Somerset's Foreign Policy

- Som decided to push for MQS marriage 

- Aware of Fr aggression with new King HII, so Som strengthened the defences around Boulogne and Calais 

- June 1547- Auld Alliance renewed 

- Fr sent fleet and 4000 troops to Scot

- Som felt he had to invade (used the excse of arranging the marriage with MQS under T of Greenwich 1543) 

- Eng invaded Sept 1547, 18000 troops 4500 cavalry, 20000 poorly equipped Scottish militia = B of Pinkie Clough (near Edinburgh) and Eng won. But didn't take Edinburgh and Dunbar 

- Not decisive enough to control Scotland, but did give the Eng control of the border, but Som worried about Fr

- Sept 1547- som decided to garrison Scot but Som left Scot due to other concerns in Eng and fears of Fr 

- Scot nobles rallied to M of Guise and aked for more Fr help and agreed that MQS could go to Fr to marry son of Fr K HII

- Som tried to isolate Scot by opening negotiations with Fr but Fr = not interested 

- Jan 1548- Som made an appeal to Scots for a union and marriae of Ed and MQS but Scots = not interested 

- June 1548- Fr fleet landed in Scot again, MQS taken away to Fr in Aug 1548 

- Eng strengthened the border eg Carlisle and Berwick but Som did not invade 

- Fr then laid siege to Haddington- Scottish garrison town with 5000 Eng soldiers 

- Som in dilemma- invade Scot? France? Didn't want to leave London? 

- Som believed that the Fr wouldn't ttak Boulogne- too close to Neths- this could antagonise CV and he could possibly ally with Eng against Fr 

- So Som took a gamble and only sent troops and fleet to Scot and NOT to France to defend Boulogne- sent 12000 infantry and 1800 cavalry to relieve Haddington 

- Succeeded- Fr retreated. But then Som retreated so Fr resumed the siege. But didn't take Haddington as Fr running out of supplies and Scots turning against Fr- fed up with Fr soliers in their country 

- Aug 1549- rebellions broke out in Eng, Som kept troops in Scot - rebellions got out of hand, Som eventually recalled troops and fleet from Scot. Fleet - to defend Channel and soldiers to deal with the rebellions which are now getting very serious 

- So Fr then resumed the siege of Boulogne - no help from Eng as Som dealing with rebellion (W'ern and Kett) 

- Cost of Scottish campaign = expensive £1,386,000 spend on FP in Ed's reign, £580,000 of that spent on Som Scottish campaign. Garrisoning Scot = expensive 

- Paid for by debasement of coinage, selling off of Chantry lands (short term gain) raised extra parliamentary taxation, sold crown land and borrowed from European bankers eg Fuggers

- This all made the econ situation worse- contributing to inflation and the cause of rebellion 

- Generally, agreed Som was a good general on the field of battle (won Pinkie0 but hopeless as a commander. He was indecisive, didn't exploit Haddington or Pinke

- But inherited an impossible situation from HVIII - econ probs already (debasement), rough wooing, MQS marriage, Boulogne (HVIII took it Fr want it back) 

- Also odds against him - never going to isolate Scot and break the Auld Alliance