Use the source and your own knowledge to explain what were the

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Use the source and your own knowledge to explain what were the “realistic objectives” of Henry VII’s foreign policy

        According to the source, Henry’s objectives were to ensure the security of his country and dynasty and to avoid foreign military intervention i.e. build up good relationships with neighbouring foreign powers. I also think that trade and prestige came into his objectives. Trade was important to him as it ensured the power of his country and, again, was important to England’s relationship with foreign powers. Also prestige was important for Henry, but more for himself than for the good of the country.

Why was foreign military intervention a problem for Henry VII between 1485 and 1509?

        During Henry VII’s reign, he was very worried about the threat of foreign military intervention. He himself had invaded England in 1485 and fought for the crown, so he knew all too well how easily the throne could be lost to an invader.

        At the beginning of his reign, Henry was faced with the problem of the pretender, Lambert Simnel. Although he didn’t really have any claim to throne, he managed to get a significant amount of foreign support and did pose a real threat to Henry. He was crowned Edward IV in Ireland, showing the Irish’s contempt for Henry, and was also supported by Margaret of Burgundy; one of England’s traditional allies. This worried Henry as if one of his ‘allies’ was prepared to support a pretender, what would his enemies do? Simnel managed to build up a decent army of Irish and German soldiers, but was defeated in 1487 by Henry’s troops. Simnel may have been defeated but the fact that he had gained so much support was what worried Henry the most. He became suspicious of the foreign powers surrounding him and worked on his foreign policy.

        When Irish nobles supported Perkin Warbeck as the Duke of York in 1491, Henry became even more worried. He was seeing a repeat of what had happened four years previously and, even though he had defeated Lambert Simnel, he could not be so confident that he would manage it again. The fact that Perkin Warbeck gained the support of James IV, Charles VIII and Maximilian Habsburg was what worried Henry the most. Again it was more a matter of the way other powers had responded to the pretender than Perkin Warbeck himself which posed a threat to Henry. When Perkin Warbeck invaded England in 1495 he was quickly captured by Henry and sentenced to death. But although Perkin Warbeck was dead, Henry was still worried by the fact that he had managed to get so much international support. Could he rely on his neighbouring foreign powers anymore?

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        Foreign military intervention itself wasn’t so much a problem for Henry: there were no large-scale invasions of England during his reign and for the most part he managed to avoid war altogether. But Henry was constantly worried about the threat of an invasion and pretenders like Perkin Warbeck and Lambert Simnel only served as irritants to make him even more worried and to show him that he didn’t have the full support of important powers like France. One of his main purposes in life was to secure the throne for his future dynasty. Therefore the avoidance of foreign invasion was ...

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