Wolseys foreign policy

Wolseys foreign policyRida SohaibYear 12

Timeline of Foreign PolicyHenry declared war on France in 1512.30,000 English men were dispatched to France in June 1513.Capture of Thouranne and Tournai, and the Battle of SpursBattle of FloddenTreaty between France and England in 1514Treaty of London in 1518Field of Cloth of Gold in 1520

Secret Treaty between England and Charles V in 1521Raids in France led by the Earl of Surrey in 1522, but largely a failureTreaty of More signed with France in 1525Treaty of Westminster between England and France against Charles V in 1527Henry starts seeking annulment of his marriage in 1527Wolsey fails to obtain an annulment despite being the Papal legate, and falls from power, dying in November 1530.Reasons for French invasionHenry wished to be a Renaissance prince.He also wanted to solidify the ancient claim of the Kings of England upon the French throne.He was allied with Spain due to his marriage with Catherine of Aragorn, which could help him in the war.Henry joined the Holy League in 1511 against King Louis of France, so he had a valid reason (defending the Papacy) to attack France.

Early Foreign PolicyEngland entered European warfare in 1512 due to Henrys insistence. It was a disaster since the English army was set up by their ally Ferdinand who used them as a distraction. They suffered a naval defeat in April 1513.Henry personally entered the war (at Calais) in June. He captured Therovanne and Tournai.The Battle of Spurs was a skirmish with a small French expeditionary force. It was glorified to show England in a good light. Wolsey organized the whole invasion and raised funds etc to make it possible.However, there was too much expenditure. The cost was nine times that of Henrys annual income. Further campaign was highly unrealistic, calling the invasion to a halt.At the home front, the Battle of Flodden occurred against Scotland, when James IV invaded and was defeated by the Earl of Surrey (later Duke of Norfolk). The Battle of Flodden can be considered to be more of a success than the French invasion since there was less expenditure and it was more decisive. It also removed a worrisome threat for the upcoming future since Henrys sister Margaret was the regent. It was also with very poor odds as compared to the Battle of Spurs.However, the French invasion was important since Henry stamped his mark on European affairs, and announced his presence. It also confirmed Henry as a Renaissance prince. Additionally, it drew significant attention to Wolsey since he had organized the practicalities.

Anglo French Treaty, 1514Henry was forced to sign a peace treaty with France since:The new Pope Leo X favored peaceHe had been deserted by his alliesThere had been too much expenditureFerdinand and Maximillian were signing treaties with France so England was under threat of diplomatic isolation.Terms of the treaty:England would remain in possession of TournaiFrance would pay the arrears of the pensions given to Henry VII in the 1490sA proposed joint attack on Ferdinand never occurredSeal: Mary was to marry the elderly King Louis XIITreaty of London, 1518Since the start of 1518, Pope Leo X had been calling for unity against the Turks. Wolsey took this plan and modified it to place England at the center of diplomatic affairs.The treaty bound France, the Papacy, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire, and England.Twenty representatives were sent to London in 1518 to sign the treaty.Terms of the treaty:Non aggression to be guaranteed among the major powersCollective security would be in place. Any aggressor would be opposed by all other states.Successes of the treaty:It helped bring prestige to Henrys reignIt ended the threat of Englands isolation in EuropeHenrys infant daughter Mary was betrothed to Dauphin, the second son of Francis However, the treaty was unlikely to last due to the shifts in international politics.The treaty was often dismissed as Wolsey being arrogant/egoistical.Maximillions death in 1519 caused a power struggle between Francis and Charles.Both France and Spain saw England as an important ally. Field of Cloth of Gold, 1520In June 1520, Henry and Francis meet near Calais with around 3,000 notables from each kingdom present. There was huge splendor and show off from both sides.It had little diplomatic value. It was increasingly hard for England to maintain neutrality. England was more likely to side with Charles because:England was traditionally anti-French and Henry was jealous of Francis successesEngland had trade links with the Low Countries which would be safe guarded by an alliance with CharlesPapal policy at the time was anti FrenchIn 1521, Wolsey went to Burges and settled a treaty with Charles stating that England would invade France in 1523 unless Francis agreed to make peace.This was met by little enthusiasm in England since it was fuelled by taxation. In 1522, Earl of Surrey led troops to France and conducted a series of raids but there was little support by Charles, and the expedition was not a success.In August 1523, Francis was faced by a rebellion. A three pronged attack was planned, but the rebellion came to nothing and English army fell apart due to lack of supplies.Due to the lack of money, Wolsey was eager to release England from obligation and make peace with France. Diplomatic RevolutionAccording to Elton, the year of 1525 was that of a diplomatic revolution. Charles won a decisive victory and Francis was captured. He was released conditionally within a year.England abandoned its old Spanish/imperial alliance and entered a French one.The Treaty of More was signed in 1525 which Henry would give up his claims to France in exchange for an annual pension.The alliance was cemented in 1527 through the Treaty of Westminster. Mary was offered for marriage to Francis or one of his sons. In 1527, imperial troops sacked Rome and took the Pope prisoner. This was disastrous for Wolsey since the Kings Great Matter was important to foreign policy.Charles released the Pope who was now firmly in his camp, lowering chances for a papal annulment.In August 1529, France, Spain and the Papacy signed the Peace of Cambrai. England was now diplomatically isolated.Wolsey was face with ruin since he had failed to obtain the divorce. His fate had depended on the changing nature of foreign affairs which conspired against him 1525-29.He was dismissed as Chancellor in September 1529. By October, he had been sacked from some of his bishoprics. The Boleyn family endeavored to remove him from London.He arrived at his archbishopric of York in April 1530. In November 1530, he was accused of praemunire and summoned to London. He died during the journey on 29th November 1530.

