Tudor Times is the online repository for all things Tudor and Stewart (1485–1625)

On 7th August 1514 a peace treaty was signed between England and France. The two countries had been at war, off-and-on, since 1512, when Henry VIII, in the first flush of new kingship had tried to recreate the glories of Agincourt. The first campaign, in 1512, had been led by the Marquess of Dorset, and had ended in disaster for the land forces when they were badly let down by Henry’s father-in-law, Ferdinand of Aragon. The navy, under Sir Edward Howard, had initially had more success. In 1513, Henry set sail for France himself, and achieved some success at the Battle of the Spurs, and the taking of the towns of Tournai and Therouanne.

A wider aspect to the war was the involvement of France’s ally, James IV of Scotland, whose invasion, and subsequent death at Flodden, were the result of his alliance with France. Whilst Louis XII’s allies were loyal to him, Henry was again let down by Ferdinand, and the Emperor, Maximilian I. He turned the tables on them, by negotiating a separate peace with France, which included an agreement for his sister, Mary, to marry the aging Louis (picture).

The details of the treaty were worked out by Henry’s chief minister, Cardinal Wolsey, who had also been responsible for most of the war arrangements.

0n 6th August 1514 Margaret, Dowager Queen of Scots, and sister of Henry VIII of England, married, as her second husband, Archibald Douglas, Earl of Angus. The reasons for Margaret’s action have been disputed – it has been attributed to love (or lust), to a level of coercion by Angus and his relatives, or to a deliberate decision by Margaret to bolster her position as Governor in the minority of her son, James V, by marrying one of the most important nobles. Whatever her reasons, the marriage spectacularly failed to improve Margaret’s position – instead, she was replaced as Governor by the Duke of Albany, and felt so threatened that she escaped secretly to England, where she bore Angus a daughter, Lady Margaret Douglas. Queen Margaret was thus grandmother to both Mary Queen of Scots, and her husband, Lord Darnley. Read more on the minority of James V here

On 5th August 1529, a peace was signed between Emperor Charles V and Francois I of France. Known as ‘The Ladies’ Peace’, it ended the War of the League of Cognac, one of the many conflicts within the wider Italian Wars of the 16th century. In 1525, Charles V had defeated Francois at the Battle of Pavia and taken him prisoner. In exchange for his freedom, Francois had signed the Treaty of Madrid, which replaced him as a prisoner with his two sons, the Dauphin Francois, and Henri, Duke of Orleans, and ceded disputed territories in Burgundy, as well as Navarre.

As soon as he was free, Francois disowned the Treaty of Madrid and entered into the League of Cognac against Charles. The League, formed in 1526, included France, England, Venice, Milan, Florence and the Pope against Spain and the Empire. Nevertheless, Charles was victorious again, and it was during this war that the Sack of Rome of 1527 took place. Charles’ victory ended Henry VIII’s hopes for an annulment of his marriage to Charles’ aunt, Katharine of Aragon.

The peace treaty was negotiated between Louise of Savoy (pictured), Francois’ mother, and Marguerite of Austria, Charles’ aunt. The French princes were returned to their homeland, and Charles’ sister, Eleanor, was married to Francois.

Read more about these women, and other influential women in 16th century Europe in Sarah Gristwood's Game of Queens here