What is the best description for Henry VIII’s early foreign policy –
a success or a waste of resources?
What were the attitudes of Henry VIII’s court towards foreign policy?
 On his accession, Henry VIII yearned to go to war with France. It was
a popular idea with many of his younger courtiers as many had
grown bored of the diplomatic route that Henry VII foreign policy had
followed.
 Also, war with France fitted in with the Renaissance idea of pursuit of
honour and glory through war.
 However, Henry VIII had inherited his father’s key ministers –
Archbishop Warham and Bishop Fox. Both were keen to continue
Henry VII’s diplomatic style of foreign policy and keeping neutral in
European matters, while aiming to make alliances with as many
countries as possible. Both Warham and Fox were not reticent in
expressing their views. It was clear they did not approve of their new
hot-headed master.
 During 1509-11, Fox and Warham were able to frustrate Henry’s
imperial ambitions by the simple tactic of inaction and delay.
 Henry saw that he needed a man of business and action who would
be loyal to him rather than to his ministers. The war with France
would see this man emerge in the form of Thomas Wolsey.
How were foreign allies so unreliable in the early 16th century?
 Alongside his troublesome minister, Henry would find dealings with
his European allies equally frustrating. In particular, his father in law,
Ferdinand of Spain, who quickly showed his capacity for breaking any
kind of agreement or arrangement.
 Maximilian, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire was equally
intransigent. Henry’s attempts to bring a triple alliance against
France in 1509-10 were sabotaged by both Maximilian and Ferdinand
being brought off by France while in negotiations with Henry.
 Henry quickly turned to the papacy, Julius II, in 1511 wanted to
resurrect the Holy League with the aim of counterbalancing the
French threat to papal territories from the north.
 With Spain and Venice, Henry decided to join the Holy League. He
felt that by joining this he would be able to present a war with France
as a papal war in defence of the liberties of the Church.
Why was Henry VIII initial campaign in France unsuccessful?
 Using the papal argument, Henry managed to win Parliament over in
1512 and they granted the money to wage war in April.
 Encouraged by Ferdinand, Henry declared war and launched a joint
attack with Spain on Aquitaine in southwestern France. However,
Ferdinand had no intention of launching such an attack. While
Henry’s troops were waiting to launch the attack in northwest Spain,
Ferdinand used these troops as a distraction and invaded and
captured the Navarre region.
 To make matters worse, the bored English troops were blighted by
drunkenness and dysentery. Also the English navy suffered defeat at
the Battle of Brest who lost their admiral, Sir Edward Howard.
 Henry soon recalled his forces, who had achieved absolutely nothing
at great expense.
Why did Henry VIII to pursue his French campaign in 1513?
 Despite the nature of the heavy nature of the English defeat in 1512,
Henry wanted to pursue his imperial ambitions in France.
 From his 1512 experiences, Henry learnt that he must be able to act
independently from any allies if his aims were to be met.
 With this in met, Henry decided to personally lead a force in France.
He chose to attack northern France this time as it would be in easy
reach of the English territory of the Calais Pale. This would allow for
any let downs from unreliable allies as a tactical withdrawal would be
relatively straightforward.
Why are the preparations for the war with France in 1513 significant?
 Under Henry VIII direct leadership, an army of 30,000 men was
assembled and deployed to Calais. The army in terms of size and
equipment would be a match for any army in Europe.
 The significance of the preparations for this army was that its
organisation was credited to Thomas Wolsey.
 This was the first time that Wolsey was brought to the attention
of Henry. Wolsey showed outstanding administration and
organisational skills in assembling, equipping and co-ordinating
the crossing of the Channel.
 This, in effect, made Wolsey’s name and began a rapid series of
promotions leading him becoming the second most powerful man
in England.
Was the Battle of the Spurs such a great victory for the English?
 The French were clever enough to realise that the invading English
army was very dangerous but only in face to face combat. If they
avoided significant confrontation with the English army, then the
damage it could inflict would be very limited.
