3- WAS WAR OR DIPLOMACY OF THE GREATEST BENEFIT TO THE ENGLISH CROWN IN THE PERIOD 1399-1509? Flashcards
Why was foreign war a double-edged sword for late
medieval monarchs.
On one hand, it was soon as the kings sovereign duty to protect his realm
from outside threats and it is notable that the Country was particularly prone to rebellion or hostile
parliaments when there was a threut of invasion, espocially from France. Wales or Scotland. For
example, Richard If faced the Peasants’ Revolt in 1381 alter a number of serious French raids on
the south coast, while Herry IV faced the Archbishop Scrope’s rebellion in the same year as a
revolt in Wales from Oxain Clynowr. Kings, once they were of age, were expected to act as military
leaders and fight personally in battles. Doing so proved their skills as a warrior and commander,
as demanded by medieval concepts of honour, and also provided the opportunity for their men to
conquer foreign territory, which was an important source of income for many nobles in this period
Double-edged sword- On the other hand,
foreign war was a costly and uncertain business: just as victories enhanced a
monarch’s reputation, defeafs, especially if they were seen to be the result of poor leadership or
dishonorable conduct, could seriously damage a king’s status. In addition, war had to be funded
Through taxation and parliament had to agree to these grants As the Commons often used requests
for taxation as an opportunity to raise grievances concerning the government of the realm, gaining
money in this way could be problematic, especially for a monarch in a weak political position.
Henry V, Henry VI and the Hundred Years War- In terms of foreign war, who was the most successful monarch
In terms of foreign war. Henry V was the most successtul monarch, conquerng large amounts
of land in Prance and massively increasing his popuanty with the nobles. who often benefited
substantially from these victores. The Treary of Troves, which was signed in 1420 and made
Henry V heir to the French throne, was the high point of the lundred Years War tor England and
was the culmination of a series of important mi.itary victones, the most spectacular being those at
Harfleur and Agincourt in 1 415 and Rouen (the capital of Normandy) in 1419 (sce also Chapter 1).
How did Henry V cause problems for Henry VI
It is very unlikcly that the English could
have maintained control of those vast arcas of land indefinitely Honry V thercore, bequeathed to
his baby son the glorious title of “Kong of England and France, but there cun be little doubt that
this was a poisoned chalice Problems in France were to overshadow Henry Vl’s rein and the need for continuing requests to parliament for taxation to further the war effort made his regime very
vulnerable to criticism
During Henry VI’s minority,
the king’s uncle, John, duke of Bedford, had the difcult role of trying to
maintain the English conquests in France and enforcing the terms of the treaty. This was particularly
tricky as, while the treaty had been widely accepted in the north of France, it was bitterly resented
in much of the south, where the Armagnac supported the claim of the French Dauphin, Charles,
to the French throne.
Initially, however, Bedford was successful
Initially, however, Bedford was successful in 1424, convincingly defeating the
dauphin’s French-Scottish army at the Battle of Verneuil. Nevertheless, the military situation rapidly
changed as the English turned their attention towards Orléans in the late 1420s. This change in
fortunes is often attributed to the role not of a seasoned military leader, but instead to an uneducated
peasant girl - the famous Joan of Arc.
Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc was a teenage peasant girl from the village of Domremy, which lay in lands claimed
by the duke of Burgundy but which had always remained loyal to the claim of the French Dauphin,
Charles. She claimed to hear the voices of God and the saints telling her it was her mission to save
France and, during 1429, she led Charles forces successfully against the English, winning a number
of important victories for the French that led to the dauphin being crowned King Charles VIl of
France in July 1429, while Joan looked on
Although Joan of Arc brief, why was she still very important
Although Joan of Arc’s role in the Hundred Years War was brief (she was only active between
1429 and 1431), The fact that she was successful in ensuring the dauphin was crowned was highly
significant: by 1435, Philip, duke of Burgundy, abandoned his allegiance to the English and instead
declared his loyalty to Charles, which meant that the English had little hope of making the Treaty of
Troyes a workable reality
Impact of Joan of Arc on Henry VI
This was to become a long-standing problem for Henry VI, as his very public fallure to live up to
the memory of his father was one factor in undermining him. Civen his young age in the 1420s and
1430s however, it was his advigers rather than the sing personally who were held responsible. It is
also unlikely that in the long term this would have been so problematic had Henry VI shown himself
as competent in other areas of government. such as managing finance or the nobility but given his
uniform weakness it oecame another area for criticism as he grew to adulthood
In practical terms, the English government came to realise that a new treaty with France was
required.
Negotiated primarily by Edmund Beaufo
duke of Somerset and William de la Pole, duke of Suffolk, this agreement attempted to secure
more lasting peace by arranging a marriage in 1445 between Henry VI of England and the French
princess, Margaret of Anjou. Problematically, however, the treaty surrendered the hard-won region
of Maine to France, a clause which was so controversial that it initially had to be kept secret becausi
of fear of public outcry in England. When news of this arrangement emerged in 1447, it created
considerable public hostility towards Henry VI and his French wife Margaret, as well as to his key
advisers in this matter, Somerset and Suffolk.
