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Emperor Charles V

Emperor Charles V was one of the most important ruling personalities in European history. The lottery of birth placed Charles at the center of a genealogical network that covered half Europe. His father, Philip, was Duke of Burgundy. His grandfather was Emperor Maximilian of Austria. His mother, Joanna, was daughter of Isabella and Ferdinand, Spain's Catholic monarchs. The reign of Charles V coincides with the beginning of the Modern Age and is marked by the Renaissance, by the spread of printed material, the discovery of the Americas, and by the Reformation started by Martin Luther.

Through his mother, he would inherit Spain and the bloodstained kingdom of Naples as well. Charles, archduke of Austria and King of