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.

• Year 12
• History
• 3 activities
• 25 min–45 min

Learning Objectives

1. Analyze the primary strategic aims of Henry VIII's 'Rough Wooing' policy towards Scotland.
2. Explain the methods used by the Scots to resist English military incursions and political pressure following the Battle of Solway Moss.
3. Evaluate the effectiveness of the 'Rough Wooing' as a foreign policy strategy, considering its long-term outcomes.
4. Compare the military tactics employed by England and Scotland during the conflict, referencing key engagements like Solway Moss.

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.

Prepare & details

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.

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

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.

Prepare & details

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.

Setup: Two teams facing each other, audience seating for the rest

Materials: Debate proposition card, Research brief for each side, Judging rubric for audience, Timer

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

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.

Prepare & details

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.

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

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.

What to Expect

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.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

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

What to Teach Instead

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.

Common Misconception

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

What to Teach Instead

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.

Assessment Ideas

Discussion Prompt

After Collaborative Investigation: The Rough Wooing Map, 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 map and the Battle of Solway Moss.

Quick Check

During Structured Debate: Success or Failure at Solway Moss?, provide students with a short primary source excerpt describing a raid. Ask them to identify two specific tactics used by the English and one example of Scottish resistance mentioned in the text.

Exit Ticket

After Think-Pair-Share: The Treaty of Greenwich, 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.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge: Ask students to create a propaganda poster from the perspective of either the English or Scottish side, using language and imagery from primary sources to justify their campaigns.
• Scaffolding: Provide a partially completed map with key locations and a word bank of terms (e.g., 'burning', 'alliance', 'treaty') to support students in explaining the sequence of events during the Rough Wooing.
• Deeper exploration: Have students research the long-term consequences of the Rough Wooing by analyzing how it shaped Anglo-Scottish relations into the reign of Elizabeth I, using excerpts from later treaties or diplomatic correspondence.

Key Vocabulary

Rough Wooing	A series of English military raids and destructive campaigns initiated by Henry VIII between 1544 and 1551. The aim was to force Scotland into a political union by compelling the marriage of the infant Mary, Queen of Scots, to Henry's son, Edward.
Solway Moss	A decisive battle fought in November 1542 where an English army routed a larger Scottish force. This victory significantly weakened Scotland and emboldened Henry VIII's aggressive policies.
Auld Alliance	A long-standing defensive pact between Scotland and France, dating back to the medieval period. This alliance often influenced Scottish foreign policy and resistance to English influence.
Garrisoning	The act of stationing troops in a fortified place, such as a castle or town, to defend it. In the context of the Rough Wooing, it involved English forces occupying strategic Scottish locations.