England and Europe in the Sixteenth Century (British History in Perspective)

This thematic survey of English foreign policy in the sixteenth century focuses on the influence of the concept of honor, security concerns, religious ideology and commercial interests on the making of policy. It draws attention to aspects of continuity with the late-medieval past but argues as well that the European Reformation brought new challenges which forced a rethinking of policy. Far from treating the sixteenth century as the period when England began its rise as a great power, the author emphasizes the structural weaknesses of the English armed forces and demonstrates that dangers and insecurities did more to shape foreign policy than the energy and confidence of the Tudor rulers.