a5) foreign policy

Question 1

Backstory of Brittany and France?

Answer 1

• Brittany was ruled by Francis II, Duke of Brittany- he was old and had no heir- not a threat
• Charles 8’s sister, Anne of Beaujeu, wanted Brittany
• Anne wanted Charles to marry Francis’ daughter, Anne of Brittany
• Brittany is in the North West of France and Henry stayed there during his exile.

Question 2

What is a fiefdom and how does it relate to Brittany?

Answer 2

An area ruled by a feudal overlord

• Brittany was ruled over by Duke Francis II
• He had no sons, only his daughter as heir- Anne of Brittany
• The French used this opportunity to claim Brittany back

Question 3

Why was H7 concerned abt French influence in Brittany?

Answer 3

F already the biggest and strongest country in Europe- this would make it even stronger

• If F controlled Brittany, would increase their potential to invade England
• F would control most of the Southern shore of the channel and B’s maritime and port resources.
• H7 felt he owed B as it helped him during his exile

BUT

• Didn’t want to antagonise France
• Didn’t want to strain his finances in a war

Question 4

What conflict was in Brittany?

Answer 4

• In JULY 1488, France beat Breton forces at St. Aubin de Corbier
• Francis died and Anne of Beaujeu took over as WARDSHIP of Anne of Brittany

Question 5

What Treaties are relevant to Brittany?

Answer 5

Tof Redon - Feb. 1489

Tof Dordrecht - Feb. 1489

Tof Medina del Campo - March. 1489

Question 6

What was the Treaty of Redon?

Answer 6

Feb. 1489

• H7 agreed to send 6,000 (under command of Lord Daubeney) to defend Brittany if Anne of Brittany paid for the eng. troops and made no alliances without H7’s approval

Question 7

What was the Treaty of Dordrecht?

Answer 7

Feb. 1489

• H7 agreed to send 5,000 troops to Maximillian to help defend a garrison under siege in return for sending troops to help Brittany.

BUT Max didn’t send any troops and made peace w the French instead.

Question 8

What was the Treaty of Medina del Campo?

Answer 8

March. 1489

• Eng and Spain agree to g to war w F to regain NORMANDY and AQUITAINE in return for H’s son marrying CoA.

BUT Ferdinand and Isabella withdrew the troops they sent.

Question 9

What were reasons FOR English action in France/ continuing the conflict?

Answer 9

• MONEY- H7 had raised a large amount of money from grants in 1489 and 1491 + a benevolence in 1490 (£181,500)- subjects would be angry if he didn’t spend it in war w France

-PRESTIGE- would int. humiliate H7- would lose credibility/ prestige if didn’t fight/ lost- he had promised to go to the battle himself. Was also normal for Eng. Kings to campaign into France- help dynasty.

-SCOT RELEVENCE- J4 of Scot. had dropped plans for a Franco-Scottish marriage alliance and opned negotiations for an Eng one- would secure the border.

Question 10

What were reasons AGAINST English action in France/ continuing the conflict?

Answer 10

-SUPPORT- was unlikley to recieve much foreign support- esp. from Max who didn;t help w Brittany and instead made peace w France so he could continue his ambitions in Hungary.

-YORKISTS- worried abt F backing Yorkist challenged/ usurpation- it had openly promoted PW.

-DRAINING- would be draining and probs end in defeat as F so big and powerful

Question 11

What was France like now?

Answer 11

• Charles 8 becomes King 1483- inherits a F that had increased in size an dpower during 15th cent. F was strong bc of its resources:
• Largest and most proffesional army in Europe
• Financially strong- the state had considerable power in the collection of taxes
• Largest population in Europe of abt 15million
• This ‘rejuvenated’ France could now look to secure Brittany and to persue its claims to Milan and Naples.

Question 12

What was H7’s invasion of France?>

Answer 12

• OCTOBER 1492 landed army of 12,000 in CALAIS and besiged Boulogne
• Plan was to persuade Charles 8 to NEGOTIATE as H had informants in F and knew C wanted to invade Italy, so would rather settle w Eng than waste time fighting
• H also wanted to win back prestige after B defeat and ensure his nobility supported him

Question 13

What was the Treaty of Etaples?

