Henry Viii Pursuit Of Glory

The pursuit of glory and honour outweighed the security of England in deciding Henrician foreign policy. Although Henry’s foreign policy in this period was greatly influenced by his desire for security, both personal and national, there is much historiographical debate as to whether it was the primary motive of his actions abroad. In this essay glory and honour will be dealt with together, although glory tends to be associated with wartime victory, whereas honour is related to the upholding of status and in particular the dignity of Henry VIII - together both of these contribute to the overall prestigious nature of a monarch and are associated heavily with one another in a late Medieval context. Whilst security was consistent with the desires
This rebirth came after being embarrassed and humiliated by his marriages to Cleves and Howard. It is also important to recognise as Richardson does, that the reason the peace after 1545 is so uneasy is because of Henry’s achievements in war. No longer was there a balance in honour, therefore Francis was stuck in a peace he wanted to resolve - hence the continued sour relations that weren’t seen after the Field of the Cloth of Gold, which was otherwise similar in circumstances. The reason Henry VIII acted in such a reserved, and what has been interpreted as fearful way in 1539, was because of extent of the threat - the potential for a Catholic Crusade from a Habsburg-Valois alliance had a significant potential, in the wake of the Papal Bull of Excommunication against Henry VIII. Had the Treaty of Toledo been followed through it would have presented an existential crisis to the throne. However other explanations for his alliance seeking have been uncovered by McEntegart. He argues that, whilst security still remained a top priority, the king also had theological reasons for discussing with the Schmalkaldic League, exemplified by his considerations, at least on aspects of the Augsburg confession, in order to assist in creating uniformity in the Church. Furthermore he reveals the great plays of Cromwell’s faction in this period against the conservatives in order to further his heretical cause. This in turn led to Henry more closely seeking relations with the Schmalkalden as well as withdrawing from mainstream European politics. Security was secondary to honour, partially due to honour producing a security in its own right, at least in the eyes of Henry, but crucially due to the great focus that was still placed on the role of a chivalric and Godly