England's relations with Scotland and other foreign powers, 1485-1509 Flashcards
What was the Hundred Years War?
Conflict that lasted on and off from 1337 to 1453, and was fought between England and the country seen by many English people as the traditional enemy: France
Why did Henry sought to maintain positive relations with foreign powers (3)?
National security
Recognition of the Tudor dynasty
Defence of English trading interests
Where did Henry’s first major foreign policy involvement come in?
Britanny, a fiefdom of the French Crown which had enjoyed effective independence
What is suzerainty?
The feudal control of one territory by another
Why was Henry so alarmed by the fact that following an invasion in 1487 it looked as if the French would gain complete control of Brittany which made him summon Parliament to grant him extraordinary revenue to raise an army against the French?
His sense of obligation to the Bretons
His hear that direct French control of Brittany could increase a potential French threat to England
Who is Maximilian I?
Maximilian I was Holy Roman Emperor from 1493 to 1519, though he had taken over rule of the Empire in 1486. In 1477 he had married Margaret of Burgundy and through her had gained control of the Netherlands, England’s main trading partner.
What is marriage-by-proxy?
One or both of the individuals being united is not physically present, usually being represented instead by another person
Who was Charles VIII?
Charles VIII was King of France from 1483 to 1498. He ruled in his own right from 1491, and his main concern was to assert his claim to the throne of the kingdom of Naples in the Italian peninsula. This reduces any potential threat from Charles to Henry VII
What was the Treaty of Redon?
England and Brittany agreed the Treaty of Redon in February 1489, according to which the Duchess Anne would pay for a small English army to defend Brittany from the French threat
What was the situation of Scotland during Henry VII?
Scotland was the only country with which England shared a border, and where cross-border lawlessness was a way of life. Scotland often worked closely with France as part of the ‘auld alliance’, which was explicitly anti-English
What was the situation of France during the reign of Henry VII?
The most powerful European country, France was seeking to bring duchies like Brittany and Burgundy more directly under the control of the French Crown, which had important implications for wider European relations. France and England shares a long-standing hostility which included the Hundred Years War, 1337-1453.
What was the situation of the Holy Roman Empire during the reign of Henry VII?
The Holy Roman Empire was a loose federation of about 300 states, mostly situated in what is now Germany. The Emperor was elected, though by the later fifteenth century the elected emperor was always a member of the Austrian Habsburg dynasty. Maximilian emperor in 1493
What was the situation of Ireland during the reign of Henry VII?
The position of Ireland at this time was something of an anomaly. There was no separate Irish state. The title of ‘Lord if Ireland’ had been granted by the Pope to the King of England in the 12th century
What was the situation of the Duchy of Burgundy?
The medieval power of the Duchy of Burgundy has been broken with the death of Duke Charles the Bold in 1477, after which the lands of the duchy proper had been resumed by the French Crown.
However, the title of Duke of Burgundy would pass to Maximilian, Holy Roman Emperor, and most of the Low Countries were under Maximilian’s suzerainty.
What was the situation of Spain during the reign of Henry VII?
The marriage of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile in 1469 helped to bring the two kingdoms together, giving them a facade of unity. However, the death of Isabella in 1504 weakened that perception and the next few years saw Ferdinand involved in conflict to reassert his control over Castile, which would have a significant effect on Henry VII’s foreign policy
