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During the Hundred Years War, the Scottish kingdom effectively defended their interests in European courts, helping France conquer Normandy and Gascony. Michael Brown discusses.

Image courtesy of interviewee. February 7, 2024

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This video video discusses the final phase of the Hundred Years' War and Scotland's role during this period in the context of European politics. It highlights that Scotland, located on the northern fringes of Europe, has developed a consistent alliance with France as a counter to England, which has ambitions to conquer Scotland. The Scots were seeking a prestigious foreign marriage for their King James II, who was coming of age after a period of minority, to enhance their status and secure their dynasty.

During this time, France was recovering from civil strife and English conquests, with King Charles III interested in supporting Scotland's diplomatic ambitions. The Scots actively engaged in European diplomacy, sending embassies to various courts, including France and Burgundy, ultimately securing Mary of Gelder's as a bride for their king. This video video demonstrates Scotland’s capacity to pursue its own diplomatic goals, showing a growing awareness of its aspirations amidst a shifting European landscape. This video video portrays this as a fluid era, laying the groundwork for the more interconnected political scenario of the 16th century.

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The period we're looking at is, the, the final phase

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of the a hundred Years war,

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A conflict which has dominated Western Europe

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for over a century,

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and drawn in all the major payers of the region

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and some of the minor ones too.

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So Scotland, is one

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of those kingdoms which is on the fringe of that conflict,

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and is, is actively engaged with it.

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So if you look at the map of Europe,

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Scotland is on the northern fringes of the continent,

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and I think that that kind of defines its role.

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So it has a role, it's, developed

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as an enemy of England.

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The English kings have, ambitions to take over Scotland.

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Um, and as a response to that, the Scots seek an alliance

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with the French kings who are equally England's enemy.

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So in a sense, Scotland's role is usually regarded

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as quite structured as a, as a consistent ally of France

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and a useful one to the north of England.

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The continental rulers look at Scotland

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and think of it in those terms.

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They think of it as someone who can either distract or delay

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or counter England rather than anything else.

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It's a period which is of real importance, I think,

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in Scotland, in England, and on the continent.

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It's a period at which this long conflict between England

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and France is reaching its final phase.

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For the Scots, it's a a critical point

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because they've been through 13 years of a minority.

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Their king James II has been a child

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and now he's reaching adulthood,

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and one of their priorities is

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to find a prestigious foreign marriage, which will,

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provide for the future of their dynasty,

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but also will give them status

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and prestige on a European scale.

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So the Scots have their own interests,

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and I think one of their concerns is

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that there are negotiations between England

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and France at this stage

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and thoughts that a settlement might be possible

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to end the Anglo French conflict

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with a, with a peace treaty.

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The situation in the French Queen kingdom

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is, is quite fluid.

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Um, they've been,

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recovering from a catastrophic period of civil war

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and English conquest, probably known through the person

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of Joan of Ark, and Henry the V on the other side.

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So the French are recovering slowly, they're King.

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Charles III is trying to

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expel the English from his kingdom,

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but equally to ensure that he's in charge of what's left.

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He has a close relationship with the Scots.

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Um, he's negotiating an alliance with James II's father,

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and James' sister has married his son,

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though though she has died by this stage.

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Um, and Charles II is interested in supporting James II

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and, is positive about finding him a suitable

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bride on the continent too. So he's a

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Helpful ally from the Scott's perspective, I think

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what I'm trying to say is

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that whilst geographically Scotland is, at the,

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the the remote edge of Europe, it's incredibly aware

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and actively involved in, European politics.

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The Scot's invest a lot of money

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not simply in fighting English,

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but in sending a prestigious embassy to the continent,

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which goes between various courts.

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It goes to the French court,

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but it also goes to the court of the Dukes of Brittany,

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and to the court of the Duke of Burgundy.

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It's the Burgundian court that furnishes them with a,

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a queen of Scotts, a bride for their king.

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In, in Mary of Gelder's, the great niece of the Duke

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of Burgundy and the Scots are interested in making all these

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connections work for them.

