Essay
A* Early Tudors Henry VIII Exemplar Essay 8
How successful was Henry VIII's foreign policy from 1509 to 1529?
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Henry VIII practice essay 8How successful was Henry VIII's foreign policy from 1509 to 1529?
After his coronation on 21st April 1509, Henry VIII quickly emerged as a marked
contrast to his father in terms of foreign policy, hoping to secure the French throne with
glorious victories in continental Europe, quite like his boyhood hero Henry V. This
xenophobic desire helped lead to war with France between 1512-1514, following the signing
of an alliance between England, Spain and the Holy Roman Empire. Henry's ability to enter
into such an alliance should absolutely be commended, as England were only the fourth
most powerful kingdom in Europe at the time and so this is testament to the King's skill in
diplomacy which helped lead to a great success in the subsequent First French War.
Although the campaign was initially disastrous in the south-west of France, the Battle of the
Spurs was a decisive victory for Henry over a theoretically more powerful enemy, and this
gave England a wider power base on the continent with the introduction of Therouanne and
Tournai into the realm. The success of victory over France also highlighted the skill of
Thomas Wolsey, who had proved to be an effective organiser on whom Henry could rely.
This paved the way for Wolsey's rise to power to the point where he became Lord
Chancellor, a position from which more successes in foreign policy could be achieved whilst
simultaneously ensuring that Henry VIII's dreams of conquest would not later harm the
Kingdom. Nevertheless, England's lack of influence in European affairs was emphasised
during the First French War, as Henry's allies abandoned him and prevented his accession to
the French throne. This was very important, and a reality-check for the realm because it
made Henry vigilant of the Machiavellian tendencies of the greatest powers of Europe, and
therefore the success was limited by England's inherent weakness relative to the rest of the
continent.
Thomas Wolsey arguably led the Kingdom's foreign policy from 1514. He proved to
be one of the most skilled diplomats of the 16th century, advocating peace between the
largest powers in Europe. Indeed, the Treaty of Universal Peace was signed in the autumn of
1518, which was not only important in creating a feeling of optimism and friendship
between former rivals, but also in demonstrating England's position as a key player on the
international stage; the Treaty was signed in London itself, trumpeting to the world that
England was prosperous and an advocate for peace who could solve disputes between
realms through negotiation instead of war. This gave England a position on the global scene
which it had struggled to find in the reign of Henry VII, and this successfully masked the
deficiencies in economic and military might. Wolsey was further successful in conciliating
relations with France, which had been strained after England's victory in the First French
War, by organising The Field of the Cloth of Gold. A huge temporary palace was erected to
house nearly 5000 English attendants and 3000 French, and it was certainly a success for
Henry VIII's foreign policy because it led to a thaw in relations between the two powers
which helped consolidate England's possession in disputed areas of France and further
demonstrate the Kingdom's wealth and prominence on the global stage.
However, it has been argued by many historians that nothing of significance was
achieved at The Field of the Cloth of Gold, and that if anything European peace was
jeopardised as Charles V felt that Henry was siding with Francis I. The Venetian ambassador
reported that Henry and Francis hated each other, so the festivities led to a deterioration in
Anglo-French relations which meant that they were once again at war only 2 years after The
Field of the Cloth of Gold, suggesting that only further problems were created. Indeed, the
campaign of 1522 proved to be disastrous as England were unprepared and defeated by
Francis' forces - the economy was crippled by the war because Wolsey was unable to
successfully tax the population when the Amicable Grant raised just £300,000 of the
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