Amicable Grant - Causes

Causes

In 1525 Henry VIII of England wanted to mount an invasion of France (the Great Enterprise.) The King of France, Francis I, had been captured by Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor at the Battle of Pavia in 1525. He required additional funds of £800,000. In order to gain said money Wolsey resorted to a benevolence, the Amicable Grant. The English Parliament was at this time unlikely to support war, since it was proving to be expensive. Furthermore, Henry's previous French endeavors, which had occurred in 1522 and 1523, had proved less than successful.