Assess the reasons for England’s changing relations with France
Things to consider (in the planning stages)
If you answer this question chronologically (as a vast majority of you continue to do), you will not be
able to score above a grade D! You need to answer thematically!
How will you answer the question? (This sounds ridiculous, but make sure that when
comparing/contrasting, you are actually explaining how particular factors caused England’s relation
with France to change). Makes sure that you can also assign relative importance, e.g., which factor is
most important and why?
Although you need to look at themes and how these effect relations with France (e.g. Relations with
Spain, attitudes of the English monarchs etc) it is extremely important that you think of key events
that you will look at, e.g.

The French decision to back Warbeck in 1492

The support given to Mary Queen of Scots by the French

Henry VIII’s decision to go to war with France 3 times, Mary’s decision to go to war with
them in 1557, Elizabeth’s decision to involve herself in the Wars of Religion in 1562

Henry VII’s decision to sign the Treaty of Perpetual Peace with France, Henry VII signing the
Treaty of Etaples, Elizabeth signing the Treaty of Blois in 1572

Henry VIII’s (albeit brief) decision to back the French against the Spanish in 1527, Elizabeth’s
decision to draw closer to the French in the 1570’s and 80’s, culminating in sending troops to
protect the channel ports in 1589.

The accession of the Protestant Henry IV as King of France in 1580

Plus anything else you consider important
Now consider how you can fit these key events within particular themes

The attitude/power of Spain-This will allow you to look at Henry VIII and Mary declaring war
on Spain, Elizabeth signing the Treaty of Blois and Elizabeth sending troops to France from
1589-94. It will also allow you to look at Henry VIII’s decision to back the French against the
Spanish in 1527.

English dynastic security- This will allow you to look at the French championing of Warbeck
under Henry VII and Mary Queen of Scots under Elizabeth.

The attitudes of the English monarch- this will allow you to look at the aggression of Henry
VIII and Mary, and contrast it with Henry VII and Elizabeth.
Structuring your response
Introduction
In your introduction, I would recommend giving an overview of how relations changed over time.
E.g.
“Throughout the period, relations with France changed dramatically. Although initially hostile as
shown by England’s involvement in the Breton Crisis, and France’s harbouring of Warbeck, relations
improved dramatically following the Treaty of Etaples in 1492. This however only brought about a
short term improvement and relations plummeted during the reign of Henry VIII, and Mary I as
England accompanied by Spain invaded on a further four occasions. Although France continued to be
England’s main enemy on the accession of Elizabeth I in 1558, by 1572 this had changed, with
England and France pursuing a policy of cautious friendship that would last until the death of
Elizabeth in 1603.”
You can then go on to identify some of the major reasons for such changes (the attitude/power of
Spain, the attitude of the English monarch, and English dynastic security. You can also identify
anything else that you may wish to look at e.g. religious factors etc).
If you are desperately opposed to doing something like this in your introduction, it is essential that
you give some synoptic overview somewhere in your essay- the introduction would seem a sensible
point!
The attitude/power of Spain
The growth of Spain had provided a rival to France, and it is noticeable just how much they
influenced relations between England and France. When England and Spain had positive relations,
relations with France were generally poor. This can be seen by comparing Henry VIII to Mary I. When
Henry VIII was married to Catherine of Aragon, he went to war twice with France, similarly, when
Mary I was married to Philip (similarly leading to good relations with the Spanish) she joined the side
of Spain against the French in the Italian Wars.
Contrast this with Elizabeth; as Spain grew in power and began to threaten the national security of
England following their expansion into the Netherlands, Elizabeth drew increasingly closer to France.
This was shown by the Treaty of Blois, and culminated with her decision to send troops to help the
French Channel ports from the Spanish. This was the first time England had provided the French
with troops, and only the 2nd time they had actively supported the French against the Spanish. (the
other was when Henry VIII helped pay the cost of the French army marching on Italy in 1527 which
he hoped would break the Spanish stranglehold over Rome, and allow him to get a divorce). Notice
how the importance of identifying a factor/event that had a long term impact in terms of changing
relations between the two countries
The only person this does not really apply to is Henry VII, who had good relations with Spain due to
the 1589 Treaty of Medina Del Campo, yet this did not really influence his policies/general attitude
towards France.
The attitudes of the English monarch
Henry VII was particularly keen to pursue good relations with France (once he had removed the
threat of Warbeck), and this is best demonstrated by the fact that he signed a commercial treaty
with the French immediately after joining the anti French Holy League (so as to show them he was
no threat). After the Treaty of Etaples was signed in 1492, relations remained amicable. Again, a
comparison can be drawn with Elizabeth. Although initially involving herself in the French Wars of
Religion in 1562 she quickly realised her mistake, and did not involve herself in the conflicts any
more (which dragged on until 1580), thus allowing to repair relations with the French who saw her
as no threat.
On the other hand, Somerset was keen to establish positive relations with the French, and his
attempt to negotiate a treaty failed, with the French declaring war in 1549 (thus questioning the
importance of the attitudes of the English monarch/protector in determining English French
relations).
A clear contrast can be drawn between Mary of Henry VIII, both of who were largely anti French
(although Henry VIII did sign both the treaty of the More in 1515 and the Treaty of Perpetual Peace),
as demonstrated by their clear war mongering policy. It is however extremely important to
consider relative significance here; to what extent was Henry VIII and Mar’s animosity to France
motivated by personal factors, and to what extent was it motivated by the fact that both had
relatively good relations with Spain?
English dynastic security
When English dynastic security was weak, the French were able to further destabilise this, damaging
Anglo French relations. This is most obvious during the reign of Henry VII when their support of
Warbeck from 1491-2 forces Henry VII to launch an invasion of France. Surprisingly, the incident was
then quickly forgotten with relations vastly improving following the Treaty of Etaples. This rather
odd trend is also seen under Elizabeth, where the Guises determination to promote the claim of
Mary Queen of Scots to the throne of England leads to some deterioration of relations in the 1560s.
Again however this seems to have no negative long term affect, with the 1572 Treaty of Blois (in
which the French promise not to support Mary Queen of Scots) heralding a new era of Anglo French
relations. How does the importance of this compare to other factors?
Conclusion
General points
There is no right or wrong answer, and these 3 categories could be replace by any others! Notice
how I have answered thematically, made regular comparisons, and tried to identify particular
significant events/developments.