 Also, because of its cumbersome nature, the English army would not
reach any targets that were significant.
 In effect, the English wandered around the north east corner of
France without a French army to fight. The campaign saw the English
seize the minor town of Therouanne – this was handed over the
Emperor Maximilian, as it was a staging post for any French attacks
on the Netherlands [HRE held territory] – as well as the capture of
Tournai – a well-known French town; whose capture gave Henry
limited prestige.
 In terms of French resistance, there was very limited combat. The
most significant clash came at Therouanne, where the French sent a
cavalry force to relieve the fortress. However, the French were easily
routed and this was known as the Battle of the Spurs due to the
speed of the French retreat.
 This minor skirmish gave Henry the glory he craved as this was
trumpeted as a great victory by English propagandists. However,
historians tend to dismiss this early success as very minor when one
measures the actual gains England made in this campaign compared
to the costs incurred, as Henry spent practically his father’s entire
legacy.
Why wasn’t Henry able to capitalise on the successes of 1513?
 Henry VIII returned to England in the autumn of 1513 convinced he
would be crowned King of France in 1514. However, his illusions
were soon shattered as his allies, Ferdinand and Maximilian, were
soon brought off by France persuading them to renounce any
agreements they had made with Henry.
 Coupled with this, the new Pope, Leo X, favoured peace over war and
any kind of papal support was, therefore, ruled out.
 Henry realised that he could not go it alone as his finances were low
and he was forced to seek peace terms with the King of France, Louis
XII.
 Considering Henry’s weak position, he was able to secure a generous
peace with France in 1514. This was mainly due to the negotiating
skills of Thomas Wolsey, Henry’s new minister. The key terms were  Louis XII agreed to pay the arrears of the French pension promised
during the 1490’s.
 England was allowed to continue to their possession of Tournai.
 Henry VIII agreed that his youngest sister, Mary, would marry Louis
XII, much to her disgust.
To what extent was the Scottish invasion of England in 1513 a serious
threat?
 The Scottish King, James IV, Henry’s brother in law, was in alliance
with France in 1512. He decided to capitalise in Henry’s absence in
1513 and invade England. This was partly an opportunistic move but
also one that showed his commitment to his alliance with France.
 It was the largest raiding party Scotland had deployed on England in
over a century.
 In Henry’s absence, Queen Catherine and the King’s ministers acted
swiftly to stop this threat by mustering a force under the leadership
of the Earl of Surrey.
 The Earl of Surrey’s force stopped the Scottish invasion at Flodden
Field in September 1513. Despite being vastly outnumbered and
holding the inferior position on the battlefield, Surrey managed a
huge victory vanquishing James’ forces.
 In the battle, James IV was killed leaving his infant son, James, as King
of Scotland. Alongside, James many of the Scottish nobility were
wiped out.
 With Henry’s sister as regent for the infant James, Scotland was
effectively neutralised as a threat to England until the early 1540’s.
How far was Henry VIII’s foreign policy a success?
 On the plus side of Henry’s early foreign policy –
 Henry had made his mark on European affairs and fulfilled his role as
a Renaissance prince of waging war in the pursuit of glory and
honour.
 His war with France brought a level of prestige and showed his
seriousness in pursuing his claim to the French Crown.
 Henry’s early foreign policy brought to his attention Thomas Wolsey
as a potential First Minister.
 Scotland was knocked out as an effective rival and threat.
 However, on the debit side –
 Henry found that his potential allies could not be trusted.
 His achievements of capturing Therouanne and Tournai were not
significant. Both were soft targets with little strategic value.
 The Battle of the Spurs was little more than a skirmish rather than
the full-scale battle Henry would like it to be portrayed.
 The costs of Henry’s campaigns were high. In total they cost nearly a
million pounds. With his income set at £110,000 per annum, Henry
stretched his resources to the limit.