Wolseys foreign policy-SuccessesThe capture of Tournai showed Henry as a Renaissance prince and was useful as a beginning toolWolseys greatest achievement was the Treaty of LondonShowed Wolsey as the architect of peaceMade London the center of international diplomacy and removed the threat of Englands isolationThe Field of Cloth of Gold increased Englands prestigeA good, flexible and reactive policy given Englands low resources and incomeWolsey recognized the need to ally effectivelyFor example, he met with imperial agents after the Field of Cloth of Gold

Unrealistic ambitions by Henry. War policy was costly and short sightedFew long term gains. Taxation ultimately led to unrestHenry was outmaneuvered in early yearsTheories for his foreign policy include Glory & Influence and the Papacy TheoryThe diplomatic revolution in 1525 was a failure since he was unable to get the divorce and he had supported France which turned out to be the losing sideThe alliance with France was unpopular, as was the embargo against NetherlandsEngland didnt pose any significant threat to Charles despite threatsWolseys foreign policy-FailuresInterpretations of Wolseys foreign policySeven interpretations:Self enrichmentMaintaining a balance of powerPapacy theoryPeace theoryDomestic securityGlory(for Henry) and InfluencePragmatism

Self EnrichmentHistorian: SkeltonSkelton claimed that Wolsey received bribes from Francis 1 to pursue a pro-French policy. It is true that he received bribes from Francis and Charles in 1517. He built the York Palace and Hampton Court, both outstripping any of the Crowns possessions. However, these were accepted perks of the jobs and enjoyed by many international contemporaries.These pensions may reflect the success of Wolseys policy, not his chief aim.Henry was very interested in foreign policy and so is unlikely to have given Wolsey free reign.

Balance of PowerHistorian: CreightonSupported by most traditionalist historians.Wolsey tried to ensure that no one gained too much power and so supported the states trying to curtail the dominant one.Evidence: Gave false information to a pro-France Venetian ambassador to unsettle their friendship. Met both Charles (at Calais & Burges) and Francis (at Field of Cloth of Gold) in 1520However, according to the historian Gwyn, Wolsey was often uninterested in battles, for example when Italy won spectacularly. He was more concerned with local affairs. Some correspondence suggested Wolsey didnt care which side won.He also often allied England with the winning side.Papacy TheoryHistorian: PollardPollard thought that Wolsey was a loyal papal servant aiming to defend the Church and furthering his chances of becoming Pope.Evidence:Wolsey rose to prominence in the 1512-13 in response to Pope Julius plea for English invasion of France.Treaty of London appeared to implement Pope Leos call for unity.Wolsey responded favorably to Henry and Charles suggestion of Wolsey running as a candidate in Papal elections of 1521-23.However, Scarisbrick points out that Wolsey did not always follow papal policy; he only did so when it coincided with English policy.Wolsey maintained little contact with the papacy and didnt try too hard to cultivate Cardinals in Rome for the papal position.In 1517, Wolsey started negotiations with France precisely at the time when the Pope joined the anti-French league.Peace TheoryHistorian: ScarisbrickSuggested that Wolsey aimed to encourage peace by aligning England with strong powers and so forcing weak states to enter negotiations.Wolseys connections with humanist figures and movements support this.The Treaty of London and meeting with both Charles and Francis in 1520 supports it as well. Scarisbrick and Crowson both believed that Wolsey tried to curb Henrys aggressive tendencies. Thus in peace, if not in war, Wolsey could make Henry the equal of his neighbors.However, Wolsey refused to sign the Treaty of Noyon with Charles and Francis.It is possible that there were other motives for the Treaty of London.It is more likely that Wolsey saw both peace and war as tools to achieve his aims.Furthermore, Scarisbrick himself later changed his mind. Domestic SecurityHistorian: WernhamWernham suggests that Wolseys foreign policy was guided by the need to secure the suggestion.Evidence:This is reflected by the executions of Edmund of Suffolk and Edward of Buckingham. Its also reflected by the lengthy negotiations of Henrys daughter Marys marriage.More support can be seen in the desire to intervene in Scotland on behalf of Henry sister Margaret.However, like Crowson says, the whole mood of Englands foreign policy in 1509-25 was outward looking and expansive.Succession only became a concern when Henrys hopes for a papal annulment were frustrated.

Glory and InflunceHistorian: GwynGwyn believed that Wolsey gave utmost importance to elevating Henrys prestige.The French invasion was the best way to accomplish this and to influence continental affairs.Also, as war became more and more impractical, the peace option became the most effective way of getting France to do what Wolsey wanted.This theory explains why periodically English policy supported the papacy and then went against it. PragmatismHistorian: CrowsonCrowson and others believe that English policy was determined by events instead of the opposite.Englands revenue was very low compred to Francis or Charles. This meant England couldnt impose peace or win military victories on their own and explains Englands alliances with either of these states.Interpretations-ConclusionIt is difficult to identify just one aim throughout Wolseys rule, considering the flexibility of his foreign policies, according to Steven Gunn.The diplomatic situation was constantly shifting, which makes it unlikely that Wolsey had one aim throughout his reign.However, it is likely that most of his policies were governed by the aim of self enrichment, glory and influence, and pragmatism.