of events.