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With Burgundy, it's as much about trade

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as it is about royal prestige or warfare.

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What we learned from this episode is both the

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s Scotts willingness

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and capacity to seek their own diplomatic goals.

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There's a sense in which their role is secondary

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and rather reactive on the European state,

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but I think this episode shows the Scotts showing that,

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that, that they're aware of what they want to achieve

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and have them means to bring that about.

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So it's that capacity,

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and I think more broadly it's looking at the 15th century

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and perhaps this latter part of the 15th century

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as an incredibly fluid era in which,

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diplomatic horizons are growing.

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The interconnections between different European states

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and princes is really quite widespread,

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and it's leading towards that perhaps more imperial set age

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of the 16th century, which we regard as sort

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of early modern in its character.

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But this is the kind of transitional period in that process.

Scotland's Role in the Hundred Years War

00:00:00 - The period we're looking at is, the, the final phase of the a hundred Years war, A conflict which has dominated Western Europe for over a century, and drawn in all the major payers of the region and some of the minor ones too. So Scotland, is one of those kingdoms which is on the fringe of that conflict, and is, is actively engaged with it. So if you look at the map of Europe, Scotland is on the northern fringes of the continent,
00:00:35 - So it has a role, it's, developed as an enemy of England. The English kings have, ambitions to take over Scotland. and as a response to that, the Scots seek an alliance with the French kings who are equally England's enemy. So in a sense, Scotland's role is usually regarded as quite structured as a, as a consistent ally of France and a useful one to the north of England. The continental rulers look at Scotland
00:01:05 - They think of it as someone who can either distract or delay or counter England rather than anything else. It's a period which is of real importance, I think, in Scotland, in England, and on the continent. It's a period at which this long conflict between England and France is reaching its final phase. For the Scots, it's a a critical point because they've been through 13 years of a minority.
00:01:37 - and now he's reaching adulthood, and one of their priorities is to find a prestigious foreign marriage, which will, provide for the future of their dynasty, but also will give them status and prestige on a European scale. So the Scots have their own interests, and I think one of their concerns is that there are negotiations between England and France at this stage and thoughts that a settlement might be possible
00:02:06 - with a, with a peace treaty. The situation in the French Queen kingdom is, is quite fluid. they've been, recovering from a catastrophic period of civil war and English conquest, probably known through the person of Joan of Ark, and Henry the V on the other side. So the French are recovering slowly, they're King. Charles III is trying to expel the English from his kingdom, but equally to ensure that he's in charge of what's left.
00:02:40 - he's negotiating an alliance with James II's father, and James' sister has married his son, though though she has died by this stage. and Charles II is interested in supporting James II and, is positive about finding him a suitable bride on the continent too. So he's a Helpful ally from the Scott's perspective, I think what I'm trying to say is that whilst geographically Scotland is, at the,

Scotland's Diplomatic Ambitions in Europe

00:03:11 - and actively involved in, European politics. The Scot's invest a lot of money not simply in fighting English, but in sending a prestigious embassy to the continent, which goes between various courts. It goes to the French court, but it also goes to the court of the Dukes of Brittany, and to the court of the Duke of Burgundy. It's the Burgundian court that furnishes them with a, a queen of Scotts, a bride for their king. In, in Mary of Gelder's, the great niece of the Duke
00:03:43 - connections work for them. With Burgundy, it's as much about trade as it is about royal prestige or warfare. What we learned from this episode is both the s Scotts willingness and capacity to seek their own diplomatic goals. There's a sense in which their role is secondary and rather reactive on the European state, but I think this episode shows the Scotts showing that, that, that they're aware of what they want to achieve and have them means to bring that about.
00:04:41 - and I think more broadly it's looking at the 15th century and perhaps this latter part of the 15th century as an incredibly fluid era in which, diplomatic horizons are growing. The interconnections between different European states and princes is really quite widespread, and it's leading towards that perhaps more imperial set age of the 16th century, which we regard as sort of early modern in its character. But this is the kind of transitional period in that process.

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