Henry’s aims in foreign policy - constantly refer to which factor shows these in essay. IMPORTANT
- Henry’s foreign policy was dictated by two things; the circumstances in which he succeeded, and his lack of money - both made him more defensive than his predecessors
- Henry feared invasion from Englands traditional enemies, France and Scotland = Auld alliance.
- As a usurper he needed to gain recognition for his dynasty from other European powers.
- Needed to gain allies to discourage attacks, e.g when Margaret of Burgundy attempted to restore the Yorkist line to the throne
- Avoiding war as it was costly, Henry’s annual revenue by the end of his reign was £113,000 in comparison to France’s £800,000 and HRE £1.1 Million
- Henry wanted to use foreign policy to increase revenue by manuring the cloth trade with Burgundy, however this was a secondary aim compared to national security, shown when Henry suspends trade with Burgundy when they support Warbeck
Henry’s aims briefly
- National and international security, Henry was aware that during the wars of the roses, 3 English kinds had been defeated by rivals supported by France and Burgundy
- Trade, used to increase revenue, economic prosperity generated increased employment and personal wealth, circumstances which would deter rebellion
- Recognition of and the development of the Tudor dynasty
Essay structure para - foreign policy
- P1 - 1485 - 92, Henry followed a policy of diplomacy to secure the throne
- P2 - 1493 - 1502, Peace with Scotland secured, Henry’s position strong and policy successful.
- P3 - 1502 - 1509, Henry’s position weakened, he is isolated
Or you could divide paras into countries e.g
P1 - France
P2 - Scotland
P3 - Spain & Burgundy
Breton crisis
- 1493 Charles VIII came to the throne as a minor, his sister Anne acted as a regent and her main aim was to recover Brittany.
- But Duke of Brittany Francis II, wanted to preserve independence.
- Anne proposed a marriage of Francis older daughter Anne of Brittany to Charles, but she was already promised to Maximillian, heir of HRE.
- Anne (of France) sent a force to Brittany in 1487, but both Maximilian and Ferdinand of Aragon did not want France to secure Brittany, they sent troops to aid Brittany
Why was the Breton crisis a problem to Henry and what did he do?
- Military intervention seemed necessary, if France gained Brittany it would have greatly strengthened them with control of almost the entire southern shore of the channel
- Henry owed Francis II a debt of gratitude for sheltering him in exile
- England couldn’t financially afford war, and Henry didn’t want to antagonize the French so early in his reign
- Henry unofficially aided Brittany with 500 men
- Issued and apology to the French and claimed it was a mistake so that he did not get on bad terms
Treaty of Redon Feb 1489
- With Brittany a Henry agreed to send 6000 troops, paid for by Anne of Brittany
Treaty of Dordrecht feb 1489
- Both Henry and Maximilian agreed to send 3,000 troops
FAIL
- Maximilian didn’t and actually made peace with Charles VIII in July 1489
Treaty of Medina del Campo, march 1489
- Henry and Spain agree to go to war against France in order to recover lost territories ( Normandy and Aquitaine) for England.
- Their alliance was cemented by the arrangement of Henry’s son Arthur and Catherine of Aragon marriage when they came of age
- however Ferdinand was distracted by issues closer to home and withdrew his forces.
Breton : Anne of France success
- December 1491, Brittany accepted defeat and Anne of Brittany was married to Charles VIII of France
- Henry prepared an invasion fleet of 26,000 men but didn’t set sail until a year later
Treaty of Etaples nov 1492
Success:
- France agreed to give substantial financial income ( 50,000 crowns annually), which amounted to 50% of royal income
- Give no aid to English rebels, particularly Warbeck
- Pay most of Henry’s expenses in Brittany
- France was now closed to Yorkists
Unsuccessful:
- Shows Henry’s financial instability and reliance on France
- France has extreme power, financially and they now control Brittany
Henry joins Holy League 1496 ( Anti French Alliance)
- Included The Pope, Ferdinand, Maximilian, Venice and Milan.
- Aimed to drive France out of Italy
- Meanwhile Henry secured a trade agreement with France
Conclusion for France
- Henry was ultimately diplomatically isolated and failed.
- Henry tried to arrange an anti Spanish alliance with the French and Netherlands in 1508 = League of cambrai, but last minute Louis XII, King of France, decided not to join as he didn’t want to antagonize Ferdinand, and they went onto form their own league
- However the league didn’t threaten English interests, and their relations with France had improved, which in turn meant that Scotland was less of a threat.
1485 - 92 para & contextish SCOTLAND foreign policy
- Henry came to throne at a difficult time between England and Scotland.
- Scots were determined to take back the border towns of Berwick and Dunbar
- The Auld alliance was threatening
- Instability brought on by events of Bosworth meant border raids were likely
- Yorkist rebels were receiving shelter in Scotland
1486 - 1488 Scotland foreign policy
1486 - Under James III
- Scot’s recapture Dunbar, and Henry turns a blind eye.
- Signed a 3 year treaty in July, under which dispute over Berwick was resolved by commissioners.
BAD:
1488 - Under James III killed and replaced by James IV, which was frustrating for Henry as he had to rebuild relations with a new monarch
- James IV was a minor and his regency council was filled with anti English nobles.
Truce of Ayton 1497
- 7 year truce with Scotland, meant Scotland stopped supporting Perkin Warbeck.
- Anglo-Scottish relations continued to improve
Treaty of Perpetual Peace 1502
- Due to Anglo - Scottish relations improving
- Margaret was to be married to James
Conclusion foreign policy Scotland
GOOD:
- Treaty of perpetual peace
- Truce of Ayton
- 1503 Henry’s daughter Margaret and James IV marry
BAD:
- Border raids continued until Henry’s death
- James expansion of his navy led to strained relations in the final years of Henry’s reign
- Henry had only stabilized not secured his northern border
- 1495 Perkin Warbeck was welcomed by James, given £1200 per annum and a marriage to James cousin.
How did England and Spain become allies?
Through the marriage between Arthur and Catherine of Aragon
Arthur’s death 1502 (chaos)
- Henry VII didn’t want prince Henry to marry Catherine of Aragon, as it would give him no benefit as after her mother Isabelle of Castile died, eldest daughter Joanna would inherit the larger and more important territory of Castile
- BUT the English cloth trade needed the commercial links with Burgundy.
- Meanwhile Philip’s father Maximilian was sheltering Edmund de la pole
- Henry started to remove England from a Spanish alliance .
Treaty of Blois 1505
- Ferdinand (Spain) knew his English alliance was slipping away, therefore he returned to France
- Louis XII, concerned with the expansion of the Habsburg dynasty agreed to an alliance
- Ferdinand married Louis niece, Germaine de Fox
Intercursus Magnus 1496
SUCCESSFUL
- Signed with the Archduke Philip when he had withdrawn support for Warbeck
- Meant that English merchants could trade freely in all parts of Burgundy except Flanders at first.
Intercursus Malus 1506
FAILED
- England and Burgundy had trade disagreements between 1496 - 1506
- It was so favourable to English interests that it aroused fierce opposition in Burgundy and was never implemented
March 1506 foreign policy Spain
Edmund de la pole handed over by Philip FINALLY on the condition that his life would be spared.
Changing European powers
- 1506, Philip dies and Ferdinand resumes control of Castile
- Maximillian assumed Burgundy for his young grandson Charles
- This left Henry isolated and exposed, with no allies
