Henry VII - Foreign Policy

Question 1

1487-92 - Brittany Crisis - Beginnings

Answer 1

• At this point Charles VIII was a minor and so France was temporarily ruled by his sister Anne of Beaujea. Anne sought to marry Charles to Anne of Brittany. This would result in France possessing almost the entire coastline which would enhance their strategic power
• 9th Sep – Duke Francis II of Brittany died and Anne Beaujea took over the wardship of Anne of Brittany
• Henry therefore needed to demonstrate his abilities as a military leader, as French control was almost complete. It also offered the opportunity to prove himself as king and recapture some lands lost over the Hundred Years War

Question 2

1487-92 - Brittany Crisis - Henry’s Response

Answer 2

• Treaty of Redon (Feb 1489)
• Treaty of Dordrecht (Mar 1489)
• Henry joined with Spain and agreed to go to war against France. The alliance was cemented by Arthur marrying Catherine of Aragon when old enough. However, Spain was soon drawn into another war with Grenada and they withdrew their forces from Brittany

Question 3

1487-92 - Brittany Crisis - End

Answer 3

• Continued war with France could leave Henry vulnerable to threats back home (such as Perkin Warbeck in Ireland). The French agreed to negotiate after only 12 men were killed in a battle at Boulogne
• Treaty of Etaples (1492)
• Brittany was lost, but France was now also closed to Yorkists and this was a more tangible benefit to Henry

Question 4

1504-06 - Castillian Succession Crisis - Beginning

Answer 4

• When Isabella of Castile died, Ferdinand of Aragon lacked the authority to rule Castile alone. It fell into the hands of Joanna, his eldest daughter, who was married to Philip of Burgundy (an area of the HRE), which resulted in Castile becoming part of the Empire overnight
• This led to a war between Ferdinand and Philip – Henry had alliances with both, meaning he was caught in the middle

Question 5

1504-06 - Castillian Succession Crisis - Henry’s Response

Answer 5

• Ferdinand knew Henry would not want to fight Burgundy so he turned to France for support. This left Henry in a dangerous position as Aragon was now allied with his old enemy
• Coincidentally, Philip was washed up on the English coastline by accident whilst heading for Spain. Henry forced him to agree to the Intercursus Malus (heavily biased trading agreement) and to give up Edmund de la Pole, who was taking refuge in Burgundy
• Henry similarly pledged his support to Philip against Ferdinand

Question 6

1504-06 - Castillian Succession Crisis - End

Answer 6

• Sep 1506 – Philip suddenly died, resulting in Henry being isolated in Europe
• He desperately tried to marry Joanna of Castile himself (as his wife had since died) but this was blocked by Ferdinand
• Ferdinand never quite forgave Henry for his betrayal – when the League of Cambrai was formed to attack Venice, Henry was notably left out of it
• From this point onwards, Henry no longer sought glory in foreign policy as his health started to decline

Question 7

Problems with Scotland - Ascenscion of James IV

Answer 7

• James IV was a minor and thus did not pose much of a threat
• However, Scotland remained a haven for Yorkists and continued to have strong links with France during the Brittany Crisis
• 1492 – pro-English rebel lords re-established control
• 1493 – Henry signed a nine year truce, but it did not stop James from agreeing to let Perkin Warbeck marry his cousin and support a proposed invasion of England in 1496

Question 8

Problems with Scotland - Warbeck

Answer 8

• The invasion by Warbeck that James supported was a disaster – very few Scottish noble supported it and Warbeck could only gather 1,400 troops
• This seemed like the perfect opportunity for Henry to invade but the Cornwall Rebellion prevented this

Question 9

Problems with Scotland - 1500-1509

Answer 9

• 1502 – Treaty of Perpetual Peace was signed
• Aug 1503 – Under the treaty, Margaret’s marriage to James was finalised
• However, border raids continued and Franco-Scottish relations grew stronger. Despite this, however, the Scottish border was stabilised and secured for the remainder of Henry’s reign

Question 10

Problems with Scotland - James III

Answer 10

• 1486 - the Scots capture Dunbar but Henry turns a blind eye and signs a three year peace treaty with James
• Their relationship steadily improves until James was killed by rebellious nobles in 1488