Henry VIII persue new foreign policies Essay Example

Henry VIII persue new foreign policies Paper When accessing how far Henry VIII pursued new foreign policies in the period 1509-1514, it is important to take into account the idea of change and continuity. Henry VII established some very strong and clear foreign policies, however Henry VIII wanted to very much distance himself from his fathers work and ethos. It is essential to look at the policies that Henry VIII changed and the reasons behind this, but also whether he kept any of his fathers strategies. It is vital to remember that many factors contributed to the characters of both Henry VII and Henry VIII. I will continuously focus on the theme of their childhood and upbringing, and how these factors may have contributed to their behaviour in adulthood, and how well they were prepared for the role of a king. Henry VII was perceived as a miserly character, whose enigmatic and distant nature caused him to be disliked by many. He was, however, very independent and was governed by none, which ensured that everything was overlooked by him. Similarities between Henry VIII and his father were that they were both good at networking and highly intelligent. On the other hand, Henry VIII enjoyed spending his money on the nobility and lavishing himself with a hedonistic lifestyle. In my opinion, this major difference stemmed from the fact that their upbringing was so different. Henry VII grew up and gained training as a king not only in a studious way, but he also had the chance to experience court politics and learn through gossip and observations. His mother was a great influence over him, and she fully supported her sons political interests. Henrys uncle, Jasper Tudor, was the only constant figure in his life, and always gave Henry stability, loyalty and a political role model. We will write a custom essay sample on Henry VIII persue new foreign policies specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Henry VIII persue new foreign policies specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Henry VIII persue new foreign policies specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Henry VII fought for the crown, against the Yorkist king Richard III, at the Battle of Bosworth. He had a fierce determination to become king, and become secure dynastically. Henry VIII on the other hand, was guarded against the exposure of having to take responsibility. His older brother Arthur was expected to be heir to the throne, and therefore Henry was untrained as king and left to enjoy his youth. I believe that this is very influential over the methods in which Henry VIII dealt with the decisions of a king, especially when concerning foreign policies. Henry VII believed that securing the throne was the most important contribution that he could make, as did Henry VIII. However the way in which they went about doing this differed. Henry VII always maintained a peace policy. He realised quite rightly that foreign relationships had to be secure, in order to decrease the chances of being attacked and overthrown. Henry VII used peace treaties to his advantage. He ensured that Britain became a nuisance to France, and so France was forced into having to sign the Treaty of Etaples, if they wanted to get rid of Henry and his army. This helped Henry greatly, as the treaty meant that war was avoided with one of Englands closest neighbours. Henry also signed the Treaty of Medina del Campo, which promoted peace between England and Spain. Henry was very much aware of the importance of these treaties, as they encouraged trade, protected pretenders and most importantly, improved the relations between foreign countries. Henry VII realised that a strong king coincided with the idea of a rich king, and so a peace policy meant a cutting down on the expenses of war. Henry VIII was opposed to his fathers idealistic view on foreign policy. Even though Henry VIII wanted to secure the throne to provide a reassuring and safe life for his heirs, he went about seeking to provide this in a different manner. He wanted glory. He wanted to be seen as the warrior king. I believe that this is where the influence of his childhood is most significant. Henry VIII was brought up with the idea that past family members, in particular Henry V, were extremely victorious in wars. This affected Henry so much, that not only did he want a parallel glory to Henry V, but he also commissioned a translation of a book about Henry Vs early life. Henry VIII was also made aware of the fact that it was only 80 years since Henry VI had been crowned king of France, which meant that according to him, he rightfully inherited the French crown. Unlike his fathers peace policy, Henry believed in a more traditional interventionist policy. Henry wanted prestige and military glory, which he gained when winning the battle of the spurs. This was very successful through Henrys eyes, as it was the first territorial gain in France for 75 years, and did much to heighten his popularity. Henry persued this idea of being militarily successful, but I do not believe he achieved this. Henry was in France whilst James IV was victorious at Flodden, which made Henrys gains become overshadowed by James IV victory in England. Even though this was a victory for England, it is questionable as to whether it was a victory for Henry. The treasury became bankrupt and to maintain territorial gains would result in great financial cost. However, Henry was mainly concerned about his reputation, and instead of being cautious with finance, spent his money lavishly. In fact, the war with France (1512-1524) cost i 892,000, a startlingly large amount during the Tudor period. This clearly shows how determined he was to persue a new foreign policy of military power a foreign policy that was completely set apart from his fathers. To ensure the throne was as protected as possible, Henry VII was very adamant that it would be arranged for his son, Prince Arthur, to marry the king of Spains daughter. Henrys eldest daughter, Margaret, married James IV of Scotland, which was intended to bring future peace between Scotland and England, both renowned for being traditional enemies. Henry himself also married Elizabeth of York, a woman who was a Yorkist. This enabled him to reduce the possibility of future Yorkist claims to the throne, which was significantly important after the War of Roses. Henry VIII was slightly more reckless with his heart. Even though he aimed to carry on his legacy, he had in total six wives. He viewed the point of marriage as being able to produce legitimate heirs to the throne, however unlike his father, he enjoyed courting and charming the women