Foreign policy, 1527-40

What did the Great matter reveal about England’s power?

Henry's failure to resolve his Great Matter emphasised the extent of England's being a minor power in diplomatic terms

What alliance was Henry and Wolsey forced to make?

Treaty of Amiens in 1527

Why did Henry and Wolsey have to sign the Treaty of Amiens?

Due to England's weak position they were forced to

What was the nature of the Treaty of Amiens?

It was an anti-imperial alliance with France

What country did Wolsey place an embargo on?

He placed an embargo with the Burgundian land

Why did Wolsey place the the embargo?

Wolsey hoped to pressurise the emperor by imposing a trade embargo with the Burgundian lands

How did Charles react to the embargo?

Charles retaliated creating a widespread unemployment and social problem in England forcing Wolsey to back down

How was Charles Vs strength represented?

• Charles V's strength was seen in his victory over the French at the Battle of Landriano in 1529

• His dominance over the Pope and by the Peace of Cambrai in the same year

What battle did Charles have victory over France?

The Battle of Landriano in 1529

What did Charles Vs power prevent Henry from doing?

This strength ensured that Henry’s attempts to solve his marital issues by diplomatic means were doomed

Who did Henry blame for his own failures?

Characteristically, Henry had to blame someone else for this failure, and this resulted in Wolsey’s fall from power in 1529

When did Henry try to establish an alliance with France?

1532

Why did the French alliance fall through for Henry?

• Henry try to establish his position by making a fragile alliance with France

• However France was also in a weak position so pressure on the emperor by both of the powers would be minimal

Why was the French alliance so limited?

The French alliance was of limited use to Henry as it began to unravel since Francis wanted to establish a marriage alliance between his son Henry and the Pope's niece Catherine de Medici

What did Henry decide to do with his divorce?

Henry first had to deal with the great matter by breaking with Rome

Who did the break from Rome upset?

The break from Rome horrified the Catholics

Why wasn’t there any short term repercussion about the break from Rome?

There was no short term repercussions as Charles was mainly concerned with the threat by the Ottoman Turks to the Christian Europe

How did Henry try to reinforce his position?

Henry tried to reinforce his position by making an alliance with the League of Schmalkalden

What happened to the League of Schmalkalden?

It failed due to mutual mistrust

Why was the pressure on Henry reduced?

1536 the pressure upon Henry's position was reduced due to:

• The death of Catherine of Aragon and the execution of Anne Boleyn opened up the possibility of a renewed alliance with the emperor and gain support in the league of Schmalkalden

• The fact that Catherine died mad tensions ease up with the pope as he was now no longer going against him

• The renewal of fighting between the emperor and Francis I reduced the potential danger of England's isolated position - This relief was short-lived, and in 1538 Henry’s position was again weakened

How did the deaths of Catherine of Aragon and the execution of Anne Boleyn benefit Henry?

They opened up the possibility of a renewed alliance with the emperor and gain support in the league of Schmalkalden

How did Catherine’s death improve relations?

The fact that Catherine died mad tensions ease up with the pope as he was now no longer going against him

What did the reduction of conflict between the emperor and Francis I allow?

The renewal of fighting between the emperor and Francis I reduced the potential danger of England's isolated position - This relief was short-lived, and in 1538 Henry’s position was again weakened

When did Henrys position weaken again?

This relief was short-lived, and in 1538 Henry’s position was again weakened

Why did Hnery’s position weaken?

• Charles and Francis made up in the Treaty of Nice and agreed to sever connections with England

• Pope Paul III published a bull deposing Henry and thereby absolving English Catholics from the need to obey their ruler

• The Pope sent envoys to both France and Scotland to rouse support for a Catholic crusade against Henry

What treaty between Charles and Francis negatively effected England?

The Treaty of Nice caused them to sever connections with England

What pope “liberated“ English Catholics?

Pope Paul III published a bull deposing Henry and thereby absolving English Catholics from the need to obey their ruler

What did the Popes Envoy to Scotland and France suggest?

The Pope sent envoys to both France and Scotland to rouse support for a Catholic crusade against Henry

How was Henry’s position in actuality?

In reality Henry's position was more secure than it appeared:

• Neither Francis nor Charles trusted each other and had more important priorities

What act was Henry VIII enthusiastic about?

The Six Articles Act of 1539

Why was Henry enthusiastic about The Six Acts?

He found the situation between Francis and Charles distrust to appear dangerous

What as the point of The Six Articles Act of 1539?

The act intended to reassure Catholic opinion in England and also helped explain his decision to marry Anne of cleaves

When did Henry and Anne of Cleaves meet?

His first encounter with Anne coincided with a meeting between Charles and Francis

Why did Henry marry Anne of Cleaves?

Henry felt that they were conspiring to invade England and believed that the marriage with Anne, accompanied by another attempt at an alliance with the League of Schmalkalden, would be a useful insurance policy

How successful was the marriage?

The marriage soon fell apart once the short-lived friendship between Charles and Francis broke down leaving Henry in a much more secure position

Ireland

How was England’s relation with Ireland in the beginning?

Early in Henry VIII's reign, concerns about Ireland were low and English control was primarily focused on the Pale near Dublin

What Irish noble man had lots of power?

Gerald Fitzgerald, the ninth Earl of Kildare, held significant power as an Irish nobleman

What was Gerald’s role?

Gerald’s balanced roles as both an English courtier and a Gaelic chief

What complicated Gerald’s position?

The Geraldine-Butler feud complicated Gerald’s position

What was the relationship between Henry and Gerald like?

• The relationship between Gerald and Henry VIII worsened over time.

• Henry VIII faced a governance dilemma: he struggled to rule Ireland effectively with Gerald , but found it impossible to do so without him

How did Henry deal with Gerald?

Gerald was dismissed in 1534

What was the reaction to Gerald’s dismissal?

Gerald’s dismissal in 1534 led to a significant rebellion led by his son, Thomas Fitzgerald, the Earl of Ossory

Who was Gerald’s son?

Thomas Fitzgerald, the Earl of Ossory

How much of a threat was the rebellion led by Thomas Fitzgerald?

The rebellion was challenging to suppress and costly for the Crown

How successfull was the attempt to reform Irish Governance?

• The attempt to reform Irish governance in 1534 failed to establish direct English control

• Effective governance required an English-born deputy and a strong military presence

How was the Relationship with Ireland towards the mid 1530s?

Ireland became an increasing financial burden on the Crown

What worsened tensions in Ireland ?

• Resentment among Gaelic lords worsened tensions in Ireland

Where did Gaelic nobles invade?

1539, Gaelic nobles Con O’Neill and Manus O’Donnell invaded the Pale

What did the English do about the Gaelic nobles?

The English government regained control situation and in 1541, Ireland was established as a separate kingdom under English rule

When was Ireland put under England rule

1541

What changed in Ireland under English rule?

English law was imposed, and counties were created from Gaelic lordships -Some Gaelic lords were granted peerage titles

The Irish were promised the same legal protections as English subjects

Why did England struggle to impose English rule?

• The government struggled to implement these reforms due to a lack of resources

• There was minimal loyalty among the Irish towards the English Crown

What further complicated the relationship between England and Ireland?

Post-1534, religious differences further complicated the relationship between England and Ireland