Information about Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor

Charles V (Also Charles I of Spain)
Holy Roman Emperor; King of Castile, Aragon, Naples and Sicily, others
Reign	King of Aragon and Castile Holy Roman Emperor King of Naples Sovereign of the Netherlands Count of Flanders Duke of Brabant Duke of Milan Duke of Luxembourg Duke of Burgundy
Coronation	1516
Born	24 February 1500
	Ghent in Flanders
Died	September 21 1558 (aged 58)
	Yuste, Spain
Buried	El Escorial
Predecessor	Joanna of Castile (Castile) Ferdinand II (Aragon & Naples) Maximilian I (Holy Roman Empire) Philip of Burgundy (Netherlands)
Successor	Philip II of Spain (Spain, Naples & Netherlands) Ferdinand I (Holy Roman Empire)
Consort	Isabella of Portugal
Issue	Philip II of Spain Maria of Spain Joan of Spain
Royal House	House of Habsburg
Father	Philip of Burgundy
Mother	Joanna of Castile

Charles V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1519 to his abdication in 1556. He also ruled as Charles I of Spain from 1516 to 1556. As the heir of four of Europe's leading royal houses, he united in personal union extensive realms including the Holy Roman Empire, Aragon, Castile, Naples, Sicily, the Burgundian Netherlands, and Spanish colonies in America. Upon his retirement, he divided his realms between his son Philip and his brother Ferdinand.

He was the son of Philip of Burgundy and Joanna the Mad of Castile. His paternal grandparents were Emperor Maximilian I and Mary of Burgundy, whose daughter Margarete of Austria raised him. His maternal grandparents were Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile, whose marriage had first united their territories into what is now modern Spain, and whose daughter Catherine of Aragon was Queen of England and first wife of Henry VIII. His cousin was Mary I of England who married his son Philip.

Heritage and early life

Combining the heritage of the German Habsburgs, the House of Burgundy, and the Spanish heritage of his mother, Charles transcended ethnic and national boundaries. His motto was Plus Ultra, Further Beyond.

Charles was born in the Flemish city of Ghent in 1500. The culture and courtly life of the Burgundian Low Countries were an important influence in his early life. He spoke five different languages: Flemish, German, Spanish, French, and Italian. He spoke French as mother language and Flemish from his childhood years, later adding an acceptable Spanish (which was required by the Castilian Cortes as a condition for becoming king of Castile) and some German. ^[1] Indeed, he claimed to speak "Spanish to God, Italian to women, French to men, and German to my horse."

From his Burgundian ancestors, he inherited an ambiguous relationship with the Kings of France. Charles shared with France his mother tongue (together with Flemish) and many cultural forms. In his youth, he made frequent visits to Paris, then the largest city of Western Europe. In his words: "Paris is not a city, but a universe" (Lutetia non urbs, sed orbis). But Charles also inherited the tradition of political and dynastical enmity between the Royal and the Burgundian lines of the Valois Dynasty. This conflict was amplified by his accession to both the Holy Roman Empire and the kingdom of Spain.

Though Spain was the core of his kingdom, he was never totally assimilated and especially in his earlier years felt like and was viewed as a foreign prince. He could not speak Spanish very well, as it was not his primary language. Nonetheless, he spent most of his life in Spain, including his final years in a Spanish monastery.

In his youth, Charles was tutored by Adrian of Utrecht, later Pope Adrian VI. His three most prominent subsequent advisors were Lord Chièvres, Jean Sauvage and Mercurino Gattinara.

Marriage and children

Spanish Royalty
Habsburg Spain>House of Habsburg

Charles I Children    Philip II of Spain    Maria, Holy Roman Empress    Juana, Crown Princess of Portugal    Infante Juan (natural son)    Margarita, Duchess of Parma (natural daughter) Philip II Children include    Charles, Prince of Asturias    Isabella, Archduchess of Austria    Catalina, Duchess of Savoy    Philip III of Spain Philip III Children include    Anne, Queen of France    Philip IV of Spain    Maria Ana, Holy Roman Empress    Infante Carlos    Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand Philip IV Children include    Balthasar Charles, Prince of Asturias    Maria Theresa, Queen of France    Margarita, Holy Roman Empress    Charles II of Spain Charles II

On 10 March, 1526, Charles married his first cousin Isabella of Portugal, sister of John III of Portugal.

