Foreign Policy in the 1540s

• When did Henry attempt to ally with the League of Schmalkalden?

  1534
• What was the outcome of the proposed alliance with the League of Schmalkalden?

  It was originally supposed to be an alliance with the organisation of German princes and free cities who supported Luther, but was ultimately unsuccessful due to mutual distrust
• When did Catherine of Aragon die?

  1536
• What was the result of Catherine of Aragon's death?

  It opened the possibility of a new alliance with the House of Hapsburg, with renewed fighting between Francis I and Charles reducing the danger of England's isolation
• When did James V marry Mary of Guise?

  1538
• Why did James of Scotland marry Mary of Guise?

  In an attempt to further develop Franco-Scottish relations against England
• When did Henry marry Anne of Cleves?

  1540
• What was the result of Henry's marriage to Anne of Cleves?

  • It did give England an international ally in the form of the Shmalkalden League, which was designed to protect against the militant Catholicism of Charles V and the Pope;
  • However, Francis I and Charles V resumed their war, and so the German marriage for English security was no longer needed
• When did Henry try to negotiate a peace agreement with James V?

  1541
• What took place at the peace negotiations between Henry and James in 1541?

  James failed to attend, meaning Henry felt humiliated and slighted by the fact that he could be treated with such contempt by another monarch
• When did the Anglo-Imperial Alliance begin?


  1542
• What were the causes of the Battle of Solway Moss?

  • James had ordered a series of border raids into England due to the Anglo-Imperial Alliance;
  • Henry then sent the Duke of Norfolk to attack the Scots in response to the Scottish refusing to give into a series of demands that would effectively limit their independence as a state
• When was the Battle of Solway Moss?

  November 1542
• How many Scottish troops were captured at the Battle of Solway Moss?

  1000
• When did James V of Scotland die?

  1542 (10 weeks after the Scottish defeat at the Battle of Solway Moss)
• What took place as a result of James' death?

  It left the Scottish crown to his 1-week-old daughter, Mary
• What took place in Christmas 1542 relating to the war with Scotland?

  • Henry hosted the prisoners taken at Solway Moss, and sent them back to Scotland to form a pro-English party for him, with specific instructions to bring Mary back to England;
  • Henry proposed to solve the issue of Scotland through marriage between Edward and Mary.
• What happened in July 1543 relating to the war with Scotland?

  • The Treaty of Greenwich agreed to the proposal of marriage between Edward and Mary, and was supported by the Scottish regent, the Earl of Arran- however, it was met with much suspicion of English intentions by others, according to Ralph Sadler (the English ambassador)
  • The Scottish refused Henry's request to bring Mary up in England and gave no guarantee that they would repudiate their links with France.
• What happened in December 1543 relating to the war with Scotland?

  • The Earl of Arran abandoned his support for the English;
  • The Scottish parliament refused to ratify the Treaty of Greenwich and the betrothal between Edward and Mary was cancelled;
  • Original Scottish treaties with France were renewed.
• What happened in 1544/1545 relating to the war with Scotland?

  • Scottish nobles wanted support from France to protect them against English control.
  • It resulted in the Earl of Hertford taking the English army on a series of raids on the border, with particular focus on Edinburgh and Dunbar, killing people and destroying buildings, which alienated Scots further and for the future (rough wooing).
• What were the disadvantages of the rough wooing of Scotland?

  • Very costly and contributed to the financial difficulties of the period;
  • The Scots responded by deciding to marry Mary to the French Dauphin;
  • The Earl of Hertford had not been given enough troops to be successful, and had failed in achieving the marriage, consequently driving Scotland closer to France.
• When did the war with Scotland take place?

  1540-1547
• When did the Third French War take place?

  1543-1546
• What was the cause of the Third French War?


  Henry had previously chosen to ally himself with Charles V, having agreed with him that they would both invade France within 2 years (but having to delay due to the events of Solway Moss in Scotland)
• What were the events of the Third French War?

  • Henry sailed to Calais with an army of 48,000 men;
  • Henry and Charles had agreed to both march on Paris, but Henry split his forces, with the Duke of Norfolk attacking Montreuil and Henry besieging Boulogne. Charles also didn't stick to the original plan.
  • Charles made his own peace with France
  • Henry was determined to conquer land for himself, capturing Boulogne in September 1544.
• What were the effects of the Third French War?

  • The invasion and conflict had cost £2 million, financed by the dissolution of the monasteries, the debasement of the coinage, and large-scale borrowing on the Antwerp money market
  • England was left without allies as Charles had made his own peace with France.
• How did Francis I react to the events of the Third French War?

  • He was determined to invade England, made more likely by the fact that France was supported by Scotland (the Auld Alliance) who were annoyed by the rough wooing;
  • The south coast of England was put on full alert, and fortifications were reinforced at St Mawes and Pendennis.
  • The French sailed into the Solent and landed a small raiding party on the Isle of Wight. The invasion failed due to French incompetence, adverse winds, and a lack of base (although Henry's flagship, named the 'Mary Rose' was sunk.
• When was the Treaty of Ardres signed?

  June 1546
• What did the Treaty of Ardres state?

  • Henry could keep Boulogne for 7 years;
  • The outstanding French pensions would be paid (totalling over £200,000);
  • If all pensions were paid, Boulogne would be returned in 1554.