Foreign Policy

Question 1

What 2 main questions fall under Henry VII FP?

Answer 1

1. How did relations with foreign powers change
2. How was the succession secured

Question 2

What 6 categories fall under Henry VII FP?

Answer 2

1. Trade
2. Scotland
3. Spain
4. France & Brittany
5. Burgundy & HRE
6. Succession

Question 3

Why did Henry VII want to increase trade?

Answer 3

• England was poor
• Saw trade as an additional way to increase finances

Question 4

What 5 things did Henry do to increase trade?

Answer 4

1. 1485-86 Trade agreements
   - Navigation Act: Prohibited English merchants loading goods onto foreign ships unless there were no English ships available
   - Commercial treaty with France: Removed all restrictions on Anglo-French trade
   - Commercial treaty with Brittany (July 1486): henry owed Duke Francis II of Brittany a debt of gratitude for harbouring him in exile (1471-1485)
2. 1489 Commercial alliance with Portugal: New trade partner
3. 1490 Treaty with Florence: Allowed English wool to be imported into Florence’s main Port (Pisa)
4. 1492 Imposed Tariffs on Venetian wine: Venetian government lifted import duties
5. 1496 Intercursus Magnus: Free trade deal with Burgundy: By 1509 England was exporting over half of cloth exports into Europe, Cloth produce risen by 60% (1485-1509)
   - Intercursus Magnus ensures Philip of Castile could not support Pretenders (Warbeck) as Margaret of Burgundy had done

Question 5

What was Scotland’s situation during the reign?

Answer 5

• Only country to share a border with England
• Cross-border lawlessness was the done thing
• Scotland worked closely with France through the ‘Auld alliance’, which was anti-English
• Between 1485-95 relations with Scotland were tense with King James IV

Question 6

Foreign relations with Scotland?
(3 things)

Answer 6

1. 1493 9 year truce: Made after pro-English Earl of Angus took control
2. 1497 Treaty of Ayton: Scots stopped supporting Warbeck, forced to flee bringing Scottish FP crisis to an end
   - After Warbeck’s execution (1499) it became a full peace treaty
   - First agreement of its kind since 1328
   - Treaty had both interests as Cornish rebellion arose from invasion of Scotland (1497)
3. 1502 Treaty of Perpetual peace: James IV & Margaret (Henry’s daughter) marry (1503), extending truce

Question 7

What was Spain’s situation during the reign?

Answer 7

• Marriage of Ferdinand of Aragon * Isabella of Castile brought both Spanish Kingdoms together
• Death of Isabella (1504) destabilised Spain
• Saw Ferdinand of Aragon & Philip of Castile into conflict as Ferdinand tried to takes control of Castile
• Had a significant effect of Henry’s FP

Question 8

Foreign relations with Spain?
(8 things)

Answer 8

1. March 28th 1489: Treaty of Medina Del Campo: Ferdinand (Aragon) & Isabella (Castille) recognised Henry VII as King, ended trade restrictions, Catherine of Aragon marriage to Prince Arthur agreed, agreed to go war with France to recover Normandy & Aquitane
2. 1501: Marriage of Catherine & Prince Arthur
3. 2nd April 1501: Arthur dies
4. 1503: Elizabeth of York dies, Henry VIII’s marriage to C of A agreed
5. 1504: Death of Isabella of Castille
6. 1505: Treaty of Blois: Between Ferdinand (Aragon) & France, Ferdinand marries Germaine De Foix (Niece of Louis XII), French helps Aragon fight Philip of Castille
7. 1508: League of Cambrai, Louis XII & Spain main players, England isolated from FP, Henry is ageing so could be seen as a plus
8. 22nd April 1509: Henry VII dies, Henry VIII becomes King, Henry VIII & C of A marry 11th June (1509)

Question 9

What was France’s situation during the reign?

