 Hoping to take advantage of Henry's absence at the siege of Thérouanne, he led an invading army southward into Northumberland, only to be killed, with many of his nobles and common soldiers, and also several churchmen, including his son the archbishop of St Andrews, at the disastrous Battle of Flodden on 9 September 1513.This was one of Scotland's worst military defeats in history and the loss of not only a popular and capable king, but also a large portion of the political community, was a major blow to the realm.James IV's son, James V, was crowned three weeks after the disaster at Flodden, but was not yet two years old, and his minority was to be fraught with political upheaval.