Normandy was the intended northern target of a coordinated English campaign against France in 1513. The strategy depended on an invasion from Calais and on Ferdinand II of Aragon attacking Guienne in the south, a combination meant to leave the French unable to defend both regions effectively. The plan’s promise—and its fragility—made Normandy central to a campaign shaped as much by diplomacy as by military preparation.

Strategic Setting

Katherine of Aragon reasoned that Calais was the natural base for an English invasion of France. While her father, Ferdinand II of Aragon, fought in the south and sought to win Guienne for England, the French would be unable to concentrate their defences on Normandy. The northern campaign was thus conceived as one half of a coordinated attack, not as an isolated expedition.

The 1513 Campaign Plan

In spring 1513, Katherine began gathering men and materials for an invasion of northern France. Under the treaty with Ferdinand II of Aragon, his forces would invade Guienne as English troops moved against Normandy; Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, was also to join the English army in the north. The arrangement seemed dependable only if all three parties attacked at the same time and kept faith with one another.

Henry VIII intended to take the field himself, believing that personal command would prevent Ferdinand from criticizing the English army’s leadership. Katherine accepted his resolve, while recognizing that keeping him from the campaign would be difficult. His departure also served her undisclosed purpose: she needed him out of the country while she dealt with the Scots.

Alliance and Uncertainty

The preparations exposed a sharp divide between the campaign’s appearance and its diplomatic reality. As Katherine directed Thomas Wolsey to ask towns across England how many men they could muster for the king’s service in France, Ferdinand II of Aragon was secretly discussing peace with France. When this became known, he blamed his ambassador and letters that had gone astray. Katherine expected him to join the campaign if victory began to look likely, but Normandy’s proposed invasion remained dependent on an ally whose commitment was uncertain.