- Henry had to find a way to stop Anne of Beaujeu from taking back Brittany as it would give France more potential to invade England
- The Treaty of Etaples (1492) gave Henry £150,000 in return for England removing its troops from French soil and a guarantee that France would not shelter English rebels
- Henry eventually joined the Holy League of Venice (an anti-France alliance) in 1496 but remained neutral in fighting
- The Treaty of Redon meant Henry had to send 6,000 troops to fight to protect Brittany
Henry's policies became inconsistent; his rival Francis I succeeded Louis XII after his death, and the accession of Charles I as Holy Roman Emperor changed the power balance in Europe. These factors affected Henry's future decisions. Wolsey was important in soothing Anglo-French relations.
- England was isolated after France agreed the Treaty of Cambrai (1517)
- A year later, however, Wolsey successfully paraded the Treaty of London, a non-aggression pact signed by England, France, Spain, HRE and other smaller states
- The Field of the Cloth of Gold reinforced positive Anglo-French relations
- Wolsey and Charles negotiated the Treaty of Bruges
- However Henry changed his tactics and supported the League of Cognac with France after Charles refused to engage in a joint invasion of France with him
- This was done in an attempt to counterbalance Charles' growing power