England and Europe: The woollen trade was linked with the arrival of heretical texts, though an Island, England remained a significant, diplomatic and trading network. In terms of diplomacy, throughout his reign, Henry VIII continually claimed to be 'King of France', Henry and his nobility tried to recapture land in areas such as Calais, which had been lost in the 100 Years War. Calais did actually have 1 English MP in 1529, still seen by Henry as English land. In the first 10 years of his reign, Henry VIII squandered much of the money his father left him, trying to fund wars in Europe.
Henry VIII failed to get parliament to grant him taxes to invade again in the 1520s, and this motivated Henry VIII to try and get more secure streams of revenue in the 1530s. In 1125, Francis I and Charles V met in Pavia. They were a growing CATHOLIC threat against Henry as he tried to reform the church in England.
The state of the church in 1529: whilst there were increasingly claims of anticlericalism, the church was still very strong, with a good relationship with the monarch. The inter-dependence between King and Pope is shown in 1521 when Pope Leo X made Henry VIII 'Defender of the Faith'. This was in part due to Henry VIII speaking in defence of the papacy, against a quasi-Lutheran text that had begun to circulate in certain parts of England. It was also in response to Henry's defence of the 7 sacraments, this WAS a response to Luther.
The 7 Sacraments:
Baptism.
Eucharist.
Confirmation.
Reconciliation.
Anointing of the sick.
Marriage.
Holy orders.