Foreign Policy

• Was Henry VII's foreign policy offensive or defensive?


  defensive
• Phases of Henry VII's foreign policy

  • Phase 1: Insecurity of the Throne: Henry's Early Diplomacy & Brittany Crisis 1485-1492
  • Phase 2: Truces, Trade & Marriages - years of success 1493-1502
  • Phase 3: Securing the dynasty 1503-1509
• Henry VII Peace 1485-87 


  • immediately established peace to ensure he had at least nominal support abroad to secure his throne at home
  • 1485 one-year truce w France - in 1486 extended to 1489
  • 1486 3-year truce w Scotland
  • 1486 English-Brittany commercial treaty
  • 1487 renewed existing treaty w HRE for one year
  • treaties revealed Henry was accepted as King of England by his European counterparts & that they expected him to remain so 
• Effect of Simnel rising on foreign policy

  • traditional ally of Burgundy now supporters Yorkist pretenders - Margaret of Burgundy willing to provide 2,000 mercenaries for Simnel
  • showed how vulnerable Henry's kingship was, particular when claimants had foreign support - provoked Henry into more active foreign policy
• How were French relations up to 1487 & how did this change?

  • until 1847 relations good
  • situation arose over future of Brittany in which Henry forced to take aggressive stance towards France
  • moral obligation to Duke of Brittany who provided him w hospitality in years in exile
  • also allowing French to gain complete control of southern shore of the Channel would pose inc threat to Eng's security
• What was Henry's dilemma w the Brittany crisis?

  • acquisition of Brittany by France would make Eng's main rival more powerful - provide bases for invasion or for Fr to attack merchant ships & disrupt trade
  • yet war would strain finances & give France excuse to help pretenders
  • Henry also hesitant to jeopardize 1485 truce
• What treaties did Henry sign in 1489 to deter French from attacking Brittany?

  • renewed treaty w Maximilian
  • Treaty of Redon w Brittany - sends 6,000 men to aid them - Battle of Dixmunde won (success?)
  • Treaty of Medina del Campo w Spain - defensive alliance/ aim to recapture Fr territory
  • military campaigns/ alliances
• What problems did Henry face in 1491?

  • Had invested much personal prestige in crisis, were he to walk away now would lose much needed credibility
  • Had to choose whether to liberate Brittany by conquering France or leaving Brittany to her fate.
  • With either decision was a danger France would use inc control of the Channel coast to invade england & risk of encoruaging Fr to back pretenders - since Warbeck just landed in Ireland was real concern
  • be likely to be fought by Eng alone - unlikely receive support from Spain, Max or Bretons - doomed to fail against mighty power like Fr
• What does Henry decide to do in 1492? Outcome?

  • invades Fr w force of 26,000 sails. Invasion late in campaign season to ensure little fighting - peace made quickly
  • 1492 Treaty of Etaples - Eng receives £150,000 French pension & Charles promises not to aid English rebels - peace & decent relations w Fr for rest reign
• Positive outcomes of French invasion for Henry

  • prevented Charles helping Warbeck (domestic)
  • secured sizeable annual pension (economic)
  • made an alliance w Spain (peace/ alliance)
  • shown he could not be completely overlooked in continental affairs (international influence)
• Negative outcomes of French invasion for Henry

  • not won a glorious victory (prestige)
  • independence of Brittany gone & whole of souther side of channel (apart from Calais) now in French hands (military)
• What was agreed under Treaty of Medina del Campo?

  • marriage - Arthur & Catherine engaged
  • rebels - neither party shall favour rebels of other party
  • territory - aim to recapture French territory
  • defence - henry not permitted to assist Charles (king of France) or any other prince at war w Spain - Ferdinand & Isabella promised same to Henry
  • France - henry not to conclude peace/ treaties w France w/out sanction of Ferdinand & Isabella vice versa
  • Trade - equal trading rights & custom duties at favourable rate
• Holy League 


  • Pope, Ferdinand (spain), Maximilian, Venice & Milan
  • aim of driving Charles out of Italy
  • Henry joins 1496 on condition Eng not bound to go to war against France - Ferdinand accepted these conditions as Eng's neutrality preferable to alliance w France
• What further agreement was reached in 1496 between Spain and England?

  treaty for marriage of Catherine & Arthur
• How had Scotland caused problems for Henry?

