Henry VII Foreign Relations

Why was it important for England to build good relations with Spain?

• Spain was becoming more powerful and rich in the world as they had discovered America. Trade with Spain was in everyone’s best interest

• Spain and France had a very strained relationship and England needed the support of Spain against the powerful France

How did Henry VII foster relations between England and Spain?

• Ended the Navigation Acts and signed the Treaty of Medina del Campo in 1494, making trade easier

• Betrothed his heir Arthur to princess Catherine of Aragon

What trade relations did England have with Burgundy?

England’s #1 trade was cloth done through Antwerp in the Burgundian state

Why were England’s relations with Burgundy strained?

Henry VII was forced to put a trade embargo on the cloth trade in Burgundy from 1493-96 (despite the possible economic repercussions) due to political tensions. Margaret of Burgundy had been providing support to Henry’s rival, Perkin Warbeck who claimed to have legitimacy to the throne and wanted to challenge Henry’s rule

What trade agreements were made between England and Burgundy?

• Magnus Intercursus - Allowed English merchants to sell their goods wholesale anywhere in Phillip of Burgundy’s land, except Flanders. This ended the trade embargo

• Intercursus Malus - Ensured that the English had free trade, no duties were placed on English cloth, English cloth could not be excluded from Philips’ land, etc. This agreement arose when Philip IV was forced to seek shelter from storms in England. However, the treaty was so domestically unpopular in Burgundy that it was broken and the Magnus Intercursus was reinstated

Why was England’s relationship with Venice strained?

Venice placed heavy duties on English ships in order to protect their power. This was inconvenient for the English as Venice dominated the Mediterranean trade scene

Why were the Italian Wars beneficial for England?

Since Spain, France, the Holy Roman Empire, and many more’s focuses were all on claiming territory within the states of Italy, it meant that England was left relatively untouched and unbothered throughout Henry VII’s reign

How did Henry VII deal with Venice?

Henry VII retaliated against Venice’s heavy duties and imposed heavy duties against the Venetians and limited English sales of wool in Venice. As well as this, he approached Florence (enemy of Venice) and signed the Treaty of Perpetual Peace in 1490 AND he established the English cloth market in Pisa.

Eventually, Venice dropped the duties against the English

How did Henry VII attempt to protect England when trading?

Henry VII used the Navigation acts in 1485-86. These helped to protect England from foreign control as the navigation acts stated that no English merchants were to use foreign ships if English ships were available and the acts encouraged English ship building to save the expense of hiring foreign ships

What was trade like between the Baltics and England?

• The Baltics paid lower taxes since they had aided Edward IV (Yorkist) in his victory by providing him with Baltic ships

• The Baltics had power over England. Henry VII tried to use his navigation acts to control the trade but he failed. He ended up signing a settlement with the Baltic states in 1504

Why was Henry VII keen to maintain good relations with the Baltic states?

The Baltics could potentially become a threat to his rule as they have historically supported the Yorkists. Specifically, they could support a Yorkist plot involving the Duke of Suffolk