Edward VI's Foreign Policy

Question 1

What foreign policy legacy did Henry VIII leave behind?

Answer 1

• pursued an aggressive foreign policy and revived an old rivalry with France
• sought to increase control over the Scots and celebrated victory in the Battle of Solway Moss
• foreign policy led to economic troubles at home, and a legacy of debasement and debt despite raising money from the dissolution of the monasteries

Question 2

What were Somerset’s foreign policy aims?

Answer 2

• had a distinguished military record under Henry so looked for a military solution to England’s foreign policy problems
• main priority was Scotland
• wanted to achieve the marriage of Mary, Queen of Scots and Edward which had been agreed under the Treaty of Greenwich
• also wanted to conquer Scotland which he had started as a military commander under Henry
• wanted to avoid war with France and the revival of the Scottish French alliance

Question 3

How did England achieve victory over the Scottish under Somerset?

Answer 3

• new French monarch Henry II sent 4000 soldiers to Scotland
• Somerset launched naval and land invasion
• 1547: Battle of Pinkie - saw a decisive victory over the Scots

Question 4

What was the result of the Battle of Pinkie?

Answer 4

• entered Edinburgh and captured all the main border strongholds
• however, due to domestic concerns forced to return - left garrisons to maintain control
• 1548: made appeal to the Scots to agree to marry Mary and Edward
• however, things worsened when the English failed to capture strategically important castles at Edinburgh and Dunbar and underestimated cooperation between the French and the Scottish

Question 5

What were the pros of Somerset’s garrisoning policy?

Answer 5

• able to launch rapid reprisal raids after Scottish attacks
• garrisons would protect the ‘assured’ Scots - those who favoured English intervention
• permanent English presence could secure the marriage of Edward and Mary

Question 6

What were the cons of Somerset’s garrisoning policy?

Answer 6

• only 2 garrisons were substantial fortresses - the rest were simply camps with improvised barriers
• it was expensive - Somerset spent £352,000 on wages compared to Henry’s £235,000
• problems provisioning the garrisons: when supplies ran out, soldiers took food from locals, worsening relations
• most only had a few troops and could only defend, not attack
• government found it difficult to recruit English soldiers so used foreign mercenaries - however by 1549 they refused to serve in Scotland
• control of troops was difficult as soldiers rebelled or ran away from awful conditions, especially after plague outbreaks

Question 7

How did French attacks in Scotland lead to the removal of troops under Somerset?

Answer 7

• June 1548: 10,000 French troops sent to Scotland
• poorly defended garrisons were easily defeated
• treaty was rapidly signed by the French and Scottish agreeing the marriage of Mary to Henry II’s brother
• July 1548: Mary taken to France
• 1549 rebellions meant Somerset had no choice but to withdraw troops

Question 8

Why and how did Northumberland end the war with France?

Answer 8

• French took advantage of England’s domestic problems and attacked Boulogne in August 1549
• cut supply lines between Boulogne and Calais, but the English navy retained control of the channel
• England was bankrupt so couldn’t raise an army, attempts to get Charles V’s support failed and the abandonment of Boulogne would be highly unpopular
• 1550: Lord Russell and Lord Paget sent to France to negotiate a settlement

Question 9

What was agreed in the Treaty of Boulogne?

Answer 9

• 1550
• English gave up control of Boulogne for 400,000 Crowns
• marriage agreed between Edward VI and Henry II’s daughter Elizabeth (never took place)
• French willing to pay £133,333 to recover the port with the abandonment of any English garrisons
• England agreed to pull out of Scotland and not declare a war unless provoked
• England and France made a defensive alliance and England agreed to remain neutral in continental wars
• King of France no longer to pay a pension to the King of England

Question 10

How did relations with the Netherlands and Charles V break down under Northumberland?

Answer 10

• breakdown in normal trading relations occurred because of Charles’ opposition to Protestantism
• April 1550 - issued an edict allowing any heretics in the Netherlands to be arrested
• damaged trade and helped bring about a collapse in the Antwerp cloth market - Charles considered invading England in Autumn 1551
• led to an embargo being put on the sale of cloth to the Netherlands
• economic pressures and Charles’ need for support led to an improvement in relations by June 1552