Why did Henry VIII spend so much time at war against France?

The Tudors – Foreign Policy, 1509-1603

In this course, Professor Susan Doran (University of Oxford) explores Tudor foreign policy through six key questions: (1) Why did Henry VIII spend so much time at war against France?; (2) Why was foreign policy so disastrous during the years 1547-58?; (3) How did the Reformation affect foreign policy?; (4) How and why did England’s relationship with France change under Elizabeth?; (5) Why did Elizabeth go to war against Spain?; and (6) Was Elizabeth’s foreign policy a ‘complete mess’?

Why did Henry VIII spend so much time at war against France?

In this module, we consider the question ‘Why did Henry VIII spend so much time at war against France?’, focusing in particular on: (i) the extent to which Henry was at war with France in this period; (ii) the idea of warfare as a matter of personal honour as well as political expedience; (iii) Henry’s claims to the ancestral lands of the Lancastrians, as well as to the French throne itself; (iv) Henry’s deep, personal rivalry with Francis I of France; and (v) the importance of Scotland and the Auld Alliance in Henry’s relationship with France.