Foreign Support Was Vastly Important for Henry Tudor in Richard III's Defeat at Bosworth

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How important was foreign support for Henry Tudor in explaining Richard III’s defeat at Bosworth? Foreign support was instrumental in allowing Henry Tudor to defeat Richard at the battle of Bosworth, if it were not for the support that Henry gained from foreign sources he could not have invaded England. Henry Tudor spent 14 years in exile in Brittany and France, with his chances of claiming the throne of England fading as Edward IV’s second reign proved stable and his heir approached adulthood. However after Richards usurpation of his nephews throne Henry’s court in grew especially after the Buckingham Revolt, but required assistance from the King of France (men and ships) before he could land in Wales and begin the march to Bosworth. When the French king heard about the alliance between Richard III and the Duke of Brittany he decided to back Henry Tudor as he felt they might have joined together against France also he thought that Duke of Brittany was too powerful and by helping Tudor would weaken Brittany. Charles VIII of France supplied Henry with the means by which to invade and the nucleus of an army. When Henry Tudor was in France he did not know if h had any support for when he arrived so the men he had been given by the French king were extremely important as they were the ones who would help him defeat Richard III at the battle of Bosworth. Clearly foreign support made the invasion possible, but it could not mean the invasion would be a definitive success. Philibert de Chandee who led the French mercenaries given to Henry played a crucial role in the defeat of Richard at Bosworth. Following Richard’s reckless charge at Henry in the hope that he would be able to kill Henry in hand to hand fighting, Chandee manage... ... middle of paper ... ...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.

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