Relations with France and Scotland and their impacts (c.1540) Flashcards
What two things enabled Henry to be able to consider what may be achieved by a more aggressive foreign policy?
- dissolution of the monasteries
- sale of crown property
What did Henry want from Scotland?
- he wanted Scotland to recognise his superiority in territorial and military terms
- hopefully wanted to encourage James V to break with Rome
What were Henry’s main aims in foreign policy?
- to acquire territory and prestige in France
- established himself as an equal with Francis and Charles
- maintain links with the Netherlands
- secure his family’s inheritance
Why was England forced to defeat Scotland while the English army were active in France?
- there was the Auld Alliance between France and Scotland
What relation was James V to Henry VIII?
- nephew
What two things did James do that annoyed Henry?
- he didn’t offer the support to Henry that he expected as senior monarch
- James provided sanctuary for some rebels of the Pilgrimage of Grace
What did James do in 1541 that annoyed Henry?
- he failed to attend the meeting in York that Henry had arranged, it was a great and public insult to Henry
When did Henry’s army lead an attack on Scotland?
- October 1542
What happened in the October 1542 attack on Scotland and how successful was it?
- it involved burning property, attacking people and stealing
- it was not a carefully planned nor executed attack
What happened in November 1542?
- Scots led a 20,000 men army to fight the English at Solway Moss
How would the November 1542 attack at Solway Moss be described? Who won and what happened?
- a skirmish
- the decisive defeat of the Scots by the smaller English army
- Henry claimed victory and a number of Scottish prisoners
After James’ death, what kind of situation were the two countries facing?
- James’ heir was a 2-week old baby girl whose mother was a French princess
- the Scottish regent, James Hamilton, was pro-English
How was Henry able to secure the Treaty of Greenwich?
- James had died
- the Scottish regent was pro-English
What would the Treaty of Greenwich do?
- bring Scotland under the control of the English
By 1544, Henry’s influence in Scotland had decreased rapidly. Why?
- Auld Alliance was re-established
- the Treaty of Greenwich was repudiated by the Scottish Parliament
- there was a pro-French regent in power - Marie de Guise
What did Edward Seymour’s May 1544 attack on Edinburgh do?
- anti-English feeling was heightened
- a union was now a remote possibility
- meant the Scots were too concerned by this to intervene in the English invasion of France
Why did Henry choose to launch an attack on France in 1544 and what did try and achieve?
- the Habsburg-Valois treaty had broken down
- he tried to gain French territory and assert his rights to the payment of the French pension
How did Henry go about achieving his aims in the 1544 attack on France?
- join Charles in attack on Paris
- 1543 - signed new treaty to mount a joint attack
Although Henry’s army was the biggest ever to leave England, what were the problems with the 1544 attack?
- led by 2 aged commanders
- encumbered by only being able to move at the pace Henry could
- Charles had no real intention of mounting a serious attack
What did Henry decide would be better than mounting a joint attack?
- abandoning plans and take Boulogne, Suffolk was sent, to prove his bargaining power and strength
Although Henry’s armies occupied Boulogne, what was the cost of abandoning plans with Charles?
- he stopped his own attack and make peace with France as he was outraged with Henry
How did France do to counter attack against Henry’s 1544 invasion?
- launched a counter-attack in 1545
- invaded the Isle of Wight
- sunk Henry’s flagship the Mary Rose (about 500 soldiers died, along with George Carew)
Why were both parties ready for peace by 1546?
- Seymour’s raid on Scotland sorted them out (1545)
What was agreed in 1546 and what did it agree?
- Treaty of Camp
- gave Henry control of Boulogne for 8 years and the French would restart pension payments (£355,000 monthly)
Why was Henry’s abandoning of Charles and taking of Boulogne an expensive mistake?
- material costs = enormous enough that it led to the debasement of the coinage
- the cost of fortifying Boulogne outweighed its value
- the prospect of Edward and Mary’s marriage = even more remote
How successful was Henry’s foreign policy in the 1540s?
- fighting ensured/ tried to protect the country against invasion - see as a necessity to secure the succession
- war wasn’t necessarily seen as wasting money by Henry
- aims weren’t really achieved - had more success in Scotland (ie. Solway Moss)
Following the invasion/ captured of Boulogne, who was made Captain of Boulogne?
- the Earl of Surrey (Henry Howard)
Why did Surrey lead a bold attack on a key French fortress?
- excessive confidence
What happened in January 1546?
- some of Surrey’s army deserted him and he was forced to save himself any way he could
Why was Henry Howard’s failure to take a key French fortress so disastrous for the Conservatives?
- Paget and Cranmer (reformists) were instrumental in demoting Surrey
- Seymour had recently proved his strength in the Scottish campaign and so he replaced Howard in the privy council, meaning conservatives lost influence
- this happened at a time when Henry was deciding who should determine political and religious policy during Edward’s reign
Why was the Earl of Surrey executed?
- he had a portrait painted with a new coat of arms, including a reference to the arms of Edward the Confessor
What evidence can be used to show that factions dominated Henry’s final years?
- the fall of Surrey
What must we remember that shows faction didn’t dominate Henry’s final years?
- Henry continued playing a significant role in government, especially foreign policy and religious affairs
What are the differences in Pollard and Scarisbrick’s views on foreign policy?
P: Henry wanted to defeat Scotland and absorb territory into England
S: Henry wanted to acquire territory and prestige in France but due to the Auld Alliance had to defeat Scots to prevent them attacking England while Henry was away
What were the economic impacts of the wars?
- debasement of coinage, led to inflation and poverty
- cost of 3rd French war was like £2 million
