Henry VII's
relationship
with other
foreign
powers
Henry's foreign policy aims
were that he wanted to
maintain good relations
and defence with other
countries (he also wanted
to avoid war)-He sought to
maintain positive relations
with foreign power to
ensure national security,
recognition of the tudor
dynasty, and defence of the
English trading interests.
Timeline
1487-French
invasion of
Brittany
1488-
Anglo-French
truce
1489-
Treaty of
Redon
between
Eng and Brit
and Treaty
of Medina
del Campo
between
Eng and Spn
1492-
England
invades
France
and
Treaty of
Etaples
1496 - Magnus
Intercursus-
Scotland invades
England
1497- Truce of
Ayton between
England and
Scotland
1501- Marriage
of Prince Arthur
and Catherine
of Aragon
1502-
Death of
Prince
Arthur
1503- Marriage of
Princess Margaret
and James IV of
Scotland
1504- Death
of Queen of
Castile
1506- Philip of
Burgundy stuck
in England.
Malus
Intercursus.
Death of Philip
Henry's first event in foreign policy was with Brittany. After
France invaded in 1487, it looked like France would control
Brittany (alarming Henry because of how close it is to
England, and because he was brought up here).He then
called parliament to get money to fight for against France
England and Brittany agreed the Treaty
of Redon in 1489, meaning that Duchess
Anne (the heir to Brittany) would pay for
an English army. As Henry signed this,
he was also trying to strengthen his
alliance with Maximilian (the holy roman
empire). Maximilian conducted a
Marriage by Proxy (only one individual is
present) with Anne but this never feel
through, therefore she married Charles
VIII of France, leading to France ceasing
control of Brittany.
The English Army went to Brittany,
but Anne surrendered before.
Leaving the army marooned in
Brittany, leaving Henry in a difficult
position. This was made worse by
Warbeck seeking refuge in France.
However, Henry launched an
invasion of France in 1492, and as a
result the French signed the treaty
of Etaples in 1492, thus handing
Perkin Warbeck to England and
paying Henry a pension.
As England's exports
went through the
Netherlands, it was
important that good
relations were
maintained. The
presence of Margaret,
the Duchess of
Burgundy (sister of
Richard III) greatly
complicated this.
Maximilian (Margarets
step-son), became
Holy Roman Empire in
1493 and gave
jurisdiction over the
Netherlands to his
son, Philip.
Relations between
England and Burgundy
deteriorated due to the
hospitality of Warbeck by
Maximilian and Philip,
and as a result, Henry put
an embargo on trade
with Burgundy,
diminishing trade and
limiting the dynasty. This
led to a lot of anger in
areas of commercial
interest such as London
and the east-coast.
However, once Warbeck
left Burgundy, the
intercursus Magnus was
passed in 1496, bringing
the embargo to an end.
After this, the Treaty of Windsor
was passed and as a result, led to a
new trade agreement called the
Intercursus Malus. In this, Henry
demanded a trade deal which
would made English merchants
stronger in the Netherland (but it
was never enforced and eventually
didn't take place). Another
outcome was that Philip and
Maximilian handed over the Earl of
Suffolk, whom was imprisoned.
Therefore, this trade showed an
increase in trading position and
security of the dynasty for Henry.
Between 1485 and 1495,
Anglo-Scottish relations were
tense but remained calm.
Problems arose when King
James IV offered hospitality to
Warbeck in 1495. Warbeck
stayed for 2 years a the
Scottish court and received a
marriage (to James' cousin,
Catherine) and pension. James
then gave Warbeck a small
army to cross the border to
England, but the army later
retreated. This then led to
Henry raising a large army
invasion of Scotland, which led
to taxation rebellion against
Henry by the people in
England.
In 1497, a large rebellion in
Cornwall scared Henry. This led
Henry to make a truce with
Scotland in Ayton (a town north
of the English border).
in 1498,
Anglo-Scottish
relations
improved.
This led to
James having
no need for
Warbeck, thus
causing him to
be executed in
1499
Between
1501-1503. It was
agreed that James
should marry
Henry's daughter,
princess Margaret.
in 1502, but this
took place due to
the treaty of
Perpetual Peace.
The marriage took
place in 1503.
These
improvements
lasted until
Henry's death.
