This is a detailed summary Edward VI's foreign policies created using the 'Oxford AQA History Textbook for A Level: The Tudors: England ' by Sally Waller, 'Access to History: The Early Tudors: Henry VII to Mary I, Second Edition' by Roger Turvey, as well as lesson notes from an Oxford-educated his...
Foreign policy under Edward VI
Scotland France Netherlands / Holy Roman Empire
Somerset aimed to Somerset aimed to avoid war with France and Charles V’s issue of an edict to allow the
- reassert the royal claim of Edward I to the thus tolerated French provocations, such as their Inquisition to arrest any heretics in the
Scottish throne. military support of Scotland. Netherlands in 1550 damaged English trade with
- continue Henry VIII’s war with Scotland, the Netherlands and led to a collapse in the
prevent the revival of the auld alliance. Somerset underestimated France’s support for Antwerp cloth market as many of the Netherland
- enforce the marriage between Edward VI Scotland. In 1548, France sent 10,000 troops to traders were Protestants.
and Mary, Queen of Scots, which had been relieve Edinburgh from Somerset’s advances and - Greatly damaged the English economy
arranged by the 1543 Treaty of Greenwich, was able to take Mary to France where she which relied on the cloth trade with the
to establish a powerful dual monarchy. married the Dauphin. Under the treaty that Netherlands.
established the marriage alliance between Mary
Despite initial military success at the 1547 Battle and the Dauphin, Scotland also placed themselves England placed a temporary embargo on the sale
of Pinkie in which Somerset entered Edinburgh under French control. The poorly defended of cloth to the Netherlands in response to Charles
and captured all main border strongholds, he garrison system was no match for the French V’s threat of an invasion of England due to hostility
failed to capture the castles at Dunbar and troops. towards England's religious reformation and ill
Edinburgh. - The auld alliance continued to be treatment of Mary Tudor in 1551.
strengthened as it was during Henry VIII’s
The 25 garrisons Somerset established in 1547-49 reign, showing that Somerset’s policy was Economic pressures and Charles V’s need for
to root out Scottish aggressors were expensive to counterproductive in the sense that it support in the Habsburg-Valois Wars, which
maintain and proved unaffordable. ~£351,000 was hindered national security. Northumberland refused to offer and pursued a
spent on wages for garrisoning compared to Henry - The departure of Mary removed the most policy of neutrality instead, led to an improvement
VIII’s ~£235,000 on raids. Garrisoning also important reason for English presence in in trading relations with the Netherlands by June
worsened relations with Scottish locals when Scotland. 1552.
English soldiers took their resources to supply the - Encouraged the threat of a French invasion
garrisons. of southern England in 1549 when France
- Unrealistic policies declared war on England.
- Change from a focus on war with France to
a war with Scotland Following the French victory over England in
- Continued Henry VIII’s war with Scotland Scotland, France turned their attention to the
at the end of his reign. English garrisons in Scotland and began to
- Continued to lack financial capacity. besiege Haddington in 1549, threatening England
- The huge expenditure on garrisoning with a French invasion of Boulogne if Somerset
hindered Somerset’s ability to deal with the sent troops to relieve Haddington.
1549 rebellions. - Troops led by the Earl of Shrewsbury
temporarily succeeded in relieving the
Somerset’s 1548 appeal to the Scots to marry garrisons.
Edward VI and Mary so that the countries would - Luck played a role in the French
become like “two brethren of one island of Great withdrawal from Scotland due to the cost of
Britain” was a failure. the campaign and Somerset’s
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