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INTERESTS OF GREAT BRITAIN. 69Band the Catholic ;and uponhis death, while still a youth,she became the wife of his brother, afterwards Henry VIII.During "the reign of Henry VII., these relations couldnot have any important consequences, because he purposelyavoided, as much as possible, all interference in foreigntransactions, in order to secure his own throne. Once onlyhe crossed over to Calais with an army, to please Maximilian L, when he was deprived of his betrothed bride, Anna,the heiress of Brittany, by Charles VIIL, who thus laidthe foundation for this important acquisition but ; althoughthe English interest was, by this circumstance, exposed toimminent danger,it was more a financial than a militaryexpedition. For 600,000 crowns Charles VIIL purchasedthe treaty of Estaples (1492) ;in a few weeks Henry returned home, and the alliance between England and Brittany was for ever dissolved.But during the reignof his son and successor, HenryVIIL, (1509 1547,) the consequences became, on this account, the more striking.When he ascended the throne,Italy had, by the league of Cambray, become the centre ofEuropean politics. England, from her position and othercircumstances, could derive no benefit whatever from takinga share in the proceedings in Italy ; nay, her neutrality musthave given her the advantageover France, while this statewas fruitlessly expending its strength in attempts at conquests.But the family connexion with Spain was now employed by his father-in-law, Ferdinand the Catholic, for thepurpose of involving Henryin these transactions.When the league of Cambray fell to pieces, and out of itarose the holy league against France, Ferdinand joined himself to it,in order to find an opportunity of seizing Navarre.He fully estimatedthe advantages which would probablyresult to him from the interference of Henry, whom he flattered with the hope of being able to enforce his old claimsto Guienne. He obtained his object ; Henry VIIL quarrelled with France, and when he had done so, his father-inlawand his other allies forsook him, and after a fruitlessinvasion of Picardy, he put an end to this war, which hadexhausted the crown treasures left him by his father, by apeace (1514) intended to be confirmed by the marriage ofhis sister to Lewis XII.2 B