Anglo-French War of 1542–1546

Henry VIII entered war against France in alliance with Emperor Charles V and campaigned around Boulogne. The conflict placed heavy financial pressure on the English crown and required extensive mobilisation on land and at sea.

France responded in 1545 with a major fleet and an attempted invasion of southern England. Fighting around the Solent and Isle of Wight failed to secure a French foothold, although the English warship Mary Rose sank during the naval action.

The war provides the wider setting for the Battle of the Solent and for fiction about Henry VIII's final campaigns, coastal defence, naval administration and the burden of royal warfare.