Therouanne, France

Henry VIII's forces stormed Therouanne's walls in 1513, seizing this northern French town after a grueling campaign that drained England's coffers. Cromwell dismissed it as a 'dog-hole' in his 1523 speech, its modest ramparts and muddy surroundings underscoring the strategic folly of distant wars without coastal holds like Normandy. Breached gates and churned fields haunt royal memory, sparking heated debates where fiscal logic clashes with kingly pride.