In domestic policy the two kings differed less perhaps than in foreign. Henry began his reign by marrying Catherine of Argon although this fulfilled Henry VII’s treaty obligation it was however the first sign the Henry was unlikely to follow in his father’s footsteps. After the death of Henry VIII’s older brother, Catherine of Argon was widowed, through Henry VII’s greed for money he demanded that she could not remarry the younger son unless another dowry was paid. Her father’s refusal condemned her to the tower of London and only with Henry VIII’s rise to monarch was she freed and married. This perhaps was a sign from Henry, since he made a point that his first action would go against the wishes of his father.
Henry VII had famously never got along with the nobility largely due to the large taxes he continued to place upon them during his reign, the tax collectors Epson and Dudley were executed once Henry VIII was in power. Their removal was ‘a calculated ploy to enable the new regime profit from the stability won by Henry VII without incurring any of its attendant stigma’. Henry VIII did therefore inherit a far more peaceful and united England than his father did in 1485. Henry VII inherited a far less stable England and throughout his reign he continued to suppress uprisings from impersonators such as Perkin and Warbeck and was constantly under the threat of other claimants to the throne. The execution of Empson and Dudley demonstrated that Henry sought to create new links with the nobility in spite of his fathers dislike and mistrust. His father had been so wary of the nobility in high places that he had set up ‘The council learned’, made up of professionals with whom he would converse with about policy’s rather than the nobility. Henry VIII also dissolved this, as well as removing many of the bonds his father had placed to tax the nobles. He did however not remove them all, perhaps an indication that he was not all that dissimilar from his father in some respects.
Henry VII’s desire for money bordered on an obsession for him and he even threatened, though never planned to follow up, war with France in the ‘October war’ in order to get a regular pension if he promised not to invade. He was meticulous with money and taxed whenever he could, perhaps the main reason he was so uninterested in war was because it was so expensive. Henry VIII in stark contrast however was very extravagant and felt the best way money could be spent was on war. He had very little interest in the administrative side, he loathed writing letters and persuading him to write his signature was a taxing situation for his council. Henry VIII ‘ allowed his council the freedom to initiate policy on many matters, far more so than Henry VII’. As a much younger king he indulged in sports such as jousting and hunting and spent little time contemplating policy. Through his love of sports he had exposure to many of the nobles and it helped him create good relations with them. It was in fact the nobles’ influence, which encouraged Henry’s desire for the French crown, something his father had shown little interest in.
Henry VII’s foreign policy was principally the maintenance of international security and when England was relegated to a second rate power as Spain rose to become Frances main rival, Henry VII was unconcerned. He was not interested in establishing England as a great power, nor was he interested in being recognised among the other rulers in Europe, his son however was rather different. Due to Henry VIII’s insecurity, he was desperate for recognition and glory. Frustrated at England’s irrelevant position in Europe and little power he resolved to make England great again. In 1513, the chief advisor to the king and Lord Chancellor, Wolsey ‘ordinated’ Henry’s invasion of France, where Henry gained the occupation of Therouanne and Tournai. Although these conquests were of little ‘strategic value’, Henry prided himself on his victory and felt that he was a step closer to establishing himself as a great warrior. His father had signed a one-year true with France in January 1489 and when he died he had left his son in a position where he was in good relations with the powers of Europe. He had maintained the triangular alliance that he had so craved after several claimants to the throne had been backed by foreign powers. He was acutely aware of his vulnerable border with Scotland due to its French alliance and had been meticulous in creating security for himself and his heir. Henry VIII however desired no such alliances and this was evident by his wars with France and Scotland in 1513.
As a result of the war with France, they began to repay the pension that Henry VII had threatened to go to war for all those years ago. In this respect perhaps, Henry did continue the policies of his father to some extent. However the war with Scotland did not however, as his father had always tried to ensure good relations between them due to their precarious border and alliance with the French. The war with Scotland, the Battle of Flodden took place on 9th of September 1513 and saw the massacre of King and his son the Archbishop of St. Andrews, another bishop, two abbots’, twelve earls, fourteen lords - almost the whole Scottish aristocracy - and knights, gentlemen and commons. On 22nd of August that year had crossed the border to England near Coldstream with 20.000 men. The Earl of Surrey, who had already fought in the War of Roses yet 70 years old marched north carrying the banner of St. Cuthbert, led England to victory. Although Thomas Cromwell called both wars ‘ungracious dogholes’ in 1523, Henry was thrilled. Afterwards he negotiated a treaty of peace between Louis XII and recovered the French pension. As Henry VIII’s ‘reign unfolded, he added ‘imperial’ concepts of kingship to existing ‘feudal’ ones’ and he strove to give meaning to the words ‘Rex imperator’, unheard of since the Roman empire and it is I consider through these chivalrous dreams that he went to war with France and Scotland in 1513.
Henry VII and Henry VIII had very different ideas of what was expected from a king and I consider that although ‘Henry VII had restored stability and royal authority, it may have been for reasons of character as much as policy that his son resolved to augment his regal power’. Henry VII desire for stability and money meant that he had little interest in the danger and expense of war, his son’s more traditional views and imperialistic concepts of kingship craved recognition’s a great warrior like his hero Henry V. These differences explain the very different foreign policies of the kings as well as much of their domestic policies and although Henry did not abolish all his fathers taxes, he did destroy the careful alliances he had built up through his reign. For these reason therefore I consider that Henry VIII did not continue the policies of his father to a great extent, if at all and that their fundamental principles and politics varied greatly.
Michelle Eskinazi
L65HDH