Henry VIII - Foreign Policy

Question 1

What happened in 1510?

Answer 1

His councillors negotiated the renewal of the Treaty of Etaples

Question 2

What was the Holy League?

Answer 2

Joined England, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire, Venice and the Papacy in an anti-French alliance in 1510

Question 3

When was the First French invasion?

Answer 3

1512 sent an army of 10,000 to southwest France under the Marquis of Dorset. This achieved little and Ferdinand used it as a diversionary tactic while he successfully conquered Navarre

Question 4

When was the Second invasion of France?

Answer 4

1513. He won the Battle of Spurs, which he exaggerated in propaganda to be a stunning victory. He also captured the towns of Therouanna and Tournai.

Question 5

When was the Battle of Flodden?

Answer 5

September 1513
Scottish invasion - James was killed along with the Scottish nobility. Henry did little to build on this advantage. The war was very costly and Henry was forced to liquidate assets he inherited from his father, there were rumblings in Yorkshire about the increased taxation and the renegotiated French pension was lost. Tournai was eventually sold back to the French for less than the English had paid to repair its defences after the siege

Question 6

When was the marriage of Louis XII?

Answer 6

Marriage to Henry’s sister Margaret in 1514 - this helped renegotiate the lost French pension but he died mere months later in January 1915

Question 7

When was the Treaty of Noyon?

Answer 7

1516 which established peace between Spain and France - Ferdinand had died and Charles was crowned.

Question 8

When was the Treaty of Cambrai?

Answer 8

1517, which established peace between the Holy Roman Empire and France

Question 9

When was the Treaty of London?

Answer 9

1518 - general European peace. Non-aggression pact between England, France, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire and other smaller states organised by Wolsey. Future conflicts suggest this treaty was essentially meaningless.

Question 10

When was the Field of the Cloth of Gold?

Answer 10

June 1520 - estimated it cost Henry £15,000
It was held in a town just outside Calais that was held by the English.
The event became less attractive to Henry when he was defeated by Francis in a wrestling match.

Question 11

When was the Treaty of Bruges?

Answer 11

August 1520 with Charles. Henry wanted to improve his relationship with the Pope, he believed he might gain territory in France, and he promised is daughter Mary to marry Charles.

Question 12

When was the second war with France?

Answer 12

1522 and 23 - the campaigns gained little but proved costly
Charles refused to launch a joint invasion with Northern France after his success in the Battle of Pavia, leading to the breakdown of the arranged royal marriage.

Question 13

When did Henry support the Pope?

Answer 13

He joined the anti-Imperial League of Cognac in 1526. This had been put together by the Pope to counterbalance the excessive power of the emperor in northern Italy following his victory in Pavia

Question 14

When was the sack of Rome?

Answer 14

1527

Question 15

When was the treaty of Amiens?

Answer 15

1527 - England supported France against the Holy Roman Empire. Wolsey sought to pressurise the emperor by imposing a trade embargo with Burgundian lands, but Charles’ retaliation brought about widespread unemployment and social problems in England.

Question 16

When was the Peace of Cambrai?

Answer 16

1529 between France and the Holy Roman Empire after the defeat of France at the Battle of Landriano

Question 17

When did the Pope launch an anti-English crusade?

Answer 17

1539

Question 18

When was the treaty of Greenwich?

Answer 18

With Scotland in 1543

Question 19

What was the First Succession Act

Answer 19

1534 which declares Elizabeth as heir presumptive and declares Mary illegitimate

Question 20

When was the second succession act?

Answer 20

1536 repeals the first act by declaring Elizabeth illegitimate and declares that Henry can determine the succession by will

Question 21

When was the third succession Act?

Answer 21

1544 and reinstates Mary and Elizabeth as heirs

Question 22

How did France try to stir up trouble in England?

Answer 22

1517 - Francis sent the Duke of Albany, who was heir presumptive to the Scottish throne and a member of the French nobility, to Scotland. He was able to consolidate his position by being appointed as regent to the Scottish throne. this alarmed Henry and Wolsey who saw Albany as a French agent. However, this threat was minimised because of poisonous divisions among the Scottish nobility.

Question 23

How was the Treaty of London a success?

Answer 23

It was successful in the immediate aftermath of its signing.
It was a diplomatic coup for Wolsey
The Pope’s need for a Christian front meant that he appointed Wolsey as papal legate over England

Question 24

What was the alliance with France?

Answer 24

1532 - fragile alliance created though France was in a weak position so they couldn’t put much pressure on the emperor. The alliance began to unravel as Francis sought to establish a marriage alliance between his son Henry, and the Pope’s niece, Catherine

Question 24

Why was Henry’s position weakened in 1538?

Answer 24

Charles and Francis buried their differences in the Treaty of Nice and agreed to sever connections with England.
The Pope issued a bull deposing Henry
The Pope sent envoys to France and Scotland to rouse support for a Catholic crusade against Henry

Question 25

What were the concerns about Ireland at the beginning of the reign?

Answer 25

The English authorities remained in control of the Pale. The Earl of Kildare managed to play a successful double game in which he was both an English courtier and servant of the Crown and the most powerful of the Gaelic chiefs. It proved difficult to sustain this ambiguous role and the relationship with the King and Kildare broke down

Question 26

What happened after Kildare’s dismissal?

Answer 26

His dismissal in 1534 led to a major rebellion led by his son, the Earl of Ossory, which was suppressed with difficulty and at considerable expense. They failed to bring the Irish government more under English control. It required royal government through an English born deputy, supported by a substantial military presence. This became an increasing drain on the Crown’s finances.

Question 27

What was the resentment among the Gaelic lords?

Answer 27

Two nobles, Con O’Neill and Manus O’Donnell, invaded the Pale in 1539. The government eventually regained control and tried to Pacify Ireland by establishing it as a separate kingdom in 1541, imposing english law and creating counties out of Gaelic lordships. some of the Gaelic lords received peerage titles. The government lacked the resources to follow through on the reforms and there was no residual Irish loyalty to the English Crown.

Question 28

What was the Scottish invasion?

Answer 28

The invasion of Scotland in 1542 was met with immediate military success and the Scots were heavily defeated at the Battle of Solway Moss. Henry’s main policy was france so he neglected to launch a full scale invasion.

Question 29

What was the policy of rough wooing?

Answer 29

Henry sought to marry Edward to mary queen of Scots. This seemed to enjoy the support the the Scottish regent, the Earl of Arran, though the english ambassador in Edinburgh, Sir Ralph Sadler, reported there was widespread suspicion of english intentions. the children were formally betrothed in the treaty of Greenwich in 1543. however Arran deserted the English cause and the scottish parliament refused to ratify the treaty.