National War and Dynastic Politics: Henry VII’s Capacity to Wage War in the Scottish Campaigns of 1496–1497

In April 1489, Robert, Lord Willoughby of Broke landed near Cherbourg with 6,000 English troops to help defend Breton independence against the French. The peace agreed between England and France at Picquingy in August 1475 deprived a generation of English soldiers of the chance to revisit some of the glories of their ancestors. Anti-Tudor conspiracy, rebellion and invasion permitted little opportunity for Henry VII to focus on the more traditional preoccupations of medieval English monarchs. For national war and large-scale campaigning against rebel threats, Henry VII was reliant upon the loyal deployment of his nobles' resources - which were vastly superior in combination to those of the Crown alone. By November 1496, Berwick and the East March were bearing the brunt of the build-up. The best Scottish artillery and troops were tied down in miserably wet summer weather at impregnable Norham Castle. Keywords: Henry VII; medieval English monarchs; national war; Norham Castle; Scottish campaigns