Spain was ruled by Ferdinand and
his wife Isabella, due to its power,
Henry wanted to develop good
relations. The Treaty of Medina de
Campo in 1489 was important for
Henry as it gave him peace and
security with Spain. It meant there
was mutual protection in the event
of an attack, agreed to not harbour
rebels and pretenders, and a
marriage alliance between Arthur
(Henry's son) and Catherine of
Aragon (the daughter of Ferdinand)
This treaty did have its
downsides, arrangements
for the marriage was
problematic, Ferdinand was
reluctant about the
marriage whilst Henry's
stability was threatened by
Warbeck, Ferdinand didn't
want to give Arthur bride
power over Catherine.
The marriage was finally
agreed in 1499, and took
place in 1501 but Arthur's
death in 1502 brought
complications
Henry offered Catherine to marry
his son, Henry, but Ferdinand was
reluctant and the marriage would
require the Pope to grant it. In 1504,
Henry lost his enthusiasm for the
marriage (after Isabella's death,
Ferdinand became a less significant
political figure.
In 1506, Philip of Burgundy and Juana
were sailing to Spain, but due to bad
weather, they were forced to land in
England. Henry then took advantage of
this and forced them to sign the Treaty of
Windsor (1506). Henry then secured a
strong relationship with them by using the
Intercursus Malus, making them hand
over the Earl of Suffolk, and Henry's
recognition of Juana and Philip as rules of
Castile.
However after Philip of
Burgundy's death, various
problems arose due to
Henry's siding with Philip.
Sadly Juana was stricken
with grief and couldn't help
Henry, Ferdinand took the
opportunity to become
regent of Castile again,
Ferdinand ensured the
marriage between Prince
Henry and Catherine
wouldn't take place in
Henry VII's lifetime, thus
leaving Henry isolated in
Europe.
In 1486, Elizabeth
gave birth to Prince
Arthur, by 1491,
Prince Henry was
born. Arthur was
well educated as he
was to inherit the
throne. Margaret
and Mary were also
born.
Henry VII was scared because
Prince Henry wasn't old enough to
rule as his health deteriorated. As
Henry VII's health deteriorated,
there was a split in his officials and
his advisers who wanted to
position themselves effectively
after Henry's death. There were
also fears about Suffolk and
Richard de la Pole ceasing power.
Henry eventually died on the 21st
of April in 1509 however his death
was kept quiet. Bishop Fox and
Richard Weston then attempted to
cease control over the heir for their
advantage.
Marriage alliances were an essential part of diplomacy for
Henry so that he could enhance his power and influence.
He tried to maintain an alliance with Spain by using a
marriage alliance between Catherine of Aragon and his
son, Arthur (however this was unsuccessful as Arthur
died). He then tried to get his son. Henry, to marry
Catherine however this was also unsuccessful. His oldest
daughter, Margaret, was to marry James IV of Scotland,
strengthening an alliance with Scotland and England. Mary
would later marry the King of France in order to secure a
peaceful relation between the countries.
Henry VII had little influence
over Ireland. He only had
power in the 'Pale' (an area of
land surrounding Dublin).
Power in the rest of Ireland
belonged to various barons,
however the most important
were the Fitzgeralds and the
Butlers.
The Earl of Kildare (leader of
the Fitzgeralds) was a
dominant figure. He was the
Lord Deputy of Ireland since
1477. He was had Yorkist
sympathies, leading to Henry
being fearful of his power. He
supported Lambet Simnel
(who he crowned King of
Ireland in 1486) and
supported Perkin Warbbeck
in 1491.
Kildare's
actions led on to
Henry to stop
relying on the
Irish aristocracy
and rely on the
ruling of the
'Pale' through
Englishman
backed by
soldiers. He
appointed his
son, Henry, as
lieutenant of
Ireland and
Edward
Poynings as his
deputy.
Poynings established royal authority by force and bribery
and established success by making the Irish pass 'Poynings'
Law' in 1495. Meaning the Irish Parliament couldn't pass a
law without Henry's approval. This strategy however was
very expensive, financial problems worsened when Warbeck
returned to Ireland in besieged the town of Waterford in
1495. Henry's lack of money meant that he had to recall
Poynings law and use Kildare as his deputy.
By 1496, Kildare had decided there
was no need to support the
Yorkists any longer and decided to
serve Henry. In the process, he
secured the submissions of various
Irish Chieftains and by 1500, Henry
had almost secured peace in
Ireland.