History · Year 12

Active learning ideas

War with Scotland: Solway Moss and the Rough Wooing

Active learning works for this topic because the war with Scotland was not just a series of battles but a complex political and social conflict. Students need to analyze maps, debate conflicting accounts, and reconstruct treaty negotiations to grasp why Henry VIII’s military campaigns failed to achieve his goals.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• A-Level: History - Henry VIII: Foreign Policy
• A-Level: History - The Tudors: England, 1485–1603

• 25–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Inquiry Circle
• 45 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: The Rough Wooing Map

In small groups, students map out the English raids into Scotland between 1544 and 1547. They must identify the key targets (like Edinburgh and the border abbeys) and discuss why these brutal tactics actually drove the Scots closer to France.

Analyze the aims of the 'Rough Wooing'.

Facilitation Tip

During the Rough Wooing Map activity, circulate and ask guiding questions to push students beyond labeling locations to explaining the strategic significance of each raid or battle site.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Was the 'Rough Wooing' more about securing a dynastic marriage or asserting English dominance over Scotland?' Ask students to support their arguments using evidence from the Battle of Solway Moss and the subsequent raids.

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

Activity 02

• Formal Debate
• 45 min · Whole Class

Formal Debate: Success or Failure at Solway Moss?

The class debates whether the victory at Solway Moss was a 'wasted opportunity'. One side argues it was a triumph that broke Scottish power; the other argues that Henry's failure to follow it up with a full invasion allowed the Scots to recover and turn to France.

Explain how the Scots resisted English influence after Solway Moss.

Facilitation Tip

For the Solway Moss debate, provide a clear rubric for arguments, modeling how to balance military evidence with political context before students prepare their positions.

What to look for

Provide students with a short primary source excerpt describing a raid during the Rough Wooing. Ask them to identify two specific tactics used by the English and one example of Scottish resistance mentioned in the text.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 25 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: The Treaty of Greenwich

Students analyze the terms of the 1543 Treaty of Greenwich. They discuss in pairs why the Scottish Parliament eventually rejected the treaty and what this reveals about the limits of English influence in Edinburgh.

Evaluate whether the Scottish policy was a strategic failure.

Facilitation Tip

In the Treaty of Greenwich Think-Pair-Share, assign roles to ensure quieter students contribute, such as summarizer or devil’s advocate, to deepen their analysis of the treaty’s terms.

What to look for

On an exit ticket, ask students to write one sentence explaining the main goal of the 'Rough Wooing' and one sentence explaining why it ultimately failed to achieve a lasting union with Scotland.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Experienced teachers approach this topic by anchoring discussions in primary sources and visuals to counter the tendency to view the conflict as a simple dynastic squabble. Avoid framing the Rough Wooing as a quixotic quest; instead, emphasize its brutality and the geopolitical realities that undercut Henry’s ambitions. Research suggests that connecting the raids to broader themes of total war and alliance politics helps students grasp why the Auld Alliance endured despite Scottish weakness.

Successful learning looks like students confidently explaining the strategic aims of the Rough Wooing and the reasons for its failure, using specific evidence from battles, raids, and treaties. They should also critique the misconceptions that romanticize or oversimplify the conflict.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Collaborative Investigation: The Rough Wooing Map, watch for students describing the campaign as a romantic attempt to unite the two kingdoms.

  During Collaborative Investigation: The Rough Wooing Map, redirect students to the orders given to the Earl of Hertford, which explicitly describe the destruction of crops, towns, and livelihoods, to highlight the 'total war' approach and its impact on Scottish society.

• During Structured Debate: Success or Failure at Solway Moss?, watch for students asserting that Scotland was easily defeated after the death of James V.

  During Structured Debate: Success or Failure at Solway Moss?, require students to cite evidence about French military support for Scotland, using maps to trace troop movements and French subsidies, to demonstrate the ongoing challenge Henry faced.

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Methods used in this brief

• Inquiry Circle
• Formal Debate
• Think-Pair-Share