Foreign Policy can be seen as the most significant part of Henry VII’s reign for many reasons; this includes the many treaties and alliances made throughout his reign, such as the Treaty of Perpetual Peace with Scotland, the Treaty of Etaples with France, and the alliance Henry made with Maximillian I of the Holy Roman Empire. These events occurred due to Henry’s foreign policy simply being to retain peace among Europe, and to ensure prosperity in trade and England’s power when possible. This attitude towards foreign policy was highly impactful, as it allowed Henry to improve other areas of his reign, such as help to remove threat from pretenders by, through alliance with Maximillian I, persuaded the then current pope, Pope Innocent VIII, to …show more content…
By the end of his reign, Henry had managed to more than double the money possessed by the monarch, through many means, such as his taxation policies, but his main source of monetary increase was from the nobility. One example of the methods used by Henry to obtain the money and land of the nobility, to strengthen his own power over them, was through his Lord Chancellor, John Morton, who put into effect “Morton’s Fork”, an idea stating nobility that wore expensive clothes were well off enough to give money to the king, but if they appeared poor and struggling, it was because they were a miser, and could still afford to give money to the king. Morton encouraged the nobility to offer “loans” to the crown, to show their loyalty to the king, and through Morton’s Fork, convinced many to do so, and while gave him great financial gain, it also asserted his power over them and discouraged them to oppose him. Henry also showed his power over the nobles –again gaining money in the process- by no longer giving land to nobles who showed their loyalty, but by giving them titles, such as the Order of the Garter, which cost him no money. He also gained loyalty from those who had fought against him in the Battle of Bosworth by providing them with the ultimatum of either paying for their previous disloyalty by a large sum of money and land and/or imprisonment, or by paying smaller amounts over a period of time and possibly providing the king with their men. This caused fear in the nobles, as they did not wish to anger the king and risk loss of all their fortune and possibly their freedom. A notable example of this is Lord Burgavenny, who was forced to remain in the king’s favour to remove his risk of ruin. Financial and power gain did not come solely from the nobles, however, as Henry enforced taxes upon the general population which not only showed his
According to Loach, Henry between 1540 and 1544 had dispensed £250 000 using the money for military expenses, palace building and "pocket money". This shows that Henry was very extravagant in his spending of money and to some extent left Somerset with an impossible legacy. Diplomatically Henry left Somerset with an impossible legacy because at this time Scotland was a threat to England due to the support they had from France. Another reason why Scotland was a key area for Somerset was because of the Treaty of Greenwich 1543 and a specific clause in it.
Prestige Rather than National Security was the Main Concern of Henry VIII's Foreign Policy from 1529-1547
For hundreds of years, those who have read Henry V, or have seen the play performed, have admired Henry V's skills and decisions as a leader. Some assert that Henry V should be glorified and seen as an "ideal Christian king". Rejecting that idea completely, I would like to argue that Henry V should not be seen as the "ideal Christian king", but rather as a classic example of a Machiavellian ruler. If looking at the play superficially, Henry V may seem to be a religious, moral, and merciful ruler; however it was Niccolo Machiavelli himself that stated in his book, The Prince, that a ruler must "appear all mercy, all faith, all honesty, all humanity, [and] all religion" in order to keep control over his subjects (70). In the second act of the play, Henry V very convincingly acts as if he has no clue as to what the conspirators are planning behind his back, only to seconds later reveal he knew about their treacherous plans all along. If he can act as though he knows nothing of the conspirators' plans, what is to say that he acting elsewhere in the play, and only appearing to be a certain way? By delving deeper into the characteristics and behaviors of Henry V, I hope to reveal him to be a true Machiavellian ruler, rather than an "ideal king".
...The foreign support that Henry received was pivotal in starting Henry Tudor’s second attempt at invading England as otherwise he would never have been able to land and gather troops and support from domestic sources. However, once in England the support that Henry gained from welsh and English nobles and Barons meant that he was able to face Richard and defeat him at the Battle of Bosworth. Whilst support is vastly important in explaining Richard’s defeat, other factors such as Richard’s mistakes like policies that drained the Treasury (e.g. the war against Scotland) are to blame. This particular mistake prevented Richard from being able to stop Tudor from crossing the channel, and so it was left up to nobles Richard believed to be loyal to resist the invasion, this belief also backfired when Rhys ap Thomas joined Henry when he was promised the Lieutenancy of Wales.
The Challenges to Henry VII Security Between 1487 and the end of 1499 Henry VII faced many challenges to his throne from 1487 to the end of 1499. These included many rebellions and pretenders to his throne. To what extent was the success he dealt with them differs although the overriding answer is that by the end of his reign he had secured his throne and set up a dynasty, with all challengers removed. Lambert Simnel challenged Henry’s security when Richard Symonds passed him off as Warwick. Simnel was taken to Ireland, which had become the centre of Yorkist plotting.
training when he came to power in 1485, had managed in the time he was
After many failed attempts to obtain a divorce from his first wife Catherine of Aragon, King Henry VIII took momentous steps that led to "The Reformation," a significant occurrence in the history of religion. Prior to the reformation, all of England's inhabitants including King Henry VIII prescribed to Catholicism. In fact, King Henry VIII was such a strong supporter that he was given the title "Defender of the Faith" by the pope for his efforts in protecting Catholicism against the Protestants. However, all these changed upon the pope's denial of Henry's request for a divorce.
Another cause for his unpopularity was the question of benevolences. When he was crowned Richard promised to stop the use of benevolences as this was particularly disliked by the nobles. However because of the war with Scotland , the threat of Henry and rebellions Richard had to later ask for benevolences once again. This made him even more
Peace of London in 1518, the Field of the Cloth of Gold and the Calais
The father and son relationship is one of the most important aspects through the youth of a young man. In Shakespeare’s play Henry IV, he portrays the concept of having "two fathers". King Henry is Hal’s natural father, and Falstaff is Hal’s moral father. Hal must weigh the pros and cons of each father to decide which model he will emulate. Falstaff, who is actually Hal’s close friend, attempts to pull Hal into the life of crime, but he refuses.
In the play Henry V written by Shakespeare. Henry was presented as the ideal Christian king. His mercy, wisdom, and other characteristics demonstrated the behavior of a Christian king. Yet at the same time he is shown to be man like any other. The way he behaves in his past is just like an ordinary man. But in Henry’s own mind he describes himself as “the mirror of all Christian kings” and also a “true lover of the holly church.
However, he didn't listen to the duke of york who desperately wanted a say. This could have been another reason for the outbreak of conflict because the people didn't think he always made the right decision and the duke of York didn't like not being listened to. Another problem was with patronage, as Henry was overgenerous, but only to some people, he would give lots of patronage to Somerset and Suffolk but none to York. This was even worse because he had borrowed from York and instead if paying him back, gave patronage to others. He gave away more and more money and land so that there wasn't much left for important times like war and to make people happy or come onto his side.
Also, as part of the treaty, the King of France’s son was to marry Edward’s daughter, so Edward had also ensured a diplomatic marriage for his daughter. Another aspect of the treaty was the removal of restrictions on trade between the two countries, leaving England to trade freely with France. It seems that Edward was very successful with his foreign policies. Edward took a personal role in running the country and was at the heart of his own government. He chose to use men with ability rather than nobility and even us... ...
The most widely used method of control was financial forfeits such as bonds and recognisances. These could be placed on a noble even if they had not done anything which meant that they were very widespread in their use and were payable if certain conditions were not met. However the heavy and widely considered unjust, use of bonds and recognisances brought widespread hostility towards Henry. These were often used in conjunction with other policies such as retaining in order to enforce them and ensure that the nobles would be loyal.
Passage Analysis - Act 5 Scene 1, lines 115-138. Shakespeare’s ‘King Henry IV Part I’ centres on a core theme: the conflict between order and disorder. Such conflict is brought to light by the use of many vehicles, including Hal’s inner conflict, the country’s political and social conflict, the conflict between the court world and the tavern world, and the conflicting moral values of characters from each of these worlds. This juxtaposition of certain values exists on many levels, and so is both a strikingly present and an underlying theme throughout the play.