How successful a King was Henry VIII during the period of 1509-1514?
Henry VIII came to the throne at just seventeen. The first half of his reign has often been regarded as a period relatively insubstantial achievement. Unlike some European monarchs of the time Henry was never overthrown. His domestic policy was ruthless but clever. It kept him secure by pleasing the nobility who controlled the land and the commons, thereby preventing a revolt. On the other hand the one of the results of his aggressive foreign policy, the Battle of the Spurs, was overblown by his government in terms of its importance; it was high in prestige but low in any substantial impact. It was also an expensive drain on resources.
At his accession, Henry VIII was bent on war and in the concept of the king as a ‘valiant knight’. He was brought up in a society where the chivalric ideal still counted for much and ‘not unmindful that it was his duty to seek fame by military skill’. Henry believed that his territories were his ‘property’ in not a dissimilar way to that in which a landowner possessed his estates. It was therefore his duty to utilise his possessions so as to maximise his family’s prestige, power and wealth in the short and long term. Henry had to prove himself on the battlefield.
Henry’s foreign policy was a disaster. His battles with France were costly, but achieved little impact, apart from feeding Henry’s ego. He was conned by his allies who exploited him to help themselves. The Battle of Flodden was a substantial success, but at the time Henry was play fighting in France. The new King wanted to recover his ‘rightful’ territories in France. However, France was a rich and powerful country and Henry recognised without any army he would need allies if he were to have any success in Europe. Allies would also be useful when it came to preventing the nobles revolting with support from Europe. One of his main achievements in securing relationships with Europe was his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. Spain was under the rule of Ferdinand and Isabella and was a strong Catholic power. Ferdinand had been disputing with France for many years over land in Southern Italy and the Pyrenees. In addition, the Hapsburg family who controlled substantial amounts of Southern Germany and the Burgundian lands, as well as holding the title of the Holy Emperor, were arguing with France over Milan. This alliance could have been a playing card for Henry and a major success. However, Henry underestimated how unreliable his allies would be; in particular Ferdinand of Spain, who was dishonest and tricked Henry. In truth, Ferdinand and Maximillian manipulated Henry into following a military strategy which was to their advantage. They wanted to expand the Hapsburg Empire. These efforts to form an alliance against France turned out to be expensive and were eventually ruined by bribery from the supposed victim. His attempt at finding allies was a disaster; he was taken for a fool and did not command the respect that a King should.
