In 1513 he served with King Henry VIII's army in France, and was present when both Therouanne and Tournai were taken by the English forces.
He was present at the 1520 meeting between Henry VIII and Francis I of France now known as Field of the Cloth of Gold and when Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor visited England in 1522.
[3] On the same day his eldest son, Francis, gained a seat at the so-called Reformation Parliament.
[citation needed] In 1536 he held a command in the forces which put down the rebellion called the Pilgrimage of Grace.
[5] His wife, Anne, was the King's mistress in 1510, and possibly until 1513; she later had a close relationship with another of her husband's friends, the courtier and soldier William Compton.