Answer 9

• Most powerful European country
• France sought to bring Duchies like Brittany & Burgundy under French control
• This had implications for wider European FP
• England & France shared hostilities including the Hundred Years war (1337-1453)

Question 10

Foreign relations with France & Brittany?
(7 things)

Answer 10

1. 1489 Treaty of Redon: Between Brittany & England, 6,000 troops under Lord Daubeney was to defend Breton independence, Duchess Anne of Brittany paid for troops, She is not to make other alliances
2. 1489 Treaty of Dordrecht: Henry to send 3,000 troops to help Maximillian I (HRE) fight the French but Maximillian did not provide troops
3. 1491 Anne married Charles VIII, France took Brittany (Anne broke Treaty of Redon)
4. Nov 1492: Treaty of Etaples: England led 12,000 troops into Brittany, Treaty removed all English troops from France (bar Calais), France to pay England £159,000 over £5,000 annual sums & withdraw support for Warbeck (major success)
5. 1495: Holy League (League of Venice) set up to oppose France during the Italian wars, England was forced into this entanglement
6. 1505: Treaty of Blois (ref above)
7. 1507 League of Cambrai (ref above)

Question 11

What was Burgundy & HRE’s situation during the reign?

Answer 11

• HRE loose federation of 300 states
• Elected emperor always an Austrian Habsburg
• Maximilian I elected 1486 & became emperor 1493
• Margaret (widowed Duchess of Burgundy) was sister to Richard III & Edward IV so led the Yorkist cause
• Duchy of Burgundy had been taken over by the French Crown
• Title of Duke of Burgundy would pass to Maximilian I
• Most of the low countries were under Maximilian’s suzerainty

Question 12

Foreign relations with Burgundy & HRE during the reign?
(8 things)

Answer 12

1. 1487: Margaret of Burgundy sends 2,000 mercenaries to aid Simnel against Henry
2. 1487: Treaty with HRE, Better security & less chance of invasion backed by Maximilian I
3. Feb 1489: Treaty of Dordrecht (ref above)
4. July 1489: Maximilian makes peace with Charles VIII of France
5. 1493: Trade embargo on Burgundy: Risk in order to Kick Warbeck out of exile (conflicted Henry’s aims of securing dynasty & increasing trade)
6. 1496: Intercursus Magnus ended trade embargo (ref above)
7. 1506: Philip of Burgundy is shipwrecked in England
8. 1506: Intercursus Malus: Burgundy to give earl of Suffolk (Edmund De la Pole) back, Henry instead had to buy him back (£158,000) & promised not to execute him, allowed English cloth to be exported without tax
   - Reverted (1507) after Philip (took jurisdiction over Netherlands 1494) died

Question 13

Securing the Succession?
(1486-96)
(5 things)

Answer 13

1. 19th September 1486: Prince Arthur is born
2. 26th March 1489: Treaty of Medina del Campo, Arthur & C of A to be married
3. 27th Nov 1489: Margaret Tudor born
4. 25th June 1491: Prince Henry born
5. 1496: Mary Tudor born

Question 14

Securing Succession?
(1501-09)
(7 things)

Answer 14

1. September 1501: Catherine of Aragon arrives in England
2. Nov 1501: Catherine & Arthur marry
3. 2nd April 1502: Arthur dies
4. 1503: Prince Henry promised to Catherine of Aragon marriage
5. 1503: Margaret marries James IV of Scotland
6. 22nd April 1509: Henry VII dies, Henry VIII ascends
7. 11th June 1509: Henry VIII marries Catherine

Question 15

Was Henry’s FP successful?

Answer 15

• Successful
• Managed to react well to sudden issues that arose such as the death of Isabella of Castille (1504) & the death of his son Arthur (1502)
• Henry ensured largely he stayed out of issues that were not England’s priority & when decisions were made they were pragmatic & not irrational
• At times England was left isolated (1508 League of Cambrai) however this boded well for England as they needed to consolidate rather than entangle themselves in futile escapades in Europe
• Often than not Henry secured 2 birds with 1 stone often in his FP promoting his efficiency & shrewd nature