Foreign Policy: Scotland and France

Active learning helps students grasp the nuance of Elizabeth I’s foreign policy by moving beyond dates and treaties. When students analyze primary documents, debate decisions, and role-play historical figures, they confront the complexity of balancing religion, power, and diplomacy. This approach makes the consequences of choices tangible, helping students understand why caution often trumped conviction in Elizabeth’s early reign.

• Year 12
• History
• 3 activities
• 30 min–50 min

Learning Objectives

1. Explain the motivations behind Elizabeth I's intervention in the Scottish Reformation.
2. Analyze the terms and consequences of the Treaty of Edinburgh (1560).
3. Evaluate the success of English involvement in the French Wars of Religion between 1562 and 1564.
4. Critique the extent to which Elizabeth I's early foreign policy was primarily defensive.

Inquiry Circle

⏱ 45 min·Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: The Treaty of Edinburgh Audit

In small groups, students analyze the terms of the 1560 Treaty of Edinburgh. They must identify why this was a 'masterstroke' for Elizabeth, as it removed French troops from Scotland and secured the Protestant Lords of the Congregation without a full-scale war.

Prepare & details

Explain why Elizabeth eventually decided to support the Scottish Lords of the Congregation.

Facilitation Tip: In The Treaty of Edinburgh Audit, assign each group a specific source so they must justify their audit findings to the class.

Setup: Groups at tables with access to source materials

Materials: Source material collection, Inquiry cycle worksheet, Question generation protocol, Findings presentation template

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Simulation Game

⏱ 50 min·Small Groups

Simulation Game: The Council's Debate on France, 1562

Students role-play a council meeting where Robert Dudley pushes for an intervention to help the French Huguenots (Protestants). They must weigh the 'religious duty' against the 'financial cost' and the risk of a French counter-attack, demonstrating the 'divided' nature of Elizabethan policy.

Prepare & details

Analyze how successful the English intervention in the French Wars of Religion was.

Facilitation Tip: During The Council's Debate on France, 1562, circulate with a checklist to ensure quieter students are called on for key points.

Setup: Flexible space for group stations

Materials: Role cards with goals/resources, Game currency or tokens, Round tracker

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Decision-Making

Think-Pair-Share

⏱ 30 min·Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Defensive or Aggressive?

Students analyze Elizabeth's early foreign policy actions. They discuss in pairs whether she was a 'reluctant' interventionist who only acted when forced, or if she was 'actively' trying to build a Protestant alliance in Europe.

Prepare & details

Evaluate the extent to which Elizabeth's early foreign policy was defensive.

Facilitation Tip: For Defensive or Aggressive?, limit the Think-Pair-Share to two minutes to maintain momentum and focus on concise reasoning.

Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor

Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Teaching This Topic

Research shows that role-play and source analysis build historical empathy and critical analysis more effectively than lecture alone. Avoid framing Elizabeth as either a hero or a villain; instead, focus on the constraints she faced. Use primary sources to reveal her language and actions, which often contradict later myths about her Protestant commitment. Encourage students to question whether her ‘defensive’ stance was pragmatic or principled.

What to Expect

By the end of these activities, students should be able to evaluate Elizabeth’s motivations with evidence and explain how her actions shaped England’s position in Europe. Success looks like students distinguishing between short-term gains and long-term consequences, supported by specific historical references. They should also recognize that religious solidarity was secondary to political stability in her decision-making.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During The Treaty of Edinburgh Audit, students may assume Elizabeth was a ‘champion’ of international Protestantism.

What to Teach Instead

During The Treaty of Edinburgh Audit, direct students to examine the terms of the treaty and Elizabeth’s correspondence. Ask them to highlight where her actions prioritized removing French influence over supporting Protestant Scots, and provide evidence that she avoided religious language in the treaty.

Common Misconception

During The Council's Debate on France, 1562, students may believe the capture of Le Havre was a success.

What to Teach Instead

During The Council's Debate on France, 1562, have students analyze the Treaty of Troyes in small groups. Ask them to identify how the plague and French unity led to England’s surrender, and challenge them to explain why this outcome contradicts the idea of success.

Assessment Ideas

Discussion Prompt

After The Treaty of Edinburgh Audit, pose the question: ‘Was Elizabeth I's support for the Scottish Lords of the Congregation a calculated act of national self-interest or a genuine commitment to the Protestant cause?’ Ask students to cite specific evidence from the treaty and audit materials to support their arguments.

Exit Ticket

After The Council's Debate on France, 1562, students write a short paragraph (3-4 sentences) explaining one key difference between the English intervention in Scotland and the intervention in France. They should identify one specific outcome for each intervention, using evidence from the debate.

Quick Check

During Defensive or Aggressive?, present students with three short statements about Elizabeth's early foreign policy, for example: ‘Elizabeth I feared French invasion more than Spanish’; ‘The Treaty of Edinburgh was a clear victory for England’; ‘Elizabeth readily funded Protestant rebels’. Ask students to mark each statement as True or False and provide a brief justification for one of their choices.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge: Ask students to draft a letter from Elizabeth to the French Huguenots explaining her refusal to intervene, using evidence from the Treaty of Edinburgh Audit.
• Scaffolding: Provide a sentence starter for the Think-Pair-Share: ‘Elizabeth’s reluctance to support Protestant rebels suggests that...’
• Deeper exploration: Have students research Mary, Queen of Scots’ later role in France and compare it to Elizabeth’s early caution.

Key Vocabulary

Scottish Reformation	The 16th-century religious movement that led to the establishment of Presbyterianism in Scotland, challenging the authority of the Catholic Church and French influence.
Lords of the Congregation	The leaders of the Protestant Lords in Scotland who opposed the Catholic rule of Mary, Queen of Scots, and sought English support.
Treaty of Edinburgh	An agreement signed in 1560 between England and France that withdrew all French troops from Scotland and acknowledged Elizabeth I as the rightful monarch of England.
French Wars of Religion	A series of conflicts fought in France between Catholics and Huguenots (Protestants) from 1562 to 1598, in which England intervened.
Via Media	The 'middle way' of the Elizabethan Religious Settlement, aiming for a moderate Protestantism that could accommodate different religious views, influencing her cautious foreign policy.