Their children included:

• Philip II of Spain (1527 - 1598), the only son to reach adulthood.
• Maria of Spain (1528 - 1603), who married her cousin Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor.
• Joan of Spain (1535 - 1573)

Charles is also famous for his many mistresses. Two of them gave birth to two future Governors of the Habsburg Netherlands:

• Johanna Maria van der Gheynst bore Margaret of Parma and
• Barbara Blomberg bore John of Austria.

Reign

Burgundy and the Low Countries

In 1506, Charles inherited his father's Burgundian territories, most notably the Low Countries and Franche-Comté, most of which were fiefs of the German empire, except his birthplace Flanders that was -on paper- still a French fief, a last remnant of what had been a powerful player in the hundred years war. As he was a minor, his aunt Margaret acted as regent until 1515 and soon she soon found herself in war with the regent of the king of France over the question whether Charles would have to do homage to the French king for Flanders as his father had done. The outcome was that France relinquished its ancient but empty claim on Flanders in 1528.

Charles extended the Burgundian territory with the annexation of Tournai, Artois, Utrecht, Groningen and Guelders. The Seventeen Provinces had been unified by Charles' Burgundian ancestors, but nominally were fiefs of either France or the Holy Roman Empire. In 1549, Charles issued a Pragmatic Sanction, declaring the Low Countries to be a unified entity of which his family would be the heirs.^[1]

The Low Countries held an important place in the Empire. For Charles V personally, they were the region where he spent his childhood. Because of trade and industry and the rich cities, they were also important for the treasury.

Spain

With the death of his grandfather Ferdinand II on May 30 1516, Charles inherited his grandfather's realm, which included Aragon, Naples, Sicily and Sardinia. He also became joint ruler of Castile with, and guardian of, his insane mother Joanna. With the Castilian crown he also gained Navarre, Granada, and the Spanish possessions in the New World.

For the first time the crowns of Castile and Aragon were united in one person. Ferdinand and Isabella had each been sovereign in one kingdom, but only consort in the other.

Charles arrived in his new kingdoms in autumn of 1517. His regent Jiménez de Cisneros came to meet him, but fell ill along the way, not without a suspicion of poison, and died before meeting the King.^[2]

Negotiations with the Castilian Cortes proved difficult, and in the end Charles was accepted under the following conditions: he would learn to speak Castilian; he would not appoint foreigners; he was prohibited from taking precious metals from Castile; and he would respect the rights of his mother, Queen Joanna. The Cortes paid homage to him in Valladolid in 1518. In 1519, he was crowned before the Cortes of Aragon in Zaragoza, and the Corts of Catalonia followed.

Charles was accepted as sovereign, even though the Spanish felt uneasy with the Imperial style. Spanish monarchs until then had been bound by the laws; the monarchy was a contract with the people. With Charles it would become more absolute, even though until his mother's death in 1555 Charles did not hold the full kingship of the country.

Soon resistance against the Emperor rose, because of the heavy taxation (funds that were used to fight wars abroad, wars most Castilians had no interest in) and because Charles tended to select Flemings for high offices in Spain and America, ignoring Castilian candidates. The resistance culminated in the Castilian War of the Communities, which was suppressed by Charles. After this, Castile became integrated into the Habsburg empire, and would provide the bulk of the empire's military and financial resources...

Silver 4 real coin of Carlos V, struck ca. 1542-1555
Obverse: CAROLVS ET IOHANA, REGES (Charles and Johanna, Monarchs). Depicts the crest of Castile and León. The strike date was determined by the Assayer L.	Reverse: HISPANIARVM ET INDIARVM (Of the Spains [Spanish kingdoms] and the Indies." Depicts the Strait of Gibraltar between the Pillars of Hercules. Center Latin motto is PLVS VLTRA, or "Further Beyond."

