England's relations with foreign powers, 1558-64 (17)

Question 1

Who was England in conflict with when Elizabeth came to the throne?

Answer 1

France

Question 2

What was the outcome of the war against France for England?

Answer 2

England lost Calais and had seriously weekend the Crown’s finances.

Question 3

What was concluded and when between England and France?

Answer 3

A peace treaty at Cateau-Cambresis in April 1559, in which England and France and also reached an agreement over vexed issue of Calais.

Question 4

What was concluded about Calais?

Answer 4

France would retain Calais for 8 years, after which time Calais would restored to English control provided England had kept peace in the meantime.

Question 5

What would happen if France failed to return Calais?

Answer 5

They agreed to pay 500,000 crowns £125,000 to England.

Question 6

When did further problems emerge?

Answer 6

After the death in June 1559 of Henry II of France.

Question 7

Who was Henry II succeeded by?

Answer 7

His eldest son Francis II, whose wife was Mary Queen of Scots, Elizabeth’s cousin the main Catholic claimant to the English throne.

Question 8

What did Francis’s accession bring?

Answer 8

A strongly Catholic Guise faction to power in France.

Question 9

Where were French troops sent to?

Answer 9

French troops were sent to garrison major Scottish fortresses, much to the alarm of John Knox, the radical Calvinist who was the leader of the Scottish Reformation, and his political allies, the Lords of the Congregation, who were seeking power in Edinburgh.

Question 10

What was Elizabeth cautious about?

Answer 10

Interfering in the domestic affairs of another nation in which subjects were rebelling against sovereign authority and was reluctant to intervene in Scotland.

Question 11

Who did support the intervention?

Answer 11

Cecil

Question 12

What Cecil sympathise with?

Answer 12

With the religious predicament of Scottish Protestants and knew that England would be more secure without a French force north of the border.

Question 13

What did Cecil also sought to remove?

Answer 13

He sought to remove Mary Queen of Scots, which would weaken her influence as a potential Catholic claimant to the English throne.

Question 14

What did Cecil want to do with Scotland?

Answer 14

Wanted to incorporate Scotland within a wider “imperial” British State, which he considered necessary for the survival of Protestant England.

Question 15

What did Cecil persuade Elizabeth to do?

Answer 15

To intervene by playing on her insecurity.

Question 16

What does the intervention in Scotland show?

Answer 16

That decision-making in foreign policy could be influenced both by religious considerations and a key individual.

Question 17

What was intervention limited to?

Answer 17

Money and armaments

Question 18

Where and when did the navy do to stop the French reinforcements landing?

Answer 18

Towards the end of December 1559 the navy was sent to the Firth of Forth to stop French reinforcements from landing.

Question 19

What were the Lords of the Congregation offered?

Answer 19

Conditional support at the Treaty of Berwick in February 1560, and in March 1560 an army was sent north.

Question 20

What did the army and navy do?

Answer 20

Blockade Leith, just outside Edinburgh and where most of the French force was situated, from land and sea.

Question 21

What was the result of the blockade?

Answer 21

It failed but due to the French fleet severely damaged by storm and Mary of Guise died, the French were forced to withdraw.

Question 22

How had Cecil triumphed?

Answer 22

In the interests of Scottish Protestants he had been protected and the political influence of Mary had been significantly reduced.

Question 23

When did conflict break out between Catholics and Protestants in France?

Answer 23

March 1562

Question 24

What did Robert Dudley and the Earl of Leicester encourage Elizabeth to do?

Answer 24

To put military pressure on the French Crown when it was in a relatively weak state so as to ensure the return of Calais.

Question 25

What did Elizabeth promise the Huguenot leader, the Prince of Conde?

Answer 25

600 men and a loan of £30,000, with control of the port of Le Havre as security.

Question 26

What happened to the Huguenot army?

Answer 26

They were defeated and Conde was captured.

Question 27

What did the French agree on?

Answer 27

The french agreed to drive the English out of Le Havre and therefore the English were forced to seek an unfavourable peace settlement at the subsequent Treaty of Troyes in 1564. this meant she lost Calais.