Henry had no intention of giving the nobles back power so another strength he had was that he was an all-powerful figure. Prof. Ronald Hutton says “he managed the nobility by honouring and flattering them”. Henry went through Parliament to get reforms when he wanted them. By doing this he increased power of democracy as well as for himself. The early years of Henry’s reign saw great rivalry amongst the noblemen to secure Henry’s favour and to try to regain power, which Henry VII had taken away. They saw the opportunity of manipulating the new king into restoring what they had had.
Henry was a dominating person which helped him fit into a kingly image, he was much taller than was average at the time and was muscular too giving the idea of him being strong. He was always trying to impress people, particularly foreign ambassadors, chiefly by his lavish court and rich life style. Dawson says he “would play the part of a warrior hero”. He did this by war and leading his troops to battle in France. Also he was seen as a scholar and an intellectual that was a side of him which would have helped him impress visitors as they could see he is not a barbarian. Hutton claims “he liked to rule by fear” which would have kept opposition numbers down knowing that if they were caught plotting against him it meant death. He is also seen as a man who liked food, drink and hunting. His character is reputed to have been charming and interesting. This all builds up an image of a king who is strong and has the strength to rule a country in the times.
Although these facts show Henry to be one of the most secure kings of England for quite some time he did have several weaknesses. Henry was not expected to be king and so was not trained and brought up as one who would succeed the throne. It was only known he was next in line to be king of England when he was 11 years old. He was therefore brought up at Elton palace with his mother and sisters. Women for many of the early years of his life surrounded him. After Arthur died Henry was the only male heir to the throne so his father had him well protected so he would survive to be crowned. He therefore did not have a great deal of experience of life outside the royal circles. His family became weaker in numbers as his mother and brother died and his sister Margaret became Queen of Scotland and left England.
This lack of inexperience was shown when he was crowned. He did not have enough knowledge of ruling a country or its workings so his fathers councillors and advisors stayed in office, Henry did not possess enough experience due to his sheltered existence so far in life to make drastic changes immediately to the ruling of the country.
When he first came to the throne in 1509 a large problem he faced was whom he would marry. He did not have a male successor and this did not appeal to him so he needed a wife to bear him a son. This problem was solved by Henry’s marriage of Catherine of Aragon, which helped give weight to Anglo-Spanish relations. This marriage lasted until 1533.
In 1513 when what was considered a success, English victories over the French and Scottish, created implications. England could not easily afford the wars. Henry VII ‘s amassed treasures were being drained all to quickly. The expeditions were very expensive, especially when you consider the invasion of France consisted of 30 000 men. Added to this was the price it cost to maintain two towns to keep them safe from French re-capture. The successes made sure Henry would keep foreign policy at the head of his agenda. This may not have been all bad however Henry demanded a foreign policy that was very costly and extravagant. This idea of policy continued even in peacetime when Henry spent great amounts of money in trying to impress foreign powers.
After these victories many of the noble families powers were increased and higher-ranking titles were handed out, the dukedoms of Norfolk and Suffolk were given away. This secured the power of many noble families after Henry VII had decreased it. This created potential trouble, as there was no more the nobles could do if they ever felt the need to stand up to Henry and deposition was now more viable.
Over this period of time it can be seen that he did not follow his fathers policies and changed them to suit him and his individual style of ruling. He was less diplomatic on foreign policy and was not afraid to go to an all out war, which he demonstrated. His tactics to the nobles was drastically different, his father had taken away some of their power and decreased the nobility numbers, the opposite of this can be seen in Henry VIII. One thing they were very similar on was the desire to secure the dynasty through a male heir.
In 1515 Henry is a king who has made an impression very quickly on England by going to war and being the reverse of his father in financial matters. He is a king who has secured support from powerful figures amongst the English nobles and also amongst the foreign states such as Spain and the Holy Roman Empire. Henry has put himself in a strong position because of this and this is what makes his rule one that stretches over four decades, he did not have great amounts of opposition.
