A combination of foreign and domestic factors touched off by the break
from Rome left England less willing to go to war in the 1530s. For the
next three decades, and even beyond, the policy considerations of Tudor
monarchs corresponded more than ever to the emerging peace ethic that
had arisen out of late-medieval, humanist, and Protestant thought on the
problem of war. While fears over possible Catholic crusades against En-
gland were rampant, the government also understood the tentativeness of
the new religious settlement. Any excessive levies used to defend these
changes could potentially sow seeds of discord or, worse yet, social rebel-
lion. As the Amicable Grant debacle of 1525 demonstrated, the English
people were beginning to scrutinize justifications for war much more care-
fully. In addition, during these years, both nobility and crown were no-
ticeably affected by a loosening of traditional roles and responsibilities and
their replacement by more exacting obligations toward the common-
wealth. ^{1 1} The following discussion will examine the changes encountered byking and aristocracy and what effect these may have had on the under-
standing and prosecution of mid-Tudor military campaigns. It will then be
helpful to look at how the idea of commonweal was being transformed
and included in the more pragmatic notions of domestic and international
peace, as economic issues assumed greater importance. Finally, through an
examination of the mid-century wars and the thoughts of those who con-
ducted them, we can better grasp the role of peace ideas in determining
policy

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