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.