Assess the importance of Religion in shaping Tudor Foreign Policy
Religion did not become a foreign policy motive until 1533, however from then on it appears a key
motive until the end of the period; after the break from Rome Henry VIII was severely influenced by
religion in his choice of foreign bride, Mary’s foreign policy was characterised by a desire to draw
closer to Catholic Spain, and Elizabeth opted to give aid to Protestant rebels in Scotland, Huguenots
in France and the Dutch Protestants in their fight against the Spanish. It is however important not to
overestimate the role of religion, as although at times it was crucial, it often masked other more
important political motives that truly shaped foreign policy.
The most obvious example of religious factors seemingly shaping foreign policy occur under Henry
VIII in the 1530’s, during which point Cromwell was particularly keen on establishing a Protestant
alliance with the Protestant German states. This eventually happened in 1540 when Henry married
the Protestant Anne of Cleves thus, temporarily cementing an alliance with the powerful Duke of
Cleves. This issue of religion shaping foreign policy through the choice of ally would again seem
evident under the reign of Mary I, given her desire to forge an alliance with Catholic Spain,
something she was able to secure in 1554 with marriage to Philip. Even in these cases where religion
did seem to shape foreign policy it is however important to acknowledge that the impact it had on
Tudor policy was only short term. Whilst religious factors in the form of Henry VIII’s break from
Rome in 1533 and ex-communication in 1538 forced him to seek alternative allies, by 1542 he had
allied with Catholic Spain again and in 1544 went to war with France in alliance with the Spanish,
questioning the importance of religion in shaping Tudor foreign policy. Furthermore, for the first 7
years of her reign, Elizabeth I was able to keep up England’s traditional friendship with the Spanish in
spite of her Protestantism, with Philip II even persuading the Pope to refrain from excommunicating
her! Whilst the importance of religion in shaping Tudor foreign policy can not therefore be
completely dismissed, its importance in shaping the specifics on long term policy seem doubtful.
Although every monarch with the exception of Henry VII was seemingly influenced by religion at
some point in their choice of foreign policy, it would often seem that the importance of religion in
shaping foreign policy masked other more important foreign policy influences- most notably political
security. This is demonstrated particularly well by Mary I; whilst her marriage to Philip was partially
motivated by religion, if her sole reason for the marriage was marrying a Catholic, she could have
married an English Catholic- most notably Courtenay. The decision to marry Philip however had clear
political motives, as a Spanish marriage would provide her with a degree of political security from
both dynastic rivals such as her half sister Elizabeth and foreign rivals such as France which a
marriage to Courtenay could not. Although on the surface, Elizabeth seems to contrast with her
predecessors with her foreign policy genuinely shaped by religion; giving aid to the Huguenots in
France, and Protestant rebels in both the Netherlands and Scotland, closer investigation again
suggests what principally shaped her foreign policy motive was political security rather than her
religious convictions. Giving aid to the Scottish Protestants from 1560 which was formalised at the
Treaty of Berwick onwards would keep the French out of Scotland (reducing the dynastic threat from
Mary Queen of Scots). Similarly, giving aid to the Huguenots in the French Wars of Religion from
1560-64 was aimed at reducing the power of the Guise within France, making it more difficult for
them to support Mary Queen of Scots and uphold her claim to the English throne. Although
Elizabeth’s involvement in the Netherlands later on in her reign was not due to dynastic security any
more, her main motive was undoubtedly national security, as she sought to prevent the Spanish
from gaining Dutch naval bases that could be used as bases to attack England from. The fact that
such national security motives outweighed religious motives is best demonstrated by the fact that
she started withdrawing troops from Netherlands after the Spanish had been defeated at Groningen
in 1594 (thus making it very unlikely the Spanish would be a threat anymore) without demanding
any religious concessions within the Netherlands.
It is therefore evident that rather than being a foreign policy motive in its own right, religion was
often a method of achieving the aim of political security, a theme which can also be seen under both
Henry VIII and Protector Somerset. Henry VIII’s most aggressive religious move- the Break from
Rome in 1533 would suggest that his foreign policy was motivated by religious factors, but this
would be incorrect. The motive for such a decision was not doctrinal grievances with the Catholic
Church, but rather a desire to safeguard his political security by getting a male heir- something that
required divorce from Catherine of Aragon, and, given the refusal of the Pope to sanction this a
break from the Catholic Church. This idea of religion being a method to obtain more important
politcal aims can again be seen under Somerset in the form of his garrisoning policy in Scotland
following the English victory over the Scots at the Battle of Pinkie in 1547. Whilst such a policy did
aim to provide protection for Protestant nobles in Scotland, and thus encourage the growth of
Protestantism in the region, the reasons for this were political, as Somerset realised that a
Protestant Scotland would seek to move away from Mary Queen of Scots and the Auld Alliance with
France, thus greatly improving England’s political security. It is therefore evident that whilst religion
was a motive for every monarch except Henry VII (given that he was King of England prereformation) and possibly Northumberland, when it came to foreign policy, political considerations
tended to outweigh religious considerations, with monarchs having to be pragmatic rather than
ideological. In fact, this theme of political considerations outweighing all other factors when it came
to shaping foreign policy is particularly well illustrated by Henry VII, who was willing to sacrifice
economic security from 1493-5 by sacrificing lucrative trade with Burgundy by placing an embargo
on them in order to obtain political security by encouraging them to stop supporting the pretender
Perkin Warbeck.
In conclusion, it would seem that the role played by religion in shaping Tudor foreign policy was
limited, as shown by the fact that even when it did shape policy, the long term influence was often
negligible. Of far greater importance was undoubtedly the issue of political security, which caused
Henry VIII to turn his back on the Catholic Church, Elizabeth to assist protestant rebels in three
European countries and Somerset to launch his ambitious garrisoning policy. Whilst religion became
increasingly central to the foreign policy of protectors and monarchs in the middle part of the Tudor
period, its importance was as a method and not a foreign policy determinant.