Answer 13

NOVEMBER 1492- F agreed to give a £159,000 pension (£5,000 a year) to Eng in return for Eng removing al its troops from F and Brittany apart from Calais where it had a garrison.

• France agreed not to help Y pretenders esp. PW.

OUTCOME-

• Restored Eng relations w France
• Turned H’s defeat at Brittany to his advantage- won back prestige
• made a profit as had money left over from grants and benevolence + the pension from F.

Question 14

What were the Italian Wars?

Answer 14

F invaded Italy in 1494 and 1498

• H wanted it to keep happening as his rivals wouldn’t be helping PW.
• Spain and Max urged H to join an alliance against F but thi sowuld be costly to Henry and F could retaliate
• Kept focus away from H and by not getting involved he could choose what to do- no ties
• Continued until end of his reign

Question 15

How did Eng’s relationship w Burgundy deteriorate during H7’s reign?

Answer 15

In 1485 H still wasn’t accepted as king of eng.

• The basis of eng’s relationship w Burgundy has been a hatred of F. Maximillian of Burgundy was afraid of eng’s growing positive relations with F.
• H never managed to make a diplomatic agreement w B, but it was an imp. trading territory bc of the cloth and fish available in the area.
• Since he was unable to reach an agreement he had complicate affairs due to B being acquired by the Holy Roman Empire (1032)

Question 16

Who was Margaret of Burgundy?

Answer 16

Originally Marg. of York

• Born in Fotheringhay castle in Northhamptonshire, was the 3rd wife of CHARLES THE BOLD (married 1468) and became protector of the Burgundian state after his death in 1477.
• Daughter of Richard III
• Died 23rd Nov 1503

Question 17

why was MoB a threat?

Answer 17

• After R3 died the house of Y ceased to rule eng.- so M was a resolute supporter of anyone wanting to challenge the Tudors.
• She backed both Simnel and PW and even acknowledged PW as her nephew
• Aided PW by hiring mercenaries to accompany him in 1495.
• PW suffered a great defeat and failed to take Waterford in Ireland.

Question 18

Why was it imp to maintain good relationships w the Netherlands?

Answer 18

• Was where most Eng exports went through- essential for trade to keep good rel.
• ^ Aided eng. export of wool esp., and increased H’s TREASURY and provided income to the eng. economy, helping it to recover.
• Trade w the Netherland srelied heavily on unreliable of eng. cloth exports that were grante dby H to the MERCHANT ADVENTURERS COMPANY (a trading company based in London), this subsequently led to INTERCURSUS MAGNUS, a key treaty concerning commercial powers of countries, incl. the Netherlands.

Question 19

What was INTERCURSUS MAGNUS?

Answer 19

• FEB 1496- long lasting major commercial treaty signe dby H, Duke Philip IV of Burgundy, and commercial powers of varying countries.
• It granted reciprocal TRADE PRIVILIDGES to Eng and other Eu powers and est. their fixed TRADE DUTIES
• This led to an increase in H’s TREASURY which remaine dwhy good rel w netehrlands was imp for whole reign

Question 20

What treaties are relevant to Burgundy?

Answer 20

Dordrecht (feb 1489)
Aachen (June 1502)

Question 21

What was the Treaty of Aachen?

Answer 21

19th june 1502- H agreed treaty w holy roman emporer maximillian- H promised to give Max 10,000 crowns towards his war w Turkey and Max agreed to stop giving refuge to H’s enemies, esp. Edmund de la Pole.

Question 22

How did Burgundy bring H’s foreign policy into conflict?

Answer 22

• By 15th cent., B was Eng’s made trading partner for foreign exports- in trading w B, H was fulfilling one of his main policy aims of increasing Eng’s- but was this strong trade relationship at the expense of the security of the throne?

