Brittany and France

• French invasion of Brittany

  1487
• Following the invasion in 1487


  It looked as if the French would gain complete control of Brittany
• Henry summoned Parliament to grant him extraordinary revenue to raise an army against the French


  1489
• Reasons for Henry summoning Parliament

  • His sense of obligation to the Bretons
  • His fear that direct French control of Brittany could increase a potential French threat to England
• England and Brittany agreed the Treaty of Redon


  February 1489
• Treaty of Redon


  The Duchess Anne would pay for a small English army to defend Brittany from the French threat
• Henry tried to strengthen his position by an alliance with Maximilian, the Holy Roman Emperor-elect
• Maximilian had contracted a marriage-by-proxy with Anne

  He had no desire for the Duchy of Brittany to fall into French hands
• The English army went to Brittany but Anne, fearing the futility of prolonged resistance to the French, surrendered and reluctantly married Charles VIII
• This left the English army marooned in Brittany, and also meant that Maximilian lost interest in the matter, which left Henry in a difficult position
• The situation was made worse for Henry by Perkin Warbeck seeking French backing for his claim to the English throne
• Henry's first foreign adventure had suffered an immediate setback
• Henry launched an invasion of France

  1492
• Henry's invasion might have appeared a gamble, but he used information from his agents that Charles VIII was much more interested in launching an invasion of Italy and would therefore quickly seek a peace settlement with Henry
• The Treaty of Etaples was signed


  November 1492
• Treaty of Etaples


  Charles VIII agreed to withdraw his support for Perkin Warbeck and to pay a pension to Henry to compensate him for the expense of having recruited an army of invasion
• Henry's strategy had proved successful, and he had managed to defend national and dynastic interests
• Henry had improved his financial position and ensured a period of relative cordiality in Anglo-French relations