Rida Sohaib

Year 12

Henry declared war on France in 1512.
30,000 English men were dispatched to
France in June 1513.
Capture of Thouranne and Tournai, and
the Battle of Spurs
Battle of Flodden
Treaty between France and England in
1514
Treaty of London in 1518
Field of Cloth of Gold in 1520

Secret Treaty between England and
Charles V in 1521
Raids in France led by the Earl of Surrey in
1522, but largely a failure
Treaty of More signed with France in 1525
Treaty of Westminster between England
and France against Charles V in 1527
Henry starts seeking annulment of his
marriage in 1527
Wolsey fails to obtain an annulment
despite being the Papal legate, and falls
from power, dying in November 1530.
Henry wished to be a Renaissance prince.
He also wanted to solidify the ancient claim of
the Kings of England upon the French throne.
He was allied with Spain due to his marriage
with Catherine of Aragorn, which could help
him in the war.
Henry joined the Holy League in 1511 against
King Louis of France, so he had a valid
reason (defending the Papacy) to attack
France.

England entered European warfare in
1512 due to Henrys insistence.
It was a disaster since the English army
was set up by their ally Ferdinand who
used them as a distraction.
They suffered a naval defeat in April 1513.
Henry personally entered the war (at
Calais) in June. He captured Therovanne
and Tournai.
The Battle of Spurs was a skirmish with a
small French expeditionary force. It was
glorified to show England in a good light.
Wolsey organized the whole invasion and
raised funds etc to make it possible.
However, there was too much expenditure.
The cost was nine times that of Henrys
annual income. Further campaign was highly
unrealistic, calling the invasion to a halt.
At the home front, the Battle of Flodden
occurred against Scotland, when James IV
invaded and was defeated by the Earl of
Surrey (later Duke of Norfolk).
The Battle of Flodden can be considered to be
more of a success than the French invasion since
there was less expenditure and it was more
decisive. It also removed a worrisome threat for the
upcoming future since Henrys sister Margaret was
the regent. It was also with very poor odds as
compared to the Battle of Spurs.
However, the French invasion was important since
Henry stamped his mark on European affairs, and
announced his presence. It also confirmed Henry
as a Renaissance prince. Additionally, it drew
significant attention to Wolsey since he had
organized the practicalities.

Henry was forced to sign a peace treaty with
France since:
The new Pope Leo X favored peace
He had been deserted by his allies
There had been too much expenditure
Ferdinand and Maximillian were signing treaties with
France so England was under threat of diplomatic isolation.
Terms of the treaty:
England would remain in possession of Tournai
France would pay the arrears of the pensions given to
Henry VII in the 1490s
A proposed joint attack on Ferdinand never occurred
Seal: Mary was to marry the elderly King Louis XII
Since the start of 1518, Pope Leo X had
been calling for unity against the Turks.
Wolsey took this plan and modified it to
place England at the center of diplomatic
affairs.
The treaty bound France, the Papacy,
Spain, the Holy Roman Empire, and
England.
Twenty representatives were sent to
London in 1518 to sign the treaty.
Terms of the treaty:
Non aggression to be guaranteed among the
major powers
Collective security would be in place. Any
aggressor would be opposed by all other states.
Successes of the treaty:
It helped bring prestige to Henrys reign
It ended the threat of Englands isolation in
Europe
Henrys infant daughter Mary was betrothed to
Dauphin, the second son of Francis
However, the treaty was unlikely to last
due to the shifts in international politics.
The treaty was often dismissed as Wolsey
being arrogant/egoistical.
Maximillions death in 1519 caused a
power struggle between Francis and
Charles.
Both France and Spain saw England as an
important ally.
In June 1520, Henry and Francis meet near Calais
with around 3,000 notables from each kingdom
present. There was huge splendor and show off
from both sides.
It had little diplomatic value. It was increasingly
hard for England to maintain neutrality.
England was more likely to side with Charles
because:
England was traditionally anti-French and Henry was
jealous of Francis successes
England had trade links with the Low Countries which
would be safe guarded by an alliance with Charles
Papal policy at the time was anti French
In 1521, Wolsey went to Burges and settled a treaty with
Charles stating that England would invade France in
1523 unless Francis agreed to make peace.
This was met by little enthusiasm in England since it was
fuelled by taxation.
In 1522, Earl of Surrey led troops to France and
conducted a series of raids but there was little support
by Charles, and the expedition was not a success.
In August 1523, Francis was faced by a rebellion. A
three pronged attack was planned, but the rebellion
came to nothing and English army fell apart due to lack
of supplies.
Due to the lack of money, Wolsey was eager to release
England from obligation and make peace with France.
According to Elton, the year of 1525 was that of a
diplomatic revolution.
Charles won a decisive victory and Francis was
captured. He was released conditionally within a
year.
England abandoned its old Spanish/imperial
alliance and entered a French one.
The Treaty of More was signed in 1525 which
Henry would give up his claims to France in
exchange for an annual pension.
The alliance was cemented in 1527 through the
Treaty of Westminster. Mary was offered for
marriage to Francis or one of his sons.
In 1527, imperial troops sacked Rome and
took the Pope prisoner. This was disastrous
for Wolsey since the Kings Great Matter was
important to foreign policy.
Charles released the Pope who was now
firmly in his camp, lowering chances for a
papal annulment.
In August 1529, France, Spain and the
Papacy signed the Peace of Cambrai.
England was now diplomatically isolated.
Wolsey was face with ruin since he had failed to
obtain the divorce. His fate had depended on the
changing nature of foreign affairs which conspired
against him 1525-29.
He was dismissed as Chancellor in September
1529. By October, he had been sacked from some
of his bishoprics. The Boleyn family endeavored to
remove him from London.
He arrived at his archbishopric of York in April
1530. In November 1530, he was accused of
praemunire and summoned to London. He died
during the journey on 29
th
November 1530.

