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This year marks the start of Henry VIII's first war with France (there were three French wars in total) although the 1512 invasion is frequently overlooked in favour of the events of 1513.
Henry VII had tried to keep peace in Europe, and on the whole had been successful. His son, however, had different ambitions and keen for victory, wanted to follow in the footsteps of Henry V who had been victorious at the battle of Agincourt. However, for the first few years of his reign he did endeavour to maintain the peace treaties which were in place, as advised by the older members of his court such as Thomas Howard 2nd Duke of Norfolk. Whereas the younger members of the court, such as Charles Brandon, are more eager for war and glory and try to influence Henry in their favour.
An excuse for battle in fact comes in the unlikely (given our hindsight) form of Pope Julius II. Julius had written to Henry, outlining the current issues he was experiencing with the King of France, Louis XII.
Thomas Wolsey begins to make preparations for war and quickly realises the financial extent of the project. Wolsey and Henry approached Parliament for funds, with this cry for help from Julius as their reasoning as opposed to the gaining of any French lands. The Pope in-fact offered indulgences as payment for those involved.
Henry managed to gather 6,000 infantry troops, along with 20 naval ships, bringing the total to 20,000 men. Ferdinand of Aragon, Henry's father in law, was supposed to be supplying the soldiers with food and drink, but falls spectacularly with his side of the bargain. As well as a wage, the soldiers should expect one to one and a half pounds of biscuit and one pound of beef, and between one and one and a half gallons of ale per day (around four and a half to seven litres). However, once the soldiers arrived in France there was not enough food and drink and the men were forced to use their own money to buy sustenance - leading to a demand for more pay. The weather was also terrible, and dysentery began to run rife. Hungry, angry, unwell soldiers are a recipe for disaster and the breakdown of care leads the campaign to be a failure.
Thomas Howard in this instance blames Ferdinand for the failed invasion, whereas Wolsey decides to attribute it to a lack of discipline shown to the men.
While this is an overlooked campaign, due to its failure, it's now being understood as a valuable military lesson to Henry and his advisors.
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