Henry VII foreign policy Flashcards
Henry VII trade policy objectives
-Avoid conflict with France
-Marry his heir to a powerful country that would seek to support him and his successors
-Eliminate claimants to the throne
-Maintain trade, especially with Burgundy
The Brittany Crisis (1487-92)
-Anne of Beaujeu of France tried to marry her brother King Charles VIII to Anne of Brittany which would be poor for Brittany and Europe
-The Treaty of Redon 1489 sent 3000 soldiers
-The Treaty of Dordrecht 1489 agreed to send 3000 soldiers to help Maximillion but he made peace with France
-The Treaty of Medina del Campo 1489 H7 and Spain agreed war with France
-1491 Anne of Brittany was forced to marry Charles VIII
Conclusion of the Brittany Crisis
-Treaty of Etaples 1992 France agreed to give a £159,000 pension for the removal of English troops
- It was neither a success nor failure. H7 had received an increased income but Brittany had been lost to the power of France
Lambert Simnel
1486-87
The crisis dominated the government from Feb-June 1487. He was presented to Europe as Edward, Earl of Warwick with John De la Pole behind him
-Margaret of Burgundy supported the plot as Richard III was her brother and H7 had been supported by France. Burgundy’s main rival.
She gave shelter to Simnel as her ‘nephew’ and raised 2000 mercenaries who set for Ireland in April 1487
-Kildare crowned Simnel Edward VI in Dublin May 1487
Henry’s response to Lambert Simnel
-In Dec 1486 H7 summoned a great council and when he heard Simnel had landed in Lancashire in June 1487 he set out with his troops
-Simnel struggled to gain support in his march to stocke
-June 1487 8000 rebels met H7’s 12000 soldiers with a heavy defeat
-John de la Pole was killed but Lambert Simnel went on to work for H7 as a servant
Perkin Warbeck
1491-1499
-he impersonated Richard, younger brother of Edward IV
- He was a major policy concern of H7 as he was believed by nobles and commoners
-In 1491 he went to Ireland but Kildare refused to give him backing and H7 dispatched troops to Ireland so Warneck fled
-In 1492 he travelled to France where Charles VIII received him as a prince but in Nov the treaty of Etaples was signed so he fled again
-In 1493 Warbeck went to the court of Margaret of Burgundy but but H7 imposed a trade ban
Warbeck was welcomed by Maximilian the new Holy Roman Emperor
Scotland 1485-1509
-In 1492 pro-English Earl of Angus took control and signed a nine year truce but in 1495 James IV came of age
-in 1495 Perkin Warbeck arrived in Scotland to a royal welcome and marriage to James’ cousin. Warbeck invaded in ‘96 but failed and left Scotland in 1497
-In 1497 There was the Truce of Ayton for peace
-In 1502 there was the ‘Treaty of Perpetual peace’ with the marriage of James and Margaret finalised but border raids continued
The Castilian Succession Crisis
1504-06
How well did Henry respond to events?
-At no time was H7 directing foreign policy in Europe but responding to crises as they arose
-Foreign policy was dependant on distractions elsewhere and therefore fragile
-Henry successfully dealt with events through nimble footed diplomacy and threats of war and peace
-At no point was H7 ever dragged into a major conflict
Trade with Spain
-1498 Treaty of Medina del Campo allowed equal trading rights for merchants from both countries and fixed custom duties at a rate that proved favourable to English traders
-1494- There was a Navigation act imposed by Spain that had a damaging effect on English trade with Spain
How important was trade to H7 and what were some of his achievements?
-H7 did give serious consideration to the effect that his foreign policy would have on trade but his approach to trade was one of necessity and occasioned by other events
-England’s share in Burgundy remained largely statit despite H7’s best efforts
-Custom duties were increased by 20% from £33,000 in 1485 to over £40,000 in 1509 (assisted by the book of rates in 1507)
-H7 was responsible for the creation of a small royal navy
-H7 sponsored the transatlantic voyages of John and Sebastian Cabot
Trade with France
-1485 Navigation act- transport of wine only in English ships
-1486 removed trade restrictions from before H7
-1497 France reimposed restrictions because of English support for Bretton independence
-1492 Treaty of Etaples reduced trade restrictions
-1495 Restrictions removed by France in return for English neutrality in Italian wars
-1497 trading privileges of English merchants restored
Trade with Burgundy
-Burgundy was the most important cloth-trading centre in Europe. Commercial relations with Burgundy were of vital importance to the health of England’s economy
-1487 Commercial agreement for one year with Burgundy
-1493 Ban on English traders using Burgundy because of Maximilian’s support for the Perkin Warbeck
-1496 INtercursus Magnus- signed once Philip had withdrawn support for Warbeck. English Merchants could trade freely in all part of Burgundy
-1495-1506 Despite the Intercursus Magnus, trading disagreements still arose