America

During Charles' reign, the territories in New Spain were considerably extended by conquistadores like Hernán Cortés and Francisco Pizarro, who caused the Aztec and Inca empires to fall in little more than a decade. Combined with the Magellan expedition's circumnavigation of the globe in 1522, these successes convinced Charles of his divine mission to become the leader of a Christian world that still perceived a significant threat from Islam. Of course, the conquests also helped solidify Charles' rule by providing the state treasury with enormous amounts of bullion. As the conquistador Bernal Diaz observed: "We came to serve God and our Majesty, ... and also to get rich." ^[1] In 1550, Charles convened a conference at Valladolid in order to consider the morality of the force used against the indigenous populations of Spanish America.

Holy Roman Empire

After the death of his paternal grandfather, Maximilian, in 1519, he inherited the Habsburg lands in Austria. He was also the natural candidate to succeed of the electors, but with the help of the wealthy Fugger family Charles could oust Francis and was elected on June 28, 1519. In 1530, he was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Clement VII in Bologna, the last Emperor to receive a papal coronation.

Charles was Holy Roman Emperor over the German states, but his real power was limited by the princes. Protestantism gained a lot of support in Germany, and Charles was determined not to let this happen in the Netherlands. An inquisition was established as early as 1522. In 1550, the death penalty was introduced for all heresy. Political dissent was also firmly controlled, most notably in his place of birth, where Charles personally suppressed the Revolt of Ghent in 1539.^[1]

Wars against France

Much of Charles's reign was taken up with wars with France, which found itself encircled by Charles's empire and still maintained ambitions in Italy. The first war with Charles's great nemesis Francis I of France began in 1521. Charles allied with England and Pope Leo X against the French and the Venetians, and was highly successful, driving the French out of Milan and defeating and capturing Francis at the Battle of Pavia in 1525. To gain his freedom, the French king was forced to cede Burgundy to Charles in the humiliating Treaty of Madrid (1526).

When he was released, however, Francis had the Parlement of Paris denounce the treaty because it had been signed under duress. France then joined the League of Cognac that the Pope had formed with Henry VIII of England, the Venetians, the Florentines, and the Milanese to resist imperial domination of Italy. In the ensuing war, Charles's sack of Rome (1527) and virtual imprisonment of Pope Clement VII in 1527 prevented him from annulling the marriage of Henry VIII of England and Charles's aunt Catherine of Aragon, with important consequences. In other respects, the war was inconclusive. In the Treaty of Cambrai (1529), called the "Ladies' Peace" because it was negotiated between Charles's aunt and Francis's mother, Francis renounced his claims in Italy but retained control of Burgundy.

A third war erupted in 1535, when, following the death of the last Sforza Duke of Milan, Charles installed his own son, Philip, in the duchy, despite Francis's claims on it. This war too was inconclusive. Francis failed to conquer Milan, but succeeded in conquering most of the lands of Charles's ally the Duke of Savoy, including his capital, Turin. A truce at Nice in 1538 on the basis of uti possidetis ended the war, but lasted only a short time. War resumed in 1542, with Francis now allied with Ottoman Sultan Suleiman I and Charles once again allied with Henry VIII. Despite the conquest of Nice by a Franco-Ottoman fleet, the French remained unable to advance into Milan, while a joint Anglo-Imperial invasion of northern France, led by Charles himself, won some successes but was ultimately abandoned, leading to another peace and restoration of the status quo ante in 1544.

A final war erupted with Francis's son and successor, Henry II, in 1551. This war saw early successes by Henry in Lorraine, where he captured Metz, but continued failure of French offensives in Italy. Charles abdicated midway through this conflict, leaving further conduct of the war to his son, Philip II and his brother, Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor.

Wars against the Ottoman Empire

Charles fought continually with the Ottoman Empire and its sultan, Suleiman the Magnificent, for a number of years. The expeditions of the Ottoman force along the Mediterranean coast posed a threat to Habsburg lands and Christian monopolies on trade in the Mediterranean. In Central Europe, the Turkish advance was halted at Vienna in 1529. In 1535 Charles won an important victory at Tunis, but in 1536 Francis I of France allied himself with Suleiman against Charles. While Francis was persuaded to sign a peace treaty in 1538, he again allied himself with the Ottomans in 1542. In 1543 Charles allied himself with Henry VIII and forced Francis to sign the Truce of Crepy-en-Laonnois. Charles later signed a humiliating treaty with the Ottomans, to gain him some respite from the huge expenses of their war, although it wasn't over. However, the Protestant powers in the Holy Roman Empire Diet often voted against money for his Turkish wars, as many Protestants saw the Muslim advance as a counterweight to the Catholic powers. The great Hungarian defeat at the 1526 Battle of Mohács "sent a wave of terror over Europe".^[3]

Humanism and Reformation

As Holy Roman Emperor, he called Martin Luther to the Diet of Worms in 1521, promising him safe conduct if he would appear. He initially dismissed Luther's idea of reformation as "An argument between monks". He later outlawed Luther and his followers in that same year but was tied up with other concerns and unable to try to stamp out Protestantism.

1524 to 1526 saw the Peasants' Revolt in Germany and in 1531 the formation of the Lutheran Schmalkaldic League. Charles delegated increasing responsibility for Germany to his brother Ferdinand while he concentrated on problems abroad.

In 1545, the opening of the Council of Trent began the Counter-Reformation, and Charles won to the Catholic cause some of the princes of the Holy Roman Empire. He also attacked the Schmalkaldic League in 1546 and at the Battle of Mühlberg defeated John Frederick, Elector of Saxony and imprisoned Philip of Hesse in 1547. At the Augsburg Interim in 1548 he created a doctrinal compromise that he felt Catholics and Protestants alike might share. A more permanent settlement followed with the 1555 Peace of Augsburg.

Abdication and later life

In 1556, Charles abdicated his various titles, giving his Spanish empire (Spain, the Netherlands, Naples and Spain's possessions in the Americas) to his son, Philip II of Spain. He passed his dynastic Austrian lands and the Holy Roman Empire to his brother, Ferdinand. Charles retired to the monastery of Yuste in Extremadura, but continued to correspond widely and kept an interest in the situation of the empire. He suffered from severe gout and some scholars think Charles V decided to abdicate after a gout attack in 1552 forced him to postpone an attempt to recapture the city of Metz, where he was later defeated.^[4].

Charles died on 21 September, 1558. Twenty-six years later, his remains were transferred to the Royal Pantheon of The Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial.

Charles V in literature and popular culture

There are few figures about whom as many traces have survived half a millennium, in both literature and living minds. Those traces comprise a large number of legends and folk tales that can often be attributed to phantasy, as well as the literary renderings of historical events connected to Charles' life and romantic adventures, his relationship to Flanders, and his abdication.^[5]

• In De heerelycke ende vrolycke daeden van Keyser Carel den V, published by Joan de Grieck in 1674, the short stories, anecdotes, citations attributed to the emperor, and legends about his encounters with famous and ordinary people, depict a noble Christian monarch with a perfect cosmopolitan personality and a strong sense of humour. Converesely, in Charles De Coster's masterpiece Thyl Ulenspiegel (1867), Charles V is after his death consigned to Hell as punishment for the acts of the Inquisition under his rule, his punishment being that he would feel the pain of anyone tortured by the Inquisition. De Coster's book also mentions the story on the spectacles in the coat of arms of Oudenaarde, the one about a paysant of Berchem in Het geuzenboek (1979) by Louis Paul Boon, while Abraham Hans (1882–1939) included both tales in De liefdesavonturen van keizer Karel in Vlaanderen.
• Lord Byron's Ode to Napoleon Buonaparte refers to Charles:

The Spaniard, when the lust of sway
Had lost its quickening spell,
Cast crowns for rosaries away,
An empire for a cell;
A strict accountant of his beads,
A subtle disputant on creeds,
His dotage trifled well:
Yet better had he neither known
A bigot’s shrine, nor despot’s throne.

• Ernst Krenek's opera Karl V (opus 73, 1930) examines the title character's career via flashbacks.
• In the third act of Giuseppe Verdi's opera Ernani, the coronation of Charles as Holy Roman Emperor is presented. Charles (Don Carlo in the opera) prays before the tomb of Charlemagne. With the announcement that that he is elected as Carlo Quinto he declares an amnesty including the eponymous bandit Ernani who had followed him there to murder him as a rival for the love of the soprano. The opera, based on the Victor Hugo play, portrays Charles as a callous and cynical adventurer whose character is transformed by the election into a responsible and clement ruler.
• In The Maltese Falcon, the title object is said to have been an intended gift to Charles V.
• A well known Flemish legend about Charles being served a beer at the village of Olen, as well as the emperor's lifelong preference of beer above wine, led to the naming of several beer varieties in his honor. The Haacht Brewery of Boortmeerbeek produces Charles Quint, while the Het Anker Brewery at Mechelen produces Gouden Carolus.^[6]
  • In the episode of The Simpsons, Margical History Tour, Homer Simpson portrays Henry VIII who, wanting to end his marriage to Catherine of Aragon said "I can't cut off her head because her dad's the King of Spain. This is a reference to why the real Henry VIII couldn't behead his first wife. In real life, Catherine was the daughter of Ferdinand II of Aragon, not Charles V, the then King of Spain.
  • Gouden Carolus Grand Cru of the Emperor (Gouden Carolus Cuvee Van De Keizer) is a beer by Brouwerij Het Anker in Mechelen, Belgium. It is brewed once a year on Charles V's birthday.
  • In the 2003 film Luther, he is portrayed by Torben Liebrecht.

  Trivia

  • He suffered from an enlarged lower jaw, a deformity which got considerably worse in later Habsburg generations. He struggled to chew his food properly and consequently experienced bad indigestion for much of his life. As a result, he usually ate alone.^[7]
  • He suffered from joint pain, presumed to be gout, according to his 16th century doctors.^[8] In his retirement, he was carried around the monastery of St. Yuste in a sedan chair. A ramp was specially constructed to allow him easy access to his rooms.^[7]
  • He was afraid of mice and spiders.^[7]
  • He was greatly interested in clocks, instructing his servants to take them apart and reassemble them in his presence.^[7]
  • He passed his time fishing from his window on the first floor and enjoying the smell of incense drifting on the breeze from the abbey church.^[7]

  Ancestors

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  16. Ernest, Duke of Austria

  8. Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor

  17. Cymburgis of Masovia

  4. Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor

  18. Edward of Portugal

  9. Eleanor of Portugal

  19. Leonor of Aragon

  2. Philip I of Castile

  20. Philip III, Duke of Burgundy

  10. Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy

  21. Infanta Isabel, Duchess of Burgundy

  5. Mary of Burgundy

  22. Charles I, Duke of Bourbon

  11. Isabella of Bourbon

  23. Agnes of Burgundy

  1. Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor

  24. Ferdinand I of Aragon

  12. John II of Aragon

  25. Eleanor of Alburquerque

  6. Ferdinand II of Aragon

  26. Frederick Enríquez, Count of Melgar

  13. Juana Enriquez

  27. Merina de Cordova

  3. Joanna of Castile

  28. Henry III of Castile

  14. John II of Castile

  29. Katherine of Lancaster

  7. Isabella I of Castile

  30. Infante João, Lord of Reguengos

  15. Infanta Isabel of Portugal

  31. Isabella of Braganza

  
  
  

  Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor House of Habsburg Born: February 24 1500
  Preceded by Position created	King of Spain 1516-1556	Succeeded by Philip II
  Preceded by Philip the Handsome	Duke of Burgundy, Brabant, Limburg, Lothier and Luxembourg; Count of Artois, Burgundy, Flanders, Hainaut, Holland, Namur, Zeeland and Zutphen 1506–1555
  Preceded by Ferdinand II	King of Aragon, Majorca, Valencia, Navarre and Sardinia; Count of Barcelona 1516–1556
  	King of Naples and Sicily 1516–1554
  Preceded by Joanna	King of Castile and Leon 1516–1556 with Joanna (1516–1555)
  	Prince of Asturias 1504–1516
  Preceded by Wilhelm, Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg	Duke of Guelders 1543–1555
  Preceded by Maximilian I	Archduke of Austria; Duke of Styria, Carinthia and Carniola; Count of Tyrol 1519–1521	Succeeded by Ferdinand I[9]
  	King of the Romans 1519–1530
  	King of Germany 1519-1556
  	King of Italy 1530–1556
  	Holy Roman Emperor 1530–1556 (Emperor-elect since 1519, did not formally abdicate until 1558)[10]
  Titles in pretence
  Preceded by Ferdinand II	— TITULAR —  Byzantine Emperor with Joanna (1516-1556) 1516–1556 * Reason for succession failure * The Fall of Constantinople led to the Ottoman conquest of the Byzantine Empire	Succeeded by Philip II

  References

  1. ^ Kamen, Henry (2005). Spain, 1469–1714: a society of conflict, 3rd, Harlow, United Kingdom: Pearson Education. 0-582-78464-6.Harlow,%20United%20Kingdom&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pearsoned.co.uk"> 
  2. ^ Encyclopædia Britannica, 1911 edition.
  3. ^ Quoted from: Bryan W. Ball. A Great Expectation. Brill Publishers, 1975. ISBN 9004043152. Page 142.
  4. ^ "The Severe Gout of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V", from the The New England Journal of Medicine, 355:516–520 August 3 2006
  5. ^ Heymans, Frans (last update 2007-06-04). Keizer Karel in de literatuur (Dutch). Overzichten. Literair Gent, an initiative by the Municipal Public Library of Ghent and 'Gent Cultuurstad'. Retrieved on 2007-07-20.
  6. ^ Charles V (describing the tale of the "pot van Olen"). Global Beer Network, Santa Barbara, CA, U.S.A.. Retrieved on 2007-07-18.
  *

Wisselbieren (section 'Anker Bok'). Kafee 't BuitenBeentje, Tilburg, The Netherlands. Retrieved on 2007-07-18. “Keizer Karel, die te Mechelen opgevoed werd door zijn tante Margaretha van Oostenrijk, was vol waardering voor het Mechelse gerstenat. Toen hij na zijn troonsafstand in Spanje woonde, liet hij nog regelmatig Mechels bier naar Spanje vervoeren omdat "het bloed van de druiventros hem minder goed bekwam dan de dochter van de korenaar". (Emperor Charles, who was raised at Mechelen by his aunt Margarete of Austria, fully praised the Mechlinian barley-bree. While he lived in Spain after his abdication of the throne, he still had Mechlinian beer transported regularly to Spain because "the blood of the grape bunch became him not as well as the daughter of the corn ear".)
* Charles Quint Golden Blond. Haacht Brewery. Retrieved on 2007-07-18.
* Charles Quint Ruby Red. Haacht Brewery. Retrieved on 2007-07-18.
* Beers by Het Anker (click on the beer names). Brewery Het Anker. Retrieved on 2007-07-18. Also an alternative name
* Places to visit — Mechelen - Brussels - Ghent. Einscafé (magazine, newsletter). The EINS (European Information Network Services) organisation. Retrieved on 2007-07-18. “The procession was last seen in 1988 but this year it is being brought forward by exception to mark Charles V Year. Mechelse Ommegang : 29 August, 3 and 10 September 2000 in Mechelen (...) one of nine cultural cities of Europe in the year 2000. Brussels more than merits this title during Charles V year.
7. ^ Dr. Martyn Rady, University of London, lecture 2000.
8. ^ "Tests confirm old emperor's gout diagnosis." The Record. August 4, 2006, Nation.
9. ^ Ferdinand used the title of a King of Italy though he he was never crowned as such. He also was an uncrowned Emperor-elect.
10. ^ Charles did not formally abdicate until 1558.