  • 1496 scottish invasion of eng in support of Warbeck
  • Henry declares war on scot but cornish revolt caused by tax demands to pay for war prevent it (domestic implication)
  • When scots heard Henry was sending an army to oppose them, they took flight. 
• Peace with Scotland 


  • 1497 Truce of Ayton - sealed by marriage of James to Margaret (however scot didnt abandon ancient pact w france - meant peace depended on continution of good relations between eng & fr but didnt pose a problem while henry lived)
  • 1502 Treaty of Perpetual Peace - pledged permenant peace between Eng & Scot - marked marriage of James IV & Margaret - greatest impact came 101 years later when James VI became king of eng & unified eng & scot crowns
• Why was the marriage of Arthur & Catherine in 1501 so valuable?

  • solidify alliance between Eng & Spain - Spain dominant European power - aligning w such a powerful nation helped to stabilise & legitimise dynasty - strengthen position domestically & internationally
  • marriage expected to produce heirs who would inherit eng & Spanish claims - stronger dynastic link between 2 kingdoms (however arthur died before could happen)
• What critical event happened in 1502?

  death of Prince Arthur
• Catherine-Henry marriage 


  • Formal treaty confirmed in sept 1502
  • dispensation would be needed from Pope as Catherine considered to be related to Henry in the first degree of affinity due to marriage to arthur - arrived in 1504
  • married 1509
• Who died Feb 1503? What did this mean?

  • Queen Elizabeth
  • Henry only male heir to the throne and now no hope of more children to come
• What other events were happening around time of Elizabeth & Arthur's death?

  • threat of Edmund de la Pole & potential resumption of Yorkist rebellions
  • Henry felt particular threatened as already in vulnerable position w deaths
• Why did Queen Isabella of Spain’s death change the diplomatic situation?


  • Henry and Ferdinand were now rivals in the matrimonial stakes
  • threw into the question the continued unity of Spain because of the position of Castile
• Why was it dangerous for Henry to have Philip of Burgundy and Ferdinand of Aragon opposing each other? What did their rivalry mean for Henry’s foreign policy?

  • He had depended on Spain and Burgundy in case of enmity from France.
  • Henry had to struggle to ensure he lost the support of neither. This explains why in last years, his foreign policy was subject to sudden changes of direction in way it never been before
• Relations with Burgundy/ Spain/ France 1505


  • as Castilian Succession crisis develops Henry abandons Spanish alliance & seeks better relations w Burgundy - due to fear of Fr aggression in Netherlands, to boost Anglo-Burg trade & in hope de la Pole will be landed over
  • funds Philip of Burgundy's Castille expedition (£340,000 overall)
  • open discussion about Henry marrying Eleanor, Philip's daughter
  • major breach in Anglo-Spanish relations -
  • as result Ferdinand makes alliance w France after signing the Second Treaty of Blois & marries Louis XII's niece
• Treaty with Burgundy in 1506?


  Treaty of Westminister where Henry recognises Philip king Castile in return for de la Pole being handed over
• Triangular alliances 


  • attempts Anglo-Spanish-Burgundy alliance against France - attempts alliance w Max by revoking Malus Intercursus trade & by marriage arrangement between Charles (philip's heir) & Princess Mary - however alliance doesn't materialise
  • now seeked Anglo-French-Burgundy vs Spain - fails when League of Cambrai (Pope, Fr, HRE, Burgundy vs Spain) set up 1508 & excludes england (although league not hostile to england & rulers continue to express support for Henry & Eng)
• What two marriages did Henry try to set up in 1507-08 with Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian?

  • The young Archduke Charles & Henry’s youngest daughter mary.
  • Henry and Margaret of Savoy (unsuccessfully)