Henry VIII foreign policy Flashcards
What were henry viii’s initial foreign policy aims
- Preserve the balance of power and keep the peace
- Ensure that England retained a position of significance by cultivating close links with the papacy
- Glory in war and to gain land in France
- Secure the succession and dynasty
why was Henry in conflict with his council at the start of his reign
His councillors sought peace while he sought military glory
what treaty was renewed at the start of Henry’s reign and when
The Treaty of etaples was renewed in 1510
what was Henry drawn into at the start of his reign and when
Henry was drawn into the Holy League in Nov 1511
composition of the Holy League and what it was about
The Holy League was an anti-french alliance joined by the HRE, Spain, Venice and the papacy
what year was the first french war
1512
what did Henry agree to do with ferdinand
Henry agreed to attack the southwest of France with Ferdinand with the intention of capturing Guinne
what did Henry do to escalate the war
Sent an army of 10,000 men under the marquis of dorset
how much was achieved out of the first french war
Little was achieved with the only result being demoralised troops and increasing expenditure
what did Ferdinand do instead - first french war
Ferdinand did not invade France but instead used English troops as a shield to hide behind, he then seized Navarre before making peace with France
what battle was fought in 1513 and against who
The battle of spurs against france
when was the battle of spurs
1513
why was the Battle of spurs fought
Henry had felt embarrassed by the previous expedition and so he turned to wolsey to organise another one so he could prove himself
how many troops did Henry lead at the Battle of Spurs
an army of 25,000
what land was captured in the battle of spurs
Therouanne and Tournai
what was wolsey made during the battle of spurs and what was he responsible for
Quater master general and he was responsible for feeding, arming and generally supplying the army
what did the battle of spurs do for Henry and Wolsey’s reputation
The war enhanced Henry’s reputation as a warrior king and Wolsey’s as a master organiser
what treaty did the battle of spurs lead to and between who
It led to the treaty of Saint Germain en Laye. It was a Valois - tudor alliance
what year was the treaty of saint germain en laye
1514
what were the terms of the treaty of saint germain en laye
Therouanne and Tournai were recognised as English
Henry was seen as having a claim to the French throne.
Henry received his pension arrears of 100,000 crowns
Henry’s sister Mary was to be married to Louis XII who was an old man at the time
why was the treaty of saint germain en laye short lived
Louis Died in 1515
what did the treaty of saint germain en laye show
The treaty showed that Wolsey was a brilliant diplomatic advisor as he created a successful peace agreement
what treaty was renewed with Scotland and when
In 1509, Henry VIII and James IV of Scotland renewed the 1502- Anglo-Scottish alliance
what pulled scotland and england into conflict in 1513 and why
The problems england has with France drew them into conflict, because of the auld alliance
when was the battle of flooden
1513
background of the battle of flooden
In 1513 as Henry was engaged in war with France, James launched a raid on England
outcome of the battle of flooden
Catherine of Aragon led the response from England, James IV and 100,000 men were killed, this left Henry’s sister Margeret as regent to her infant son
why did Henry seek an alliance with Ferdinand before his death
Louis XII died and left the French throne in the hands of Francis I, a young king whom Henry saw as a political rival
when did Ferdinand die
1516
what happened after Ferdinand’s death - Charles V
F’s grandson - Charles V sought an alliance with the French a year after
what treaty did Charles V and Francis I agree to - 1510s
The treaty of Cambrai with the french
what did the treaty of Cambrai mean for England
It left England dangerously isolated
what was one consequence of the isolation England experienced as a result of the Treaty of Cambrai
One consequence of the isolation is that it allowed Francis I to undermine the Anglo-Scottish relations.
how did Francis I undermine the Anglo - Scottish relations
Francis I was able to undermine Anglo-Scottish relations because the Duke of Albany, the heir presumptive to the Scottish Throne was a member of the French nobility.
what alarmed wolsey and henry - duke
Duke of Albany who they saw as an agent of France was appointed as regent to the Scottish throne
how did wolsey try to end England’s isolation - 1518
With the treaty of London
what year was the treaty of London
1518
how did the treaty of london end England’s isolation
Wolsey called for the major powers of Europe to settle their differences and live under Universal Peace
how many people was the treaty of London signed by
Over two dozen countries, including Francis I, Maximillian, Charles V and the pope
what did the Treaty of London put England at the centre of
It put England at the centre of diplomacy
how did Wolsey make the countries sign the Treaty of London
Separately with England, rather than all countries signing one single document
what was the treaty of London referred to and by who
‘a glittering success’ by historian Susan Doran
what was Wolsey made as a result of the treaty of london and why
Wolsey was made the pope’s papal legate, as the treaty gave the pope a single Christian united front
why was the treaty of London shortlived
Within two years of the signing of the treaty of London there were renewed tensions, Charles V was elected as HRE in 1519 which made the treaty shortlived
what did Wolsey do protect the treaty of London
Wolsey had to mediate between France and Spain to keep the peace and protect the treaty
what led to the field of Cloth of Gold
Wolsey persuading charles and Francis I to meet separately with Henry
when was the Field of C of G
1520
what was the field of cloth of gold
A two-week meeting between Francis I and Henry VIII at Ardes near Calais. Henry brought 5000 guests and Francis brought 3000, there was a lot of feats, jousting and wrestling
outcome of the Field of Cloth of Gold
It achieved nothing of significance in diplomatic terms - the English army invaded northern France in both 1522 and 1523
The event led Charles V to believe that Henry was siding with Francis and he met with wolsey to prevent it
Conflict ensued when Francis I beat Henry in a wrestling match
what did the Venetian ambassador say about the field of cloth of gold
The Venetian ambassador reported that Henry and Francis hated and wanted to out-do each other
how much did the field of cloth of gold cost
£15,000 which was a year’s revenue, parliament was reluctant to grant extraordinary revenue
evaluation of henry’s foreign policy from 1509-20 - 7
- Henry’s military victories brought him short-term wins(glory in war), it was hardly the beginning of a new era of English greatness in England.
- The campaigns had been expensive and had wiped out the surplus of money that Henry VII left
- It resulted in little real achievement beyond the satisfaction of defeating France
- Tournai and Therouanne were not impressive spoils of war
- His military adventure in 1513 led to opposition about tax from people in Yorkshire, though it did not turn into a full-scale revolt
- Tournai was sold back to France for much less than England had paid to repair its defences
- Henry failed to exploit the weakness of Scotland following the death of James IV at Flodden and his sister being regent to an infant
observances about FP 1509-1520 - 3
- England remained a relatively minor power and could not really compete on the same terms as major powers like France and Spain
- Henry overestimated England’s power
- The auld alliance remained strong due to clashes between england and france
Wolsey’s foreign policy aims historiography - pollard
According to Pollard, Wolsey was keen to use England in the pursuit of the balance of power but in particular, wanted to ‘hitch England to the Holy See’. Pollard argues that England matched the pope’s foreign policy because Wolsey wanted to be rewarded with the title of cardinal and ultimately the papacy
Wolsey’s foreign policy aims historiography - JJ Scarisbrick
challenged Pollard’s views and argued that Wolsey frequently did the opposite of what the papacy wanted and he doubted whether Wolsey really had serious ambitions to be pope. He sought peace because war was expensive and tried to achieve peace by allying with the strongest EU power that no country would dare attack
Wolsey’s foreign policy aims historiography - modern historians
Modern historians since 1970 argue that Wolsey followed whatever path would bring him personal advancement and power, which meant satisfying both the kings’ glory and the pope’s interest. Wolsey had no coherent overall strategy and his priorities changed with changing circumstances