BUT
- Despite the importance of trade between B and Eng, H was under extreme pressure from MoB
- Max in 1490s was UNTRUSTWORTHY as he declared he’d plot against H if in his best interest to do so
- 1493 - PHILIP (Max’s son) took over B lands
- soon after, H, in the interests of Eng’s security, made a protest to Philip on the threats and plots supported eg. PW

Question 23

Which foreign policy did H choose to prioritise w Burgundy?

Answer 23

• Philip ignored H’s protests on the situation of MoB
• H decided he must prioritise the nat security of eng and its crown instead of continuing strong trade relations w Burgundy
• ^ essentially sacrificing revenue from foreign trade in exchange for the nat security that Ph wasn’t promising

-^ H implemented this by BANNING all Burgundian merchants from eng
- also placed an embargo on trade w the low countries.

Question 24

Did H’s national security plan concerning Burgundy last?

Answer 24

• H’s actions made it clear to Eu contemporaries that H would place his nat sec before matters of external trade
• BUT the embargo was lifted in 1496 when H and Ph reached a peace agreement- both eager to make a settlement shortly after departure of PW from B after late 1495
• Finally in 1496 after the thretas of nat sec had been resolved H and Ph reached magnus intercursus ( great settlement)- removed all barriers of trade between eng and Burg.
• so H no longer choosing to prioritise nat sec at the expense of trade.

Question 25

Who was Spain ruled by?

Answer 25

Queen Isabella of Catille and King Ferdinand II of Aragon - they had united Spain through a political/ marriage alliance after years of unrest and war

Question 26

What was the Treaty of Medina del Campo?

Answer 26

- March 1489 - Sp and Eng would not make treaties w France without asking eachother first - equal trading rights for eachothers merchants- reduced tarrifs - H's son Arthur would be married to I and F's youngetsdaughter, CoA

Question 27

What was the significance of Medina del Campo?

Answer 27

- it strengthened trading links - strengthened H's position- I and F agreed not to support pretenders agaisnt the eng throne - F obtained Eng support against F - marriage alliance- meant it could last in theory

Question 28

Immediate probs with Medina del Campo?

Answer 28

- was ultimately unsuccsesfull as the French took eng land of Brittany- the Breton crisis - ^ partly due to fact that soon after the treaty, F made peace w the French - an additional treaty was offered, upon which H's assent was conditioned, but this T eventually rejected by the Spanish rulers - Eventually, the terms regarding the marriage were renegotiated in 1492, then again in 1497

Question 29

how did Arthur's death complicate relations with Spain?

Answer 29

- 1502, A died, breaking the marriage alliance w Spain - dangerous for H- without marriage alliance, risked losing alliance w Spain - prince Henry could marry CoA but needed pope's permission as she was his brother's widow- sister and brother in law.

Question 30

What was the Treaty of Windsor?

Answer 30

- 1506 SECRET between H7 and Philip of Burgundy- both agreed to ally themselves unconditionally - Ph promised to return the Earl of Suffolk (Edmund de la pole)- the Yorkist pretender who had fled to Max's court in 1501 - marriage arranged between his sister, Margaret of Austria, and H7 but she refused - H also agreed to protect the Netherlands whilst Ph was absent in Spain and to assist him in conquering Castille if help is needed. - Henry agreed to allow Philip free passage through the English Channel so that he could easily travel between Spain and the Netherlands.

Question 31

What were the outcomes of the Treaty of Windsor?

Answer 31

Ferdinand was soon informed of H betraying him- weakend relationship - but it enhanced Eng's position in Eu politics - contributes to H's aim of building good relationships

Question 32

Why were realtions with Spain important?

Answer 32

- Sp posed as a potential rival to eng - some sp foreign policy, such as wanting to secure their northern border by retaking some french lands, meant there was a possibility of conflict w Sp and F - ^ could have been beneficial to eng as Fr was a threat, so with another country at war, eng could hav ebecome safer w less risk of F invasion -Sp useful alliance as CoA married both H's sons

Question 33

why was Scotland a problem?

Answer 33

- nation of 400,000 people - ruled by James IV since 1488 - bordered eng- a constant threat - its countryside not v flat so made invasions of sc v difficult - Sc and F often allied together in a united hatred of eng + catholicism- dangerous as could attack H at same time on two fronts - Edward had taken to towns Berwick and Dunbar which the scots wanted to reclaim

Question 34

What were relations with Scotland 1485-95?