The capture of Tournai showed Henry as a
Renaissance prince and was useful as a beginning
tool
Wolseys greatest achievement was the Treaty of
London
Showed Wolsey as the architect of peace
Made London the center of international diplomacy and
removed the threat of Englands isolation
The Field of Cloth of Gold increased Englands prestige
A good, flexible and reactive policy given Englands
low resources and income
Wolsey recognized the need to ally effectively
For example, he met with imperial agents after the Field of
Cloth of Gold

Unrealistic ambitions by Henry. War policy was costly
and short sighted
Few long term gains. Taxation ultimately led to unrest
Henry was outmaneuvered in early years
Theories for his foreign policy include Glory &
Influence and the Papacy Theory
The diplomatic revolution in 1525 was a failure since
he was unable to get the divorce and he had
supported France which turned out to be the losing
side
The alliance with France was unpopular, as was the
embargo against Netherlands
England didnt pose any significant threat to Charles
despite threats
Seven interpretations:
Self enrichment
Maintaining a balance of power
Papacy theory
Peace theory
Domestic security
Glory(for Henry) and Influence
Pragmatism

Historian: Skelton
Skelton claimed that Wolsey received bribes from
Francis 1 to pursue a pro-French policy.
It is true that he received bribes from Francis and
Charles in 1517. He built the York Palace and
Hampton Court, both outstripping any of the
Crowns possessions.
However, these were accepted perks of the jobs
and enjoyed by many international contemporaries.
These pensions may reflect the success of
Wolseys policy, not his chief aim.
Henry was very interested in foreign policy and so is
unlikely to have given Wolsey free reign.


Historian: Creighton
Supported by most traditionalist historians.
Wolsey tried to ensure that no one gained too much
power and so supported the states trying to curtail the
dominant one.
Evidence:
Gave false information to a pro-France Venetian ambassador to
unsettle their friendship.
Met both Charles (at Calais & Burges) and Francis (at Field of
Cloth of Gold) in 1520
However, according to the historian Gwyn, Wolsey was
often uninterested in battles, for example when Italy
won spectacularly. He was more concerned with local
affairs.
Some correspondence suggested Wolsey didnt care
which side won.
He also often allied England with the winning side.
Historian: Pollard
Pollard thought that Wolsey was a loyal papal
servant aiming to defend the Church and
furthering his chances of becoming Pope.
Evidence:
Wolsey rose to prominence in the 1512-13 in response
to Pope Julius plea for English invasion of France.
Treaty of London appeared to implement Pope Leos
call for unity.
Wolsey responded favorably to Henry and Charles
suggestion of Wolsey running as a candidate in Papal
elections of 1521-23.
However, Scarisbrick points out that Wolsey
did not always follow papal policy; he only did
so when it coincided with English policy.
Wolsey maintained little contact with the
papacy and didnt try too hard to cultivate
Cardinals in Rome for the papal position.
In 1517, Wolsey started negotiations with
France precisely at the time when the Pope
joined the anti-French league.
Historian: Scarisbrick
Suggested that Wolsey aimed to encourage
peace by aligning England with strong powers
and so forcing weak states to enter
negotiations.
Wolseys connections with humanist figures
and movements support this.
The Treaty of London and meeting with both
Charles and Francis in 1520 supports it as
well.
Scarisbrick and Crowson both believed that
Wolsey tried to curb Henrys aggressive
tendencies.
Thus in peace, if not in war, Wolsey could
make Henry the equal of his neighbors.
However, Wolsey refused to sign the Treaty
of Noyon with Charles and Francis.
It is possible that there were other motives for
the Treaty of London.
It is more likely that Wolsey saw both peace
and war as tools to achieve his aims.
Furthermore, Scarisbrick himself later
changed his mind.
Historian: Wernham
Wernham suggests that Wolseys foreign policy was
guided by the need to secure the suggestion.
Evidence:
This is reflected by the executions of Edmund of Suffolk and
Edward of Buckingham.
Its also reflected by the lengthy negotiations of Henrys daughter
Marys marriage.
More support can be seen in the desire to intervene in Scotland
on behalf of Henry sister Margaret.
However, like Crowson says, the whole mood of
Englands foreign policy in 1509-25 was outward
looking and expansive.
Succession only became a concern when Henrys
hopes for a papal annulment were frustrated.

Historian: Gwyn
Gwyn believed that Wolsey gave utmost
importance to elevating Henrys prestige.
The French invasion was the best way to
accomplish this and to influence continental
affairs.
Also, as war became more and more
impractical, the peace option became the most
effective way of getting France to do what
Wolsey wanted.
This theory explains why periodically English
policy supported the papacy and then went
against it.
Historian: Crowson
Crowson and others believe that English
policy was determined by events instead of
the opposite.
Englands revenue was very low compred
to Francis or Charles. This meant
England couldnt impose peace or win
military victories on their own and explains
Englands alliances with either of these
states.
It is difficult to identify just one aim throughout
Wolseys rule, considering the flexibility of his
foreign policies, according to Steven Gunn.
The diplomatic situation was constantly
shifting, which makes it unlikely that Wolsey
had one aim throughout his reign.
However, it is likely that most of his policies
were governed by the aim of self enrichment,
glory and influence, and pragmatism.