Foreign Policy Flashcards
Who did Mary ally with?
Inevitable that she would ally with Spain - marriage treaty in 1554
How did Mary show her desire for peace?
Acted as a mediator between France and Spain at Gravelines in Spring 1555 - didn’t work
When did Philip become King of Spain?
January 1556
When and what was the Treaty of Vaucelles?
February 1556 - peace between France and Spain
What happened in terms of foreign policy in 1556?
July - alliance between France and the Papacy (new Pope Paul IV was very anti-Spanish)
September - Philip attacked the Papal States and tried to pressure Mary to join
What happened in terms of foreign policy in 1557?
Jan - Eng sent 6000 troops to the Netherlands as a defensive measure
Mar - Philip asked for help from PC, refused
Apr - Protestant exile Thomas Stafford tried to invade England with French support, landing at Scarborough - the fact that France was tolerating and even supporting Protestant exiles provoked Mary to declare war
Jun - declared war
How did the war with France unfold?
July - 7000 men sent to France led by Earl of Pembroke (Philip had 70,000)
August - Battle of St Quentin (Spain won with minimal help from England)
When and how did England lose Calais?
Winter 1557 - France launched a surprise attack across the Calais Pale. There were only 2,000 English troops in Calais against 27,000 French troops
Jan 1558 - France captured Calais
How did Mary try to respond to the loss of Calais?
Raised an army of 7000 to attack. Sent a fleet to attack Brest but only succeeded in capturing a small fishing village called Le Conquet
Peace talks began in October 1558 at Cateau Cambresis - MI died before these concluded
Economic impacts of the loss of Calais
Historian Crowson called it ‘crippling’ on the economy
Historian Tittler says it was not bad as the Calais merchants weren’t important to the economy anymore and it saved money by ending the need for garrisons
Military impacts of the loss of Calais
Losing Calais meant losing a strategic port from which the English could launch invasions on the continent (however, monarchs since Henry VIII had not really done this anyway)
Diplomatic impact of the loss of Calais?
Loss of Calais seen as the failure in the relationship with Spain
Impact on morale of the loss of Calais?
Kings of England had ruled Calais since 1347, so it was seen as humiliating. Mary said the failure would be ‘engraved on her heart’
What was Mary’s main success in foreign policy?
Improving the armed forces
How did Mary improve the navy?
Naval treasurer established
Number of ships increased from 3 in 1555 to 21 in 1557
Arms and Militia Act passed, which reformed the system of raising armies and supplying weapons (this lasted for 300 years)
