How real was the threat of invasion 1538-47?
Calshot Castle was built in 1539-40 as an artillery fort to guard the entrance to Southampton Water against the threat of invasion. It is just one of many such castles built under the orders of Henry VIII.
Teaching idea
Students could search our Educational Images to find out how many castles Henry VIII built during the final years of his reign. Students could search on the terms henry viii and castle and use the filters to select Tudor (1485-1602) from the drop-down lists. Then find out when and where he built them. They could use their search results to create a timeline of all the castles Henry built. They can then use the timeline to draw conclusions about Henry's foreign and domestic policies at the end of his reign.
Learning aims and outcomes
- Students will be able to demonstrate skills in searching, assessing and using relevant evidence
- Students will gain a better understanding of Henry VIII foreign policy and its impact on England
- Relates to: OCR - Unit Y307: Tudor Foreign Policy 1485–1603
- Relates to: AQA - 1C The Tudors: England, 1485–1603 - How did relations with foreign powers change
Prior knowledge
Some background knowledge to Henry VIIIs reign, such as:
- In 1538 the Truce of Nice saw the declaration of a ten-year truce between Francis I of France and Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
- The Pope issued a decree that Henry was no longer King of England. He called upon Catholics to attack him