in his life. This could possibly be because not only did women constantly surround him, but also his bedroom was also next to his fathers and 100 servants. This undoubtedly allowed him to witness many things and possibly shape his strange outlook on women, as well as put his own interests first, above the idea of marrying for dynastic security. On the other hand, he did marry Catherine of Aragon (though this was his fathers idea) which he understood was necessary. I believe in this way he persued and maintained this element of foreign policy, and continued his fathers ideas on the importance of international relations through marriage. The nobility affected Henry VIIIs decisions towards foreign policy. They supported his policy of aggression, and were determined to go to war. Henry was generous with patronage, and gained the nobilitys support through a subtle form of bribery. The nobility welcomed this, as it was a large difference to the way that Henry VII treated them. Henry VII through the learned council was very harsh with bonds and recognaisances. He did not want the nobility becoming strengthened, and so held back with patronage. He used Empson and Dudley to collect taxes from the nobility. Henry VIII changed this policy by executing Empson and Dudley, the two men that worked so closely with his father. This gained a lot of respect with the nobility and clearly signified the fact that his way of ruling, and deciding upon policies was opposite to his father. Henry VIIIs need to persue new foreign policies, and in fact domestic policies, stem from the fact that he could see how unpopular his fathers way of ruling was. It is thought that Henry VII was hanging by a thread, and by the end of his rule was not at all secure. Henry VIII wanted to distance himself from this, and expectations were upon him to act differently to his father. He persued foreign polices that were dissimilar to Henry VIIs, and, apart from the idea of continuing and securing the Tudor dynasty through arranged marriages, every other policy was a contrast. I believe that this is due not only to society expectations at the time, but also Henry VIII had clear expectations for himself from an early age. Growing up in the shadow of his older brothers legacy may have been difficult for Henry, and so when he was given the power, he used it to the maximum, always with full determination, sometimes with naivety. As a child, he was constantly thinking of the past generations, and their glory and patriotism, and how they were respected and adored, usually due to their military connections. It is no surprise that Henry VIII persued the foreign policies that he did. Regardless of whether they were successful or not, he did everything in his power to follow his own path, and neglect his fathers legacy.

7 Questions to Answer in Your Business Pitch

7 Questions to Answer in Your Business Pitch At its core, a business pitch is a presentation given to an investor, inviting him or her to consider investing in your business idea. This can be done in several different ways - online and via e-mail, in-person, or through requests for pitches/proposals. With nontraditional methods employed by the influx of business incubators and accelerators in most major cities, the business pitch has replaced the business plan as a buzzword among start-ups. From the idea of an elevator pitch (which is basically your business pitch in the few minutes it takes to ride an elevator with someone), to the 30 to 50-page business plan, the business pitch falls somewhere in the middle as a way to attract investors and to convince them to fund your entrepreneurial idea.So, do I even need a business plan if I have a business pitch?So, do you even need a business plan at all? In her article in Forbes, Sabrina Parsons, CEO of Palo Alto Software, expresses concern over the assumption that a business plan is a thing of the past. While she admits that the days of 30 to 50-page business plans might be over, she points out that a true venture capitalist will want to see the numbers and details that a business plan provides.So, go ahead, pitch, she writes. Dont send a business plan to anyone. But you better have done your homework and have all the research somewhere so that when that Venture Capitalist asks you a pointed question about why your forecast is realistic, you can launch into an intelligent response that covers your market, the size, the competition, and your pricing, which will show that Venture Capitalist you actually do know what you are talking about, and could potentially implement this business.The lesson here is that you cant have a great business pitch without a great business plan to give it a backbone. But once thats the case, and youve done your research, here are seven questions you should be ready to answer during and after your business pitch presentation.Question 1 - What is the competitive landscape?Any business plan or business pitch needs to contain a solid picture of the competitive landscape surrounding the proposed business. Who are the competitors? What are their strengths? What are their weaknesses? What do they do that you plan to do better; or in other words, how do you plan to compete with them?Understanding the competition is a large part of running a successful business. In the same sense that when pitching a novel to a publisher, a novelist will need to know the sales statistics of other writers who have successfully published in their intended genre, and how he or she will be different from those writers - you need some numbers to run by your potential investors to show them the high odds of your business being a success. In the simplest of terms, you need to know and be able to clearly present what else is out there thats similar to what youre doing, and know details like what theyre charging and whats included. Not only wi ll this help you to potentially fill in gaps in service or product offerings that other businesses are providing, it will also help you to narrow down the revenue you can expect to make by looking at the revenue of similar businesses.Question 2 - Who is the market for what youre offering and how do you plan to reach them?The next information that needs to be a part of your business pitch is the market for what youre offering and how you plan to reach that market. This can include demographics of your intended clients or customers. Being as specific as you can be in delineating each possible demographic will assist later - after your business is up and running - in designing specific marketing campaigns on social media or elsewhere. Such campaigns are targeted as narrowly as possible when optimized to reach the best audiences, so