Henry’s foreign policy towards Scotland

Key Points:

  • Scottish population compromised of many different clans, country divided up into the different clans and their areas

  • Clans = political divides

  • Auld alliance makes Scotland dangerous

  • Rugged Scottish countryside is impossible to invade

  • They favored Henry over previous king - Richard III

  • Suzerainty - English kings expected Scottish kings to respect them and for England to effectively govern Scotland

Political situation:

  • King James III assassinated in 1488 after Battle of Sauchieburn

  • Son King James IV was a minor - 15 at the time

  • Scotland therefore ruled by regents, all of which are part of rival clans = Scotland’s ruling is corrupt and ineffective

  • Regency government is very divided, something that Henry watched play out from England

  • Henry kept contacts within the Scottish council who were much more favorable to better relations with England

Avoiding war: Henry was keen to do this, because of the Auld alliance he couldn’t afford to engage in any warfare as France was too big a threat.

  • A three year truce was signed in 1486 - this allowed Henry time to become more stable on the throne

  • As James IV was a minor he was unable to lead an army, meaning Henry avoided further threat from them for some years

  • Henry gave shelter to fugitive Scottish nobles who had been ousted from power e.g. the Earl of Angus

  • 1492 - aided the successful attempt to overthrow the anti-English regents

  • 1493 - 9 year truce signed, as the Earl of Angus back in power

C/A - when James IV came of age in 1491 he wanted to wage war on England and even looked into supporting rebels such as Warbeck

C,C/A - Henry was quickly able to rise the funds through tax to meet the threat of the Scots (£50,000 from parliament and £120,000 in total),this made them financially superior. Just the threat of war from England was enough to it off the Scots.

Treaties:

Ayton:

  • Henry was able to propose a treaty to Scotland after they were scared off by his financial power

  • The Truce of Ayton was signed in 1497

  • This became a Treaty of Ayton in 1499

  • This was a HUGE achievement for Henry as it was the first treaty signed between the countries since 1328

  • It was further reinforced by the marriage of Henry’s eldest daughter Margret to James IV in 1503

‘Failures’

  • border raids still continued, meaning Henry had to keep his two financially draining garrisons - Berwick and Carlisle

  • The auld alliance between France and Scotland still stood

Scotland were too weak to make a useful trading partner

Judgement

Avoiding wars: good at avoiding war with the Scot’s, done by signing truces. The Scots were also aware of England’s superiority in both size/pop and finance which deterred them. H/E border raids were a drain and a pain