Evaluate the importance of foreign influence and/or involvement in the outcome of two early modern wars.

Candidates will appraise the importance of foreign involvement in the outcome of two early modern wars chosen from the timeframe of the topic. The wars chosen do not need to have occurred at the same time and they may or may not come from different regions. Each war may be considered separately, or a thematic approach may be adopted. Foreign involvement may, for example, have come directly from sovereign powers, or been in the form of mercenary troops or diplomatic support. Candidates will ensure that evaluation of foreign involvement is linked to outcomes of the chosen wars. In some cases, foreign involvement may not have secured victory; in others, candidates may consider whether victory could have been achieved without it. In evaluating importance, candidates may compare the importance of other factors, which may be economic, geographical, tactical or strategic.