knowing these details on the front-end of your business preparations will be valuable insight.Knowing your market will also help you to tailor your busin ess website content. If youre like most start-ups, your online presence is essential to what youre doing and a website (or social media) is required. Distinguishing your market will help your website reach the right audience and project the right brand image you are seeking to build.Question 3 - What will you sell/offer and how much will you sell/offer over the next 12 months? What about the next 5 years?This information should include details about the product or service you plan to offer in your entrepreneurial activities, as well as a forecasted volume of sales. These numbers should be based on solid research, with numbers reflecting current market trends and statistics. Whatever information you find thats relevant, document it and its source, keeping in mind to pull numbers only from valid, trustworthy sources.Your sales goals should also be divided into periods - for example, the first year of business operation and the first 5 years of business operation. The business plans that do this correctly can also project further than 5 years. This shows your investor that you are prepared for things like changes in the market, and have set realistic sales goals to help you to keep up with how your sales are doing despite such changes. Even if you arent completely sure of how the outlook of your sales will look within the next 5-year timeframe, planning for these long-term goals keeps you looking like youre on top of your game (even if you arent!).Having a forecast of your sales goals will work to your advantage in two ways. First, it will help you to set goals along the way - daily, monthly, or quarterly - and provide a well-researched reason behind the goals you set. Second, it will give venture capitalists a glimpse of the kind of revenue you plan to generate through your business, and essentially help them to get a bigger picture of whats in it for them if they choose to invest.Question 4 - What are your overhead and inventory costs over the same timefra mes?Everyone has heard the adage that you have to spend money to make money. The overhead and inventory cost calculations that should be a part of your business plan and business pitch involve this exact concept. Investors know that these are numbers that will affect the bottom line, so they cant be overlooked when planning your business, even as part of the pitch. You need to know what it will cost to run the business you plan to run, and how much money needs to be spent up front to reach the point where revenue can be made. Without these details, it will seem as if you havent planned your business from a practical standpoint, which is a red flag to potential investors.You need to know exactly what will be required to have in your inventory, as well as the overhead that will be required in the basic operation of your day-to-day business dealings. Will you need a printer? Put that on the list. What about ink for the printer (which is expensive!)? Put that on the overhead cost list, as well. If a potential investor looks at your overhead costs and notices that you havent determined these costs from a realistic vantage point, your entire business idea will start to not hold water.Question 5 - What is your timeline and your plan to implement this timeline?When hearing your business pitch, a potential investor will want to know about your timeline for the business, and your plan to implement that timeline. For example, youll need to estimate important start dates for expenses incurred in the process of conducting your business. When will your storefront be open, and what will it take to get to that point? Five months into your storefronts being open, what do you expect to see as far as sales and inventory costs?This timeline will sync with your long-term plans for cost and inventory, as well. Together, they will present an overall picture of how well you have planned out your business. In short, they will either make or break your business pitch!Question 6 - How will you use the money invested in your business?Venture capitalists are less likely to finance your business idea if they worry their money will be mismanaged. Because of this reality, most will want to see a detailed estimate of how the money that is invested will be used and accounted for. Within this analysis, they want to see that youve realistically planned for the business expenses that you will incur in the process of opening and running your business. They also want to make sure that youve included budgets for everything from assistants to paper to storefront costs if you are opening a brick-and-mortar store. Put simply, they want details about where the money is going and how it will be accounted for at all stages of the business enterprise - from planning, to execution, to managing for longevity.Question 7 - What can investors expect to receive in return for their investment?In addition to full disclosure of how their money will be spent in the day-to-day operations of a business, investors will, of course, want to know the return they can expect to receive for their investment. As the part of your business idea that is likely to be the most attractive facet to an investor, this ROI is the true selling point of the entire pitch. No investor will want to put money into something that will lose money for him or her, and this promise (or suggestion, rather) of a return on his or her investment is the part that must be solidly presented, with numbers to back it up. Investors also want to see that you have the business acumen to understand how to handle their investment wisely, and, hopefully, to not lose money in the process of trying to gain it. Once you have investors convinced that you know what youre doing - that youve run the numbers multiple times and are prepared for a myriad of potential problems - youll have their ear and their money.Final noteA business pitch and a business plan are likely to be looked over if they are full of grammar, sp elling, or punctuation errors. Dont forget to have a second pair of eyes look over all of your writing - both for the business plan and for the presentation materials that you might be putting on PowerPoint slides or other software. Even the best-organized business plans can look unprofessional with just a few small grammar errors, as investors will wonder why youve allowed something so important to you to be overshadowed by misspellings and mistakes. Put simply: If your business plan and business pitch are rock solid, be sure your grammar, spelling, and punctuation used to relate them are equally as solid.