Henry Viii early foreign policy

• Henry VII's foreign policy aims

  End the age of austerity and caution, embark on a new age of conquest and glory
• Henry VII idolized Henry V who had won a victory against the French in the Battle of Agincourt
• The English kings had a territorial claim in northern France going back to 1066 and William the Conqueror
• As a result of the 100 Years War, the English kings had lost most of their territories in France, with only the port town of Calais remaining
• Henry formed an alliance with Ferdinand of Spain through his marriage to Catherine of Aragon


  Ferdinand had ambitions to take the region of Navarre, which would do little to boost Henry's chances of gaining land in northern France
• The campaign to Navarre was a disaster, with disease breaking out among the overcrowded warships
• Henry's campaign in northern France in 1513


  1. Wolsey placed in charge of organizing the muster and logistics

  2. Henry travelled over to France to lead the troops in person
• Battle of the Spurs

  Henry's most victorious moment as king, a symbolic victory that only gained him two small towns in northern France
• There was a greater victory taking place on the Anglo-Scottish border, with the Battle of Flodden resulting in a decisive victory for the English
• By 1514, Henry had exhausted his funds and needed to make a tactical retreat from France
• Treaty of 1514


  1. Henry offered his sister Mary in marriage to the much older Louis XII

  2. Henry negotiated a pension from the French on the agreement that he would withdraw his troops

  3. England was allowed to continue to occupy Torouanne, but the maintenance of the garrison cost the crown dearly
• Wolsey's diplomacy

  Urged Henry to seek peace agreements and use diplomacy to hold conferences that would place England closer to the center of European politics
• Treaty of London, a significant diplomatic event where Henry negotiated a peace treaty among major European powers


  1518
• Some historians argue that Wolsey used the Treaty of London to further his ambition to become Pope, while others argue his role was primarily focused on consolidating England's diplomatic position and maintaining peace
• Field of the Cloth of Gold


  A lavish event lasting 2 weeks, organized by Wolsey as an official diplomatic gathering, but in reality a grand spectacle that highlighted the rivalry and pageantry of Renaissance politics
• The event had a very short-term impact on Anglo-French relations, with Henry reportedly having "the hump" after losing a wrestling contest to Francis I
• First Habsburg-Valois conflict


  The 1520s was dominated by this war between Francis I of France and Charles I (Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain), fighting over territory in Northern Italy
• Henry's alliance with Spain


  1. Discarded Wolsey's policy of diplomacy

  2. Reignited alliance with Spain in the Treaty of Windsor in 1522

  3. Declared war against France and mustered troops for a Third campaign
• The Third campaign was barely worthy of note beyond its financial consequences, with a fleet led by the Earl of Surrey attacking Brittany and a mercenary force hired by Charles I landing in Calais
• Anglo Habsburg Alliance

  Alliance between Henry and Charles, rather than just Spain
• Henry was King


  Early 1520s
• Henry did not wish to be left behind in the Habsburg Valor conflict


  He discarded Wolsey's policy of diplomacy and reignited his alliance with Spain in the Treaty of Windsor
• The Third campaign was completely futile, it gained Henry no further territories in France but cost him dearly
• Henry was not able to participate in the Habsburg Valor conflict


  He probably suffered from a fear of missing out
• The Battle of Pavia was a resounding victory for Charles I that led to the deaths of many leading French Nobles and the capture of Francis I
• This provided Henry with his best opportunity to take land in northern France, but he had no money
• Amicable Grant


  1. Wolsey arrived at this, it was an illegal tax since he could not ask Parliament for tax so soon after the 1523 subsidy

  2. It backfired, resulting in a popular rebellion in Lavenham, Suffolk
• The amicable Grant was Wolsey's first major failing as chief minister
• Diplomatic Revolution


  1. Wolsey persuaded Henry to switch sides in the Habsburg Valor conflict and forge an alliance with France

  2. As part of this, Henry had to publicly relinquish his claim to territories in France
• The Diplomatic Revolution became known as the Treaty of Moore in 1525
• As part of the Diplomatic Revolution, Henry was desperate to strengthen his alliance, so wanted the Pope's Holy League to meet in London, but the other countries refused
• Even though England was not a formal member of the League of Cognac, they were tied to its decisions
• The sack of Rome in 1527, where Imperial forces took control and pillaged the city, had terrible consequences for Henry as he began to pursue an annulment from Catherine of Aragon
• In 1529, Francis I and Charles I negotiated the Peace of Cambrai, where Henry was allowed to send an ambassador to observe proceedings but had no active part
• By 1529, it was clear Henry was not going to secure Clement's permission for an annulment, leaving him isolated from big international decisions and foreign powers holding sway over his personal life
• This resulted in Henry stripping Wolsey of all his titles and wealth in the early 1530s, as he sought a more radical solution - the break with Rome
• By 1529, Henry had failed to meet his foreign policy aims, as he was too ambitious and had little appreciation of the costs of his aggressive foreign policy
• In the 1510s, Henry was able to bolster England's prestige, but by 1529 England remained a second-rate power, shown by their exclusion from the Peace of Cambrai
• Wolsey was the minister who broke away from Henry's council and convinced him that victory against France was possible, organising the 1513 campaign
• Wolsey's mistakes in the mid-1520s, with the amicable Grant and the Diplomatic Revolution, left England isolated on the European stage by 1529