Challengers from abroad: Burgundy, France, Scotland and Ireland

Burgundy (the Netherlands)

Burgundy provided the greatest threat to Henry because Edward IV’s sister, Margaret, was married to the ruler, Charles the Bold. Margaret supported the Pretenders Lambert Simnel (1487) and Warbeck (1491-99) with finance and mercenary troops. She also threatened the important English cloth industry because Burgundy was a major trading partner of England. In fact, in 1493 Henry placed a temporary embargo on commercial dealings with the Netherlands because of Philip, Duke of Burgundy, and Margaret’s aid for Warbeck. This embargo hurt England’s lucrative trade as much as, if not more than, the Netherlands’. Burgundy ceased to be a threat after Margaret’s death in 1503.

France

Relations between France and England had been harmonious up to 1488, but this changed when France threatened the independence of Brittany. Henry announced his intention to assert his claim to the French Crown and sent an army across the Channel in 1492, where they laid siege to Boulogne. King Charles VIII wished to avoid war and agreed to sign the Treaty of Étaples in 1492. Charles promised not to give any aid to English rebels, particularly Warbeck. He also agreed to pay most of Henry’s campaign costs and to pay an annual pension of £5,000. Thereafter France ceased to be a serious threat to Henry’s throne.

Scotland

The most vulnerable part of Henry VII’s kingdom was its northern border with Scotland. Scotland was England’s traditional enemy, made more dangerous because of the Scot’s long-held alliance with France. Relations between Scotland and England were always tense, but Henry was faced by a serious challenge to his throne when King James IV offered Perkin Warbeck his support in 1495. The Scottish-supported challenge to Henry VII’s crown lasted two years, until James IV lost faith in Warbeck and decided instead to seek peace with Henry. The Truce of Ayton was concluded in 1497, becoming a full treaty of peace in 1502. The treaty was sealed in 1503 by the marriage of James IV to Henry VII’s daughter, Margaret. Thereafter Scotland ceased to be a problem for Henry.

Ireland

In 1487 Simnel received the support of the most powerful noblemen in Ireland, the Earl of Kildare, who arrange the Pretender’s coronation in Dublin. After Simnel’s defeat at the battle of Stoke in 1487, Kildare was reluctant to support another Pretender - but, after much persuasion, he did so in 1492 when he recognised Warbeck’s claim to the throne. In 1494, Henry VII appointed Sir Edward Poynings, one of his most trusted advisers, as Lord Deputy. Poynings’ main task was to pacify the most rebellious areas and to impose a system of government that would ensure Ireland’s future obedience to the English Crown. Thereafter Ireland posed no problem for Henry VII.