How important was foreign support for Henry Tudor in explaining Richard III's defeat at Bosworth? Foreign support was instrumental in allowing Henry Tudor to defeat Richard at the Battle of Bosworth, had it not been for the support Henry gained from foreign sources, he would not have been able to invade England. Henry Tudor spent 14 years in exile in Brittany and France, with his chances of claiming the throne of England fading as Edward IV's second reign proved stable and his heir approached adulthood. However, after Richard's usurpation of his nephew's throne, Henry's court grew especially after Buckingham's revolt, but required the assistance of the French king (men and ships) before he could land in Wales and begin the march to Bosworth. When the French king learned of the alliance between Richard III and the Duke of Brittany, he decided to support Henry Tudor as he felt that they could unite against France, he also thought that the Duke of Brittany was too powerful and by helping Tudor he would weaken the Brittany. Charles VIII of France provided Henry with the means with which to invade and the nucleus of an army. When Henry Tudor was in France he did not know if he had any support upon his arrival, so the men given to him by the French king were extremely important as they were the ones who would help him defeat Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth. Clearly foreign support made the invasion possible, but this could not mean that the invasion would be an ultimate success. Philibert de Chandee, who led the French mercenaries entrusted to Henry, played a crucial role in Richard's defeat at Bosworth. Following Richard's reckless charge against Henry in the hope that he would be able to kill him in hand-to-hand combat, Chandee succeeds... mid-paper... The foreign support Henry received was instrumental in starting Henry Tudor's second attempt at invade England otherwise he would never have been able to land and raise troops and support from domestic sources. However, once in England, the support Henry gained from the Welsh and English nobles and barons meant that he was able to face Richard and defeat him at the Battle of Bosworth. While support is extremely important in explaining Richard's defeat, other factors such as Richard's mistakes, such as policies that drained the Treasury (e.g. the war against Scotland), are to blame. This particular mistake prevented Richard from being able to prevent Tudor from crossing the channel, and so it was left to the nobles who Richard believed to be loyal to resist the invasion, this belief also failed when Rhys ap Thomas joined Henry when he was promised the Lieutenancy . of Wales.