Henry VII foreign policy (copy)

foreign policy aims

• establishing domestic and international legitimacy

• expanding trade links

establishing his legitimacy

Henry sought truces with foreign powers to reduce chances of war and allow him to focus on politics at home

trade promotion

• 1485 navigation acts - no English merchants could use foreign ships to transport goods if English ships were available; boosted English shipping

• 1489 - export of English raw wool was limited

• 1496 - Henry signed Magnus intercursus, an important trade deal with Burgundy

securing alliances

• towards the end of his reign Henry focussed on securing foreign alliances through marriages

• alliances were necessitated by queen Isabella of Spain’s death in 1504

• Henry was often forced to react to international circumstances

scotland

• 1486 - truce between england and scotland

• 1495 - Warbeck was welcomed by king James and married James’ cousin

• 1497 - James and Warbeck invaded england and Henry and James signed the treaty of Ayton

• 1502 - treaty of perpetual peace

• 1502 - marriage alliance between James and Margaret (Henry’s daughter)

spain

• 1489 - treaty of Medina el campo

• el campo ensured neither country would ally with france without asking the other first, equal trading rights for each other’s merchants and prince Arthur would marry Catherine of Aragon (by proxy in 1499, happened in 1501)

• 1504 - after Isabella died, Spain’s future looked uncertain and Henry tried to look for a better match for prince Henry than Catherine (still refused to let her leave)

• relations soured between 1504-9

burgundy

• burgundy was part of the HRE

• Margaret of burgundy, Richard III’s sister, was very influential due to previously being married to its duke

• Margaret worked against Henry, supporting warbeck until the 1496 Magnus Intercursus

france

• 1489 - Henry signed the treaty of Redon with Brittany to protect it against france

• 1489 - Breton crisis, france took control of Brittany

• 1492 - treaty of Étaples ended Breton crisis, gave Henry an annual French payment and a guarantee that france wouldn’t shelter any English rebels

• 1496 - Henry joined the holy league, an alliance of france’s rivals in the Italian wars. england remained neutral in the fighting

succession

• 1502 - prince Arthur died, breaking marriage alliance with Spain

• only one male heir, prince Henry

• prince Henry could marry Catherine of Aragon but would need the pope’s permission as he was her brother-in-law