Henry Viii's International Influence: Foreign Policy

Front 1

Henry VIII's quest for international influence: Foreign Policy

Back 1

Henry VIII's quest for international influence: Foreign Policy

Front 2

Key players in the 16th Century:
France

Back 2

1515: Francis I became King of France.
His Kingdom was the largest in Europe (460,000 sq km) with 6 million people. He inherited conflict in Italy against Hasburgs + wanted to keep French honour and glory abroad.

Front 3

Key players in the 16th Century:
Spain

Back 3

1516 : Charles became King of Spain.
It housed 6.8 million people with a lot of towns.

Front 4

Key players in the 16th Century:
The Holy Roman Empire

Back 4

HRE was a collection of 400 semi- autonomous states in Europe. Each state was ruled over by a prince who had political power.The empire housed 16 million people who lived in 65 imperial free cities.
1519 Charles I became Charles V.

Front 5

Key players in the 16th Century:
The Papacy

Back 5

The Pope was the head of the catholic church and his duty was to defend Catholic interests.The pope (based in Rome) Held temporal power and because he was a major landowner he ruled over the papal states.

Front 6

French Campaigns : 1511-14

Back 6

Henry was determined to claim his 'rightful' title as King of France. Having cemented the Anglo-Spanish alliance by his marriage to Catherine he saw his father-in-law Ferdinand as an important ally in any future invasion of France. Henry knew his military position wasn't as good as France, Spain or the Empire and that the aid of countries was needed.

Front 7

War against France 1512-13

Back 7

Henry did find it hard to move away from his fathers old ministers as they were wise, disliked war which kept England's security and used neutrality to attract foreigners who wanted power. this led to a peace treaty with France in 1510 which Henry hated.

1508: Major European Powers (France, Spain, Empire and the Papacy) were brought together by Pope Julius II in the Holy league (maintain balance of power) to attack Venice. England failed to get on board.
France had emerged as the strongest power in northern Italy and Louis XII's dominance threatened the independence of the papal states. The pope put himself at the head of the holy league to drive France out of northern Italy.

To win over the great council Henry could show the war as a papal one that defends the interests and privileges of the Church. Parliament granted the money for war in April 1512 and a force of 12,000 troops under the command of the Marquis of Dorset was dispatched to Bayonne. The plan was for England to gain control over Aquitaine through a Anglo-Spanish alliance. Henry was let down by Ferdinand who used the English troops as a diversion so he could take over Navarre. The English troops waited for them but were extremely affected by dysentery and drunkenness. Naval defeat at Brest 1513 was England's first failure campaign.

Front 8

The Battle of the Spurs 1513

Back 8

The papal still wanted victory over France. Henry learnt from before that he needed to be independent from his "allies".
The King personally led 30,000 over the channel to Calais. It resulted in the easy capture of Therouanne and Tournai. Therouanne was given to Emperor Maximilian and Tournai was garrisoned until 1518. Some French nobles were captured and returned to England which increased the prestige.

Front 9

The battle of Flodden 1513

Back 9

While Henry was away James IV King of Scotland took advantage of Henry's absence and invaded England. An English army under the control of the Earl of Surrey moved to stop them. Surrey was outnumbered and had a weaker position in the battle but still won. James IV was killed and because James son (James V) was only a boy Henry's sister Margaret was made regent - no threat.

Front 10

What Henry achieved by 1513

Back 10

1. Stamped his mark on European affairs and showed other powers his presence.
2. Laid claim to hi inherited title of the King of France.
3. Wolsey (rising) organized the army.
4. He deceived Ferdinand in 1512.
5. Therouanne and Tournai were easy targets and the Battle of the Spurs was basically a flam.
6. His campaigns cost a lot. He spent £960,000 in 1511-13 when the usual income was £110,000 so he knew that he didn't have the money to do any more campaigns.

Front 11

The Anglo-French Treaty 1514

Back 11

1514: Henry was forced to make peace with France.Ferdinand and Maximilian both were going behind Henry's back and were negotiating with Louis XII. The new pop Leo X liked peace.
The treaty gave England possession of Tournai the pope said he'd pay the arrears of the English pension.
Henry mentioned a Anglo-French attack to get Ferdinand out of Navarre even though it didn't take place. It shows his anger with Ferdinand.
The peace treaty was sealed with Henry's sister Mary getting married to Louis XII.

Front 12

Wolsey the peacemaker 1514-18

Back 12

1515 : Louis XII died and was followed by his cousin Francis I who was eager to make his mark on European affairs and because he had the materials needed he could do this.
He caused problems in Scotland by sending the duke of Albany to overthrow the regency government of Henry's sister. After this Francis won a victory over Swiss at the battle of Marignano which gave France control over Milan and some of northern Italy.
1516: Francis and Leo X negotiated the Concordat of Bologna giving the right of the French King to appoint bishops to French sees. Henry couldn't stop the progress even though he was jealous and resented what Francis achieved. Wolsey wanted to avoid a massive invasion because of the cost but was willing to support any anti-French alliance. This led to them giving Maximilian a subsidy to stop the French going towards northern Italy but again Henry was let down as he took the money and abandoned England for France.
Wolsey then wanted to make an anti-french league made up of Rome,Venice, Spain and the Empire but when Ferdinand died in 1516 his son Charles didn't want to be involved in it as he saw no point of it so he made peace with France in 1516 and Maximilian joined the alliance through the peace of Cambrai in 1517.

England was isolated and humiliated.

Front 13

The treaty of London 1518: Wolsey's opportunity to redeem himself

Back 13

Wolsey took the papal plans of Leo X who wanted a western movement against the Turk who didn't have the religion of the majority and changed them to suit the needs of the powers of Europe. Wolsey made an official agreement to sort the disputes, providing peace which put England at the centre of diplomatic affairs.
It brought France, the Papacy, Spain, the Empire and England together against the Turk.
The treaty included:
1. no aggression between the major powers
2. Supporting one another so all have security.

Wolsey's diplomatic success:
1. Prestige on Henry's reign.
2. Stopped England's isolation.
3. Anglo-French treaty gave Tournai back to France for French Pensions/ 12,000 livres.
4. Henry's daughter Mary was betrothed to Dauphin and the Duke of Albany wasn't allowed in Scotland.

Wolsey received the title of Legate a Latere. Cardinal Campeggio wasn't allowed in England until Wolsey officially received this title.

Front 14

Spain or France

Back 14

1519: Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian died which caused a power struggle between Charles King of Spain and Francis I.
There was seven people who elected the 'new Emperor' and it was obvious that they would chose Charles which changed the power balance. Charles gained a lot of territory. France and the empire both wanted to get England as an ally.

Front 15

Field of the cloth of gold 1520

Back 15

Henry and Francis met at the field of the cloth of gold near Calais. 3,000 important people from both sides were present.
A lot of money was spent as both sides tried to show off their qualities. There were jousting tournaments and the two Kings wrestled with one another.
The occasion was magnificent. It made it hard to keep English neutrality as Hasburg-Valois tensions started to form. 1520 Henry and Wolsey met the Emperor at Gravelines. Charles wanted to be certain that England would remain loyal.
England were likely to stay siding with Charles because:
1. England had hostility towards France and hated Francis I's success.
2. England had trade links with Low countries and remaining loyal to Charles kept that safe.
3. Papal Policy was anti-French because they felt vulnerable if France grew in Italy.
1521: Wolsey sorted a three power conference at Calais because England wanted to be seen as the peace bringers.
August 1521: Wolsey went to Brudges and made a settlement with Charles. It involved the idea that an English force would invade France unless the French King agreed to make peace. Wolsey negotiated a delay in England entering the war against France until 1523. Wolsey hoped that this would stop England from needing to get involved.
Earl of Surrey led an attack from Calais to Normandy and Picardy in 1522. They gained no territories or support from Charles.
1523: French king was given a rebellion form Charles duke of Bourbon.
Bourbon was a French noble who felt that he wasn't being given his rightful territorial inheritance from Francis which led to a rebellion. An assault was planned where an English force that cost £400,000 was sent under the control of Suffolk but the army fell apart because of bad weather and poor supplies.Due to this Wolsey wanted to take England out from the promises it made in the Treaty of Brudges.

Front 16

Diplomatic Revolution

Back 16

1525:
- Charles was victorious at Pavia.
- French army was annihilated.
- Francis I was taken prisoner.
Wolsey and Henry wanted to make profit. Charles wasn't willing to due this or to hand over the French crown to Henry. Charles called off his Marriage to Mary so Wolsey opened up negotiations with France- Treaty of the More (1525) Henry agreed to give up his claims to France in return for annual pensions.
Francis was released by Charles as he promised not to threaten imperial interests and his sons were kept as hostages to make sure he remained loyal.
May 1526: Treaty of Cognac was arranged to make England, France and some Italian states become allies against Habsburg leadership in Italy..
England financed this league but never joined it.

Front 17

Henry's Foreign Policy

Back 17

1527: Treaty of Westminster cemented England's and France's alliance where Mary was a diplomatic item to be married off to Francis or his son also Henry threatened to use his army to fight Charles if he didn't make peace with his allies.

England didn't really have the military power to do so. 1527: Imperial troops sacked Rome and Pope Clement VII was taken prisoner. This was bad for Wolsey as the pop was a key figure in solving the great matter. Charles was Catherine's nephew so he didn't want to see her placed in a bad situation and have her honour and respect taken from her. Henry needed the pope to annul his marriage officially but he was held prisoner by Charles. Wolsey tried to solve this problem by saying that the College of Cardinals could decide whether the marriage should be annulled or not as the Pope was in a difficult situation.

At the end of 1527 Charles released the pope. Wolsey declared war on Charles in 1528 but no army was organized. Wolsey suggested a trade ban on low countries.

1529: France, Spain and the Papacy signed the Peace of Cambrai which left Charles having a lot of control over Italy. It left England isolated and reduced Wolsey's chance of getting an annulment for Henry.

Front 18

Success: Wolsey's Foreign Policy

Back 18

1. Capture of Therouanne and Tournai- useful bargaining tools with France in the future.
2. Treaty of London- peace. London was the centre of international relations and England was no longer isolated.
3. Field of the Cloth Of Gold furthered prestige.

Front 19

Failures: Wolsey's Foreign Policy

Back 19

1. Henry's aims/ambitions were unrealistic as they didn't have the resources that were necessary to fulfill them.
2. French Campaigns were expensive. Henry spent £1.4 million fighting wars- he used a lot of the money his father left him. In order to provide the money Wolsey had to come up with Parliamentary taxation (Amicable Grant) and forced loans.
3. Henry was tricked e.g Ferdinand and his troops in Aquitaine as a diversion to capture Navarre. Ferdinand and Maximilian went behind Henry's back and signed treaties with France. Henry gained nothing from the victory at Pavia and Charles didn't stick to the agreement by marrying Mary.
4. Wolsey could be seen as thinking about his own interests: Campeggio want allowed in England until he was made Legate a Latere, Wolsey took Papal plans from Leo X for his own crusade, He always tried to get attention and make himself be seen as a peace maker and he promoted himself.
5. Wolsey's diplomatic revolution was a failure and reduced his chance of sorting the great matter. He hoped that once the French freed the pope they would focus on their quest for Northern Italy making the papacy free from their imperial duties and the pope could annul the marriage.
6. French alliance was unpopular and England didn't have the resources.The trade embargo with Burgundy made the government more unpopular as it resulted in a failed harvest which caused an increase in hunger and unemployment which made Wolsey unpopular at home.

Front 20

Religion

Back 20

After the break with Rome England wasn't seen as part of the Catholic Church so Francis didn't want to be involved with them and really wanted to keep peace with Charles. Charles V was Catherine's aunty and he hated how she was treated and because France and Spain was at peace Henry was worried of a coalition.
Henry and Cromwell had 2 options:
1. Make an alliance with German Protestant Princes.
2. Do nothing and let the Hasburg-Valois rivalry take a natural course.

1538: France and Spain signed the Peace of Nice- a 10 year truce between the two.Papal plans of an anti-English crusade were being considered and Cardinal Reginald Pole (executed for treason) pushed Charles and Francis to overthrow England.
1539: The act of 6 articles: assure Europe that the English church wouldn't move towards Lutheranism. Lutheran alliance made by Cromwell as a marriage alliance was formed between England and the Duke of Cleves.

Front 21

Anglo-Scottish relations

Back 21

1542: Henry restated his claim to the French throne.Before any invasion his relation with Scotland needed to be restrained. The relationship between Henry and James V was strained because:
1. James didn't think much of Henry's advice on the Scottish Church.
2. Scotland had a alliance with France.
3. England wanted to build the auld alliance so Norfolk was sent with an army to force James to commit to the English cause. Damage was done to some towns in Scotland.
1542: Battle of Solway Moss- Scottish forces attacked England but lost. It was a national humiliation and lots of nobles surrendered. James died and Henry believed that Scotland was there for the taking as he didn't have a male heir but only a young daughter. Henry bribed some of the nobles he captured to be Pro-English and make a movement. July 1543: Treaty of Greenwich- Peace between Scotland and England. It gave Scotland the time to strengthen themselves and their alliance with France. It became clear to Henry that a military campaign was needed so he sent the Earl of Hertford north in 1544 to burn Edinburgh too the ground but it united the Scotland strengthened their relationship with France. Scottish hatred increased for England.

Front 22

Anglo French relations

Back 22

1543: Henry agreed to join Charles in an attack on France. 40,000 English men invaded France and joined Spain to attack Paris. The army moved through Picardy with Henry.Both Charles and Henry had different intentions. Henry focused on Boulogne as Suffolk and an army was sent to capture it. Charles was annoyed by being betrayed so made peace with France. Boulogne was garrisoned and the English army sailed home. Francis wanted to invade England but poor weather and leadership stopped him.

1546: Peace settlement was drawn at Audres and Henry was promised a pension form the French King and England held Boulogne until 1554 when French would buy it back.

Front 23

Cost of Henry's Foreign Policy

Back 23

1. Campaign of Boulogne cost over £2million
2. Henry increased taxation and forced loans to supply himself with the money but this wasn't enough so lands were sold off which stopped rent money in the future.
3. Debasement (melting coins and giving new coins with less silver) gained over £1 million but was a quick fix. it increased inflation by a lot.

Front 24

Anne of Cleves

Back 24

The Duke, William had problems with Charles so needed an ally as Henry did. William offered his sister Anne of Cleves to Henry to cement the alliance. In the future Henry believed he no longer needed the alliance as it could have caused him to get into conflict with issues that had nothing to do with England so he divorced Anne soon after.