Henry VIII's Foreign Policy 1509-1529 Flashcards
What were Henry’s foreign policy aims in 1509-1529?
Honour and glory Aggression towards France Peacemaker of Europe Pacify Scotland Alliance with Spain War
Why were these his aims
It was seen as the kings duty to win honour for himself and his country
His popularity was increased by his aggressive national leadership and distribution of patronage
Henry could benefit from being an ally
In 1510 what treaty was renewed and why
The treaty of etaples was renewed by Henry’s councillors despite henry wanting war. This was because his councillors wanted a continuation of peace between France and England
What did henry join in 1511
The holy league which joined England, Spain, the HRE, Venice and the papacy in an anti French alliance
When was the first invasion of France and what happened
1512
Henry sent an army of 10,000 men to France under the command of the Marquis of Dorset
This achieved nothing
Used by Ferdinand of Aragon as a diversionary tactic while he conquered Navarre
Ferdinand made peace and abandoned henry
When was the second invasion of France and what was it
1513
Maximilian agreed to join the English attack on France
Henry led a force to northeastern France
Won the battle of the Spurs so captured therouanne
Captured tournai
Didn’t matter that much but it was valuable for diplomatic bargaining
What happened in 1513 while henry was distracted in France
Battle of flodden
James IV invaded northern England but was defeated by an army sent by regent Catherine of Aragon and led by the Earl of Surrey
James and a lot of the Scottish nobility killed
Left the throne of Scotland to the infant james V but Henry didn’t build on this advantage
How was nothing gained from Henry’s military adventures of 1513
(Second invasion of France, battle of flodden)
It was very costly and it forced henry to liquidate assets from his father to pay for it
There was complaints about taxation in Yorkshire which only narrowly failed to turn into a full scale revolt
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
How was henry abandoned in 1514
Ferdinand and Maximilian made peace with France which left Wolsey to pick up the pieces ( he did this with considerable skill) by recovering the etaples pension and securing a marriage alliance between Mary and Louis XII
What was wolseys first diplomatic achievement and when
1514
He made peace with France after Ferdinand of Aragon and Maximilian had proved to be unreliable allies and had made separate peace with France
The treaty was to England’s advantage as England kept tournai and the French pension, originally paid to henry vii after the treaty of staples, was renewed
Also, Henry’s younger sister Mary was to marry the king of France, Louis XII
How did the marriage alliance between Mary and Louis XII not work out
Louis XII died which left the French throne to Francis I who henry saw as a rival and ended any chance of lasting peace in Europe
What was Henry’s response to the death of Louis XII
He sought an alliance with Ferdinand of Aragon but he died in 1516 and his successor Charles V sought an alliance with France
In the 1517 Charles and Maximilian agreed the treaty of Cambrai with the French which left England dangerously isolated
How did Wolsey end England’s isolation after the treaty of cambrai
Wolsey opened negotiations with the French
Pope leo X was concerned about the threat from the ottoman Turks and proposed a universal peace in Europe followed by a crusade
In 1518 The english and French agreed to a treaty binding the great powers to perpetual peace. 20 other powers were included in this agreement which become known as the treaty of london
When and what was the treaty of london
1518
A peace treaty that involved France, Spain, the HRE and many other states agreeing to peace with England but not each other meaning England was the centre of the treaty of london
This meant henry and Wolsey were the peacemakers of Europe at no cost
Wolsey allowed himself to gain a reputation as a peace maker and satisfied Henry’s desire for honour and glory.
As part of the treaty, England agreed to return Tournai to France and France agreed to pay the English a pension and keep Albany out of Scotland meaning there was peace of the Anglo- Scottish border
When and what was the Field of the Cloth of Gold
1520
A meeting between Henry VIII and Francis I near Calais
An entourage of 5000 accompanied Henry and there was nearly 2 weeks of wrestling, dancing and jousting
Was anything achieved through the Field of the Cloth of Gold
Henry and Francis exchanged vows of peace and was a show of friendship but in diplomatic terms, nothing was really achieved
What happened in the year following the Field of the Cloth of Gold
Francis reopened hostilities with Charles V and in 1521 Wolsey negotiated the Treaty of Bruges with Charles
This committed England to a war with France if fighting continued. Henry and Charles would mount a joint campaign and Mary Tudor was to marry Charles instead of the son of Francis
Why did henry have compelling motives to side with Charles when conflict arose between Francis and Charles in 1521
- he could improve his relations with the Pope who was anxious to reduce French control over northern Italy
- he believed he might gain more territory within France
- part of the deal entailed a marriage alliance between the emperor and Henry’s daughter Mary
What and when was the treaty of Bruges
A treaty negotiated by Wolsey with Charles in 1521 to commit England to war with France
It also entailed a marriage alliance between Mary Tudor and Charles V
When did England declare war on France and what happened
1522 and lasted for three years
In 1923 the duke of Suffolk crossed to Calais’s with an army who Charles persuaded to March on paris
Initially no opposition was met and the army advanced to within 70 mikes of the city but the campaign disintegrated
Was anything gained from declaring war on France and marching on paris
The expense of the campaign and failure of Charles V to offer effective support brought growing disenchantment with the war.
Parliament was reluctant to grant the extraordinary revenue to cover the costs
In 1924 negotiations were re opened with the French and as before, Wolsey used the alliance with Charles as a means of bringing pressure to bear on the French
Why was Wolseys approach to the French put on hold
It was put on hold following the news of the Battle of Pavia in northern Italy in 1525
When and what was the Battle of Pavia
1525
In northern Italy
Charles V’s army destroyed the French force and Francis I was captured
There seemed a chance that henry could recover the lost territories in France and even claim the French throne
Another invasion was planned and a forced loan called the Amicable Grant was demanded from the English people.
What was the problem with the next invasion planned on France in 1525
It proved impossible to raise sufficient money and gather the forces necessary for a campaign to have greater success than in 1523
Charles V had no enthusiasm for Henry’s plans
In august 1525 Wolsey negotiated the Treaty of The More with the French and England abandoned territorial claims in France. The French resumes an annual pension to henry of 100,000 gold crowns
When and what was the Treaty of The More
In august 1525 Wolsey negotiated the Treaty of The More with the French
England abandoned territorial claims in France and the French resumed an annual pension to henry of 100,000 gold crowns
What was the Amicable Grant
It was to be a non refundable contribution by the English people to finance the war in France
This new demand followed the forced loans and high parliamentary taxation of the previous three years
Popular reaction was swift and hostile
There were disturbances concentrated around the important cloth making centre of lavenham in Suffolk and extending to london and Kent
No money was collected and peace was made with France
What was the treaty of cambrai and when
1529
Ended the wars between Charles v and Francis I
What was the relationship like with Ireland
For the first part of henry VIII’s reign the king had few concerns regarding Ireland
The English authorities remained in control of the Pale, the area of land surrounding Dublin
At the same time Gerald Fitzgerald, ninth Earl of Kildare was the dominant Irish nobleman
He managed for a time successfully to play a complex double game in which he was both an English courtier and servant of the crown and the most powerful of the Gaelic chiefs
It did however prove difficult to sustain this ambiguous role, especially after the revival of the Geraldine- Butler feud and the relationship between Kildare and the king broke down