Answer 34

- had been tense in early years of H's reign - H did not want trouble w his northern neighbours - James III wanted to make a truce w eng- in 1486 a 3 year truce was signed - 1488 James III defeated in rebeliion ( w figurehead J4) - J4 was 15 at the time - the men ruling scotland at the time were no friends of eng and wanted to renue the AULD ALLIANCE between scot and F. - H succeeded in 1492 to rid of the hostile sc gov but the coming of age of J4 was a setback for H- the new scot king wanted war w eng

Question 35

What were relations with Scotland 1495-96?

Answer 35

deteriorated! - The arrival of PW in 1495 boosted J4 to start a war - PW stayed for 2 years at Sc court - J4 encouraged PW to cross the border w an army in 1496 - recieved no support- prompted H to raise a larger army and launch invasion of scotland - Sc was drawing tighter links w F - PW turned out to be of limited value to J4 - by Autumn 1497 he was making peace w eng

Question 36

What was the Cornish rebellion?

Answer 36

1497 - H demanded exceedingly high taxes from the Cornish to wage war in scot against PW - large rebellion in Cornwall- took place in Ayton, few miles north of eng border - sc always posed a danger to eng - sc was hostile to eng and had an alliance w france - both eng and scotland wanted to secure immediate truce - H built the largest army of his reign to protect J4 from invasion at the start of the cornish rebellion

Question 37

What were relations with Scotland 1498 onwards?

Answer 37

- significantly improved overall - meant J4 had no use for PW so could execute him in 1499 - despite treaties, relations still strained and tension at the border and border raids continued - J4's expansion of his navy added to this strain and rivalry - H had only stabilised the N border had not secured it

Question 38

What was the truce of Ayton?

Answer 38

- created 1497, confirmed in 1502 after PW's execution - J4 agreed not to attack eng - important for H as eng and sc hadnt had any worthwhile agreements since 1328

Question 39

What was the Treaty of Perpetual Peace?

Answer 39

1502- formal peace treaty setting up marriage between Margaret and J4 on 8th August 1503 - imp for H as created a longlasting bond between eng and sc- effective as at peace till end of his reign

Question 40

Where did Eng power extend to in Ireland?

Answer 40

only as far as the 'Pale'- an area of land surrounding Dublin around 80km along the east coast - rest of Ireland controlled by Angle- Norman barons- the Fitzgeralds and the Butlers - Eng had 4 permanent garrisons- one of which was in Ireland

Question 41

Who was the dominant figure in Ireland and why did H fear him?

Answer 41

The Earl of Kildare was the Lord Deputy of I and was the leader of the Fitzgerald family - H feared him due to his Y sympathies- PW nad Lambert Simnel

Question 42

What action did H7 take in Ireland?

Answer 42

Kildare's actions forced H into action - he used a COSTLY approach to the rule of the Pale, through an Englishman backed by armed forces, instead of the cheap Irish aristocracy - appointed prince henry as LEUITENANT of Ireland and appointed Sir Edward Poynings as his deputy - ^ P passed ' Poyning's law' in 1495 which made Ireland need eng's permission before passing laws, and attempted to implement eng law in ireland but maintaining law in irealnd was too costly so he decided to rule through cheiftains

Question 43

How successful were H's actions in Ireland?

Answer 43

successful as he re-established eng power by threat and bribery - made irish gov pass pyning's law in 1495 - by 1496 Kildare decided there were no benefits in supporting Ys

Question 44

How were improved relations with Ireland achieved in late 1400s?

Answer 44

by 1496, Kildare realised there was no benefit in supporting Ys so served loyally to H by securing the submission of various Irish cheiftains -^ this meant by the late 1400s, H had secured some level of authority over Ireland.

Question 45

How important were Irish relations?

Answer 45

area not vital addition to H as it provided few increases in economic resources or physical power - it added more probs given Kildare's Y sympathies and the expenses of maintaining law and order