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Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
King of the Romans;
King of Italy
Reign 28 June 1519 – 14 March 1556
Coronation 26 October 1520, Aachen (german royal), 22 February 1530, Bologne (italian royal), 24 February 1530, Bologne (imperial)
Predecessor Maximilian I
Successor Ferdinand I
Reign 1516–1556
Predecessor Joanna
Successor Philip II
Reign 1506–1556
Coronation 1 May 1506
Predecessor Philip the Handsome
Successor Philip II of Spain
Spouse Isabella of Portugal
Issue
Philip II of Spain
Maria of Spain
Joan of Spain
John of Austria (illegitimate)
Margaret of Parma (illegitimate)
House House of Habsburg
Father Philip I of Castile
Mother Joanna of Castile
Born 24 February 1500
Ghent, Flanders
Died 21 September 1558 (aged 58)
Yuste, Spain
Burial El Escorial
Charles V (Spanish: Carlos I or Carlos V, German: Karl V., Dutch: Karel V, French: Charles Quint, 24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I of Spain, of the Spanish realms from 1506 until his abdication in 1556. On the eve of his death in 1556, his realm, which has been described as one in which the sun never sets, spanned almost 4 million square kilometers.
As the heir of three of Europe's leading dynasties – the Habsburgs of the Archduchy of Austria, the Valois of the Duchy of Burgundy and the Trastamara of the Crown of Castile and the Crown of Aragon – he ruled over extensive domains in Central, Western, and Southern Europe, as well as the various Castilian (Spanish) colonies in the Americas.
He was the son of King Philip I of Castile (Philip the Handsome) and Queen Joanna of Castile (Joanna the Mad). His maternal grandparents were King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile, whose daughter Catherine of Aragon was Queen of England and first wife of Henry VIII. Henry's daughter was Mary I of England, who married Charles's son Philip. His paternal grandparents were the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I and Duchess Mary of Burgundy, whose daughter Margaret raised him.
As the first king to reign in his own right over both Castile and Aragon following the end of the Reconquista, he is often considered as the first King of Spain. Charles I of Spain provided five ships to Ferdinand Magellan and his navigator Juan Sebastian Elcano, after the Portuguese captain was repeatedly turned down by Manuel I of Portugal. The commercial success of the voyage (first circumnavigation of the Earth), temporarily enriched Charles by the sale of its cargo of cloves and laid the foundation for the Pacific oceanic empire of Spain.
Charles' reign constitutes the pinnacle of Habsburg power, when all the family's far flung holdings were united in one hand. After his reign, the realms were split between his descendants, who received the Spanish possession and the Netherlands, and those of his younger brother, who received Austria, Bohemia and Hungary.
Aside from this, Charles is best known for his role in opposing the Protestant Reformation[1] and the convocation of the Council of Trent.
Heritage and early life
Combining the old heritages 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, and it became the national motto of Spain.
Charles was born in the Flemish city of Ghent in 1500 along with sister Cara Clase IX. The culture and courtly life of the Burgundian Low Countries were an important influence in his early life. He spoke five languages: French, Dutch, later adding an acceptable Spanish (which was required by the Castilian Cortes as a condition for becoming king of Castile) and some German and Italian.
From his Burgundian ancestors, he inherited an ambiguous relationship with the Kings of France. Charles shared with France his mother tongue 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 possessions, he was never totally assimilated and especially in his earlier years felt as if he were 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.
Marriage and children
On 10 March 1526, Charles married his first cousin Isabella of Portugal, sister of John III of Portugal, in Seville.
Their children included:
- Philip II of Spain (1527 - 1598), the only son to reach adulthood.
- Maria of Spain (1528 - 1603), who married her first cousin Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor.
- Joan of Spain (1535 - 1573), who married her first cousin Infante John of Portugal, who was the heir of Portugal.
Charles also had several mistresses (all courted before or after his marriage to Isabella). Two of them gave birth to two future Governors of the Habsburg Netherlands:
- Johanna Maria van der Gheynst, a servant of Charles I de Lalaing, Seigneur de Montigny, daughter of Gilles Johann van der Gheynst and wife Johanna van der Caye van Cocambi, bore Margaret of Parma
- 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 of Flanders that was 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 found herself at war with France over the question of Charles' requirement to pay homage to the French king for Flanders, as his father had done. The outcome was that France relinquished its ancient claim on Flanders in 1528.
From 1515 to 1523, Charles' government in the Netherlands also had to contend with the rebellion of Frisian peasants (led by Pier Gerlofs Donia and Wijard Jelckama). The rebels were initially successful but after series of defeats, the remaining leaders were captured and decapitated in 1523.
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.[2]
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
In the Castilian Cortes of Valladolid of 1506, and of Madrid of 1510 he was sworn as prince of Asturias, heir of his mother the queen Joanna.[3]. On the other hand, in 1502, the Aragonese Cortes gathered in Saragossa, pledged an oath to his mother Joanna as heiress, but the Archbishop of Saragossa expressed firmly that this oath could not establish jurisprudence, that is to say, without modifying the right of the succession, but by virtue of a formal agreement between the Cortes and the King.[4][5] So, with the death of his grandfather, the king of Aragon Ferdinand II on 23 January 1516, his mother Joanna inherited the Crown of Aragon, which consisted of Aragon, Catalonia, Valencia, Naples, Sicily and Sardinia; while Charles became Governor General.[6] Nevertheless, the Flemings wished that Charles assume the royal title, and this was supported by his grandfather the emperor Maximilian I and the Pope Leo X, this way, after the celebration of Ferdinand II's obsequies on 14 March 1516, he was proclaimed as king of Castile and of Aragon jointly with his mother. Finally, when the Castilian regent Cardinal Jiménez de Cisneros accepted the fait accompli, he acceded to Charles's desire to be proclaimed king and he imposed his statement along the kingdom. Thus, the cities were recognizing Charles as king jointly with his mother.[7]