In conclusion it was cause for concern because if the relationship became too hostile he would be in danger from an invasion from the French from a big coastline. He also did not have many allies so Brittany being an ally was a big bonus for Henry. However it did get hostile and the only time Henry went to war was to protect Brittany.
How important was Henry VII’s desire for prestige in relation to other factors in explaining his foreign policy in the years 1485-1509?
Henry reigned from 1485-1509 at this time his foreign policy was very important. His foreign policy changed how the rest of Europe seen England because we increased our prestige so was recognised by other countries. Henry also aimed to gain dynastic security, gain peace, gain security, increase trade and increase income.
Prestige was gained through mainly the papal bull. This was a document sent from the pope to confirm that Henry was the rightful heir to the throne. This also meant that if anyone was to go against the king would be going against the word of god which was a sin so would be sent into limbo. Henry Also sponsored Cabot on his search for new found land. This was good for prestige because this meant that England was expanding further and the rest of the world could see the evidence of this. Cabot did find land in what is now parts of Canada and Labrador it was called Newfoundland. However Henry did refuse to sponsor Christopher Columbus who discovered South America. Henry also set up the League of Cambrai which was an alliance created against Spain. However in 1508 he was expelled from the league by Ferdinand of Spain who was invited in by Louis XII of France. So prestige did improve Henry’s prestige however it also was affected by foreign policies.
The Tudors Dynastic security was also a very important factor because this meant the Tudor name would live on. The Medina del campo gained a lot of security for the future of England. This meant that Arthur and Catherine would have to get married but England and Spain became long time allies. Prince Arthur’s Marriage to Catherine of Aragon would make sure that the Tudor name could carry on and with the Spanish as strong allies. However Arthur dies so Catherine is not a Tudor until Henry decides his son Henry VIII shall marry her which takes a special permission from the pope. Dynastic security was also very important and successful because Henry VII was passed the crown with no trouble.
Peace and Security was important as England was focusing on gaining money so did not want wars as they are very costly. This also meant that taxes could not go up as this would stir an already unsettled nation to rebel against their Usurper king. This is why the papal bull proved he was legitimate. On the other hand this did not help as there was Perkin Warbeck and Lambert Simnel who were the pretenders of the rightful heirs to the throne. He did try to get peace with the treaty of Etaples and Ayton. Etaples was a treaty with France in 1492 saying that France could not house any rebels in their country. Ayton was with Scotland in 1497 which said that France also could not hold rebels. Overall this was important to gain security as what is the point in prestige if you will not last on the throne. It was also a success as the country was never invaded and only went to war once and that was against France over Brittany.
Finally his last aim was to Increase trade and income. There were many treaties that helped this like 1490 treaty with Florence saying that Pisa was a staple meaning that it was a port English could use for imports and exports. Another Example would be Magnus Intercursus which said that English merchants could trade in Burgundy without having to pay a toll. However 1493 England banned trade with Burgundy as they were housing rebels to the English throne. This was bad for trade as Ayton was in Burgundy and was the European capital of cloth and English exports were 95% wool. Lastly the navigation acts in 1485/86/89 said that all English exports had to use English ships unless there was not one ready. Spain said that because of the navigation acts we could not trade with the new world which affected the maximum amount of trade we could have received. Overall this was important for a new king to increase his revenue as this could pay for an unexpected war or set his son up for an easy reign like he did. This was then also a success as there was a massive increase to trade and therefore wealth.
In summary Prestige was important for Henry’s foreign policy however so was security and trade. He was successful in achieving all of the aims in one way or another. And they did all play an important role but being an unsettled new king he probably was concentrating on security more because if he could invade and take over the throne with a small army what is stopping anyone else.
