Relationships with Scotland and other foreign powers

• Henry VIII was an ambitious aggressive monarch. Unlike his father Henry VII, whose interests were mainly defensive, Henry VIII was an interventionist.
• He wanted to raise England’s profile in European power politics and was prepared to go to war to capture French territory.
• He saw himself as the equal of Francis I of France and Charles V of Germany and wanted to show off England's power by claiming that England held the balance of power between them.
• His chief minister, Wolsey, the humanist, wanted the glory of international diplomacy but wished to avoid the waste of war. His quest for peace, helped to dampen Henry’s martial ambitions.
• During Wolsey’s period of high office, England only went to war once – in 1523. Wolsey probably spent more time on foreign affairs than on domestic issues.