Foreign Policy 1509-1529

Question 1

What were Henry’s foreign policy aims?

Answer 1

To gain land on the continent, maintain strong links for trade, and go to war

Question 2

Why did Henry have little support for starting a war?

Answer 2

His ministers were more skilled at inaction and disagreed with Henry’s policy, and Archbishop Warren and Bishop Fox were determined to continue the policies of Henry VII, and tricked Henry into renewing a treaty with France in 1510

Question 3

When did Henry join the Holy League and with who?

Answer 3

He joined in November 1511 with the Holy League, the Pope, the Venetians, the Swiss and Ferdinand of Aragon, and he agreed to attack South West France with Ferdinand with the intention of capturing Guienne to which the English maintained a claim

Question 4

Why was the expedition in June 1512 a failure?

Answer 4

The expedition was a failure as Ferdinand had no intention of invading France and used the English troops in Guienne as a screen behind which he seized Navarre before withdrawing and making peace with the French

Question 5

Why did Wolsey rise?

Answer 5

He was tasked with organising the second expedition to France and allied to Ferdinand, Maximilian, the Netherlands and the Pope, and Henry personally led an army of 25,000 into northern France, where he captured Tournai and Therouanne

Question 6

What happened at the Battle of the Spurs?

Answer 6

English calvary won the battle of the Spurs, where they chased after a detachment of French horses and captured some notable prisoners

Question 7

Why was the second campaign only a short term success?

Answer 7

The two towns were very costly to get hold of and by 1514 Henry had spent all the money that his father had left him, and Tournai and Therouanne were more beneficial to Maximilian as they were on the Burgundy France border

Question 8

What happened in August 1514?

Answer 8

Maximilian and Ferdinand made peace with Louis XII so Henry had to follow suit in August 1514. Henry was allowed to keep Tournai and Therouanne, was recognised as having a claim to the French throne and received pension arrears, along with Mary, Henry’s sister, marrying Louis XII

Question 9

What happened with Scotland in 1512?

Answer 9

France secured an alliance with Scotland, intended to distract Henry from his campaign

Question 10

What was the Battle of Flodden?

Answer 10

It was a result of mounting border raids in Northern England during 1513, and 10,000 Scots were killed at Flooded, including a number of the nobility and shortly after James IV died

Question 11

Why was James IV’s death convenient for Henry?

Answer 11

A power vacuum was created as James V was only a child, and Henry’s sister Margaret was left in charge as regent

Question 12

What could be argued as a failure of Henry’s dealing with the Scots?

Answer 12

Henry had been in France during the entire period and Catherine was ultimately responsible for the success

Question 13

Why did the power balance in Europe massively shift?

Answer 13

Louis XII died in 1515, Ferdinand of Aragon died in 1516, and Maximilian died in 1519, populating Europe with new, young monarchs who could compete with Henry to be the centre of attention

Question 14

Who were the new monarchs in Europe?

Answer 14

Francis I became the king of France, aged 21. He immediately invaded and recaptured Milan from the Habsburgs, and Charles became the King of Spain aged 16, and later the Holy Roman Emperor in addition to his existing position of Duke of the Netherlands

Question 15

What did Wolsey do to maintain Henry’s authority, despite the major power shift?

Answer 15

He established England as the peacemaker between France and Spain

Question 16

When was the Treaty of London, and what issue did Wolsey use to place England at the centre of European diplomacy?

Answer 16

It took place in October 1518, and Pope Leo X wanted the general crusade to halt the spread of Ottoman power in Eastern Europe, although there was little chance of this actually happening

Question 17

What did Wolsey call for under the Treaty of London, and how did it make Henry pivotal to the power balance in Western Europe?

Answer 17

He called for all major powers in Europe to live under universal peace, and over 24 countries signed the treaty, which committed them to avoid war or risk being attacked by the rest of the countries involved, and Henry was so pivotal because each country signed a treaty separately with England rather than everyone signing the same document

Question 18

What was granted to Wolsey as a result of the Treaty of London?

Answer 18

He was granted Papal legate status, which put him on the same level as most European monarchs

Question 19

Why did the Treaty of London become shaky in 1519?

Answer 19

Charles was elected as the Holy Roman Emperor in 1519, making war between Charles and France inevitable, and joining either side had risks for Henry

Question 20

What did Henry do to try and maintain his peacekeeper status?

Answer 20

He met with Francis at the Field of the Cloth of Gold in June 1520, and met with Charles twice before and after the French meeting, which saw the formation of the Bruges alliance, whereby Henry would send an army in 1521 unless Francis agreed to peace

Question 21

What happened in 1522?

Answer 21

England declared war on France despite Wolsey’s reservations, and achieved next to nothing at a massive financial cost

Question 22

What happened in 1525?

Answer 22

The Battle of Pavia took place between Spanish Imperial forces and France, and Francis I was captured. Here, Henry called on Charles to help him end French independence, with France being divided into an English and Spanish zone, but Charles was reluctant to pursue English interests that did not match his own, and Henry couldn’t raise funds for an army of his own because of the Amicable Grant

Question 23

What was the Treaty of the More?

Answer 23

It was signed in August 1525 with France, and Henry gave up his claim to the French throne in return for an annual pension

Question 24

What was the League of Cognac?

Answer 24

It was the result of negotiations between France, the Pope, Venice and Florence for an anti-Habsburg alliance, which led to England being dragged into war against Charles

Question 25

Why did Henry’s decision to divorce Catherine of Aragon impact foreign policy?

Answer 25

Charles followed victory in Pavia by taking control of most of the Italian peninsula, leaving the Pope a virtual prisoner in the sac of Rome, and Henry needed the Pope’s approval for the divorce, forcing Wolsey to take a more direct stance against Charles, leading to the Anglo-French treaty of Westminster in 1527 and the treaty of Amiens, an Anglo-French agreement to attack Charles

Question 26

What happened as a result of England declaring war on Spain in 1528?

Answer 26

No army was raised and the English contribution was ineffectual, and in June 1529 Charles defeated the French at the Battle of Landriano, and it was only at the last minute that England was included in the peace treaty that was signed in Cambrai in 1529 - a fortnight later Wolsey had fallen from power