FP - 1540 to 1547

• The 1540s saw Henry's return to an aggressive foreign policy.
• 1542


  An invasion of Scotland led to a defeat of the Scots at the Battle of Solway Moss. The death of James V weakened Scotland but Henry failed to launch a full scale invasion.
• 1543


  By the Treaty of Greenwich, Henry's son, Edward, was betrothed to Mary Queen of Scots. However, since the Scots refused to ratify the treaty, the Earl of Hertford was sent to raid Edinburgh, Leith and St Andrews; he achieved little...
• 1544


  Henry, in alliance with Charles V, invaded France in 1544 at the head of a large army. He captured Boulogne but Charles made a separate peace with Francis I
• 1545


  • Francis sent troops to Scotland to support an invasion of England. The English were defeated at the Battle of Ancrum Moor, Scotland, but the Scots failed to invade.
  • Another French force landed in the Isle of White; Henry's flagship, the Mary Rose, sank in the Solent
  • France failed to recapture Boulogne
• 1546


  Peace was agreed between England and France, as neither side could afford to continue the conflict
• Henry had paid a high price for his final pursuit of glory. Unable to fund the war from extraordinary revenue, he sold much of the crown estate, borrowed large sums and debased the coinage, thereby significantly increasing the rate of inflation.