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Secondary sourcePainting1544 (original); engraved later

The Siege of Boulogne by King Henry VIII

James Basire · 1544 (original); engraved later

An 18th-century engraving by James Basire copying a lost 16th-century wall painting of Henry VIII's 1544 siege of Boulogne.

This image depicts Henry VIII's 1544 siege of Boulogne, one of his last military campaigns.

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Black-and-white engraved panoramic print of the Siege of Boulogne in 1544, showing a wide landscape with a walled town, tents, soldiers, cannon, and ships along a coastline, with the title inscribed beneath.
James Basire, The Siege of Boulogne by King Henry VIII in 1544 (engraving after a lost 16th-century painting at Cowdray House).

About this source

What it is

This engraving by James Basire reproduces a painting that once hung at Cowdray House in Sussex, showing the Siege of Boulogne led by Henry VIII in 1544. The original 16th-century painting was destroyed in a fire in 1793, so this print is now the main visual record of it.

Why it matters

The siege was one of Henry's final military campaigns, late in his reign. The painting it copies was likely made soon after the event to celebrate the king's achievements. Because the original is lost, Basire's careful engraving is an important link to how Henry's contemporaries chose to record his wars.

Look closer

  • Why do you think the original painting was made, and for whom?
  • What does the scene emphasise about Henry's campaign - triumph, scale, danger?
  • How reliable can a copy of a lost painting be as a historical source?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Henry VIII on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Secondary source

Portrait of Henry VIII of England

1547

Scanned black-and-white page of an early printed book in dense black-letter type, headed 'SERENISSIMO INVICTISSIMOQUE ANGLIAE' with a small woodcut decorative initial at left. The text is a Latin dedication, and a handwritten marginal note appears at the bottom left.Document

Primary source

Dedication to Henry VIII in Compendiosa Anatomiae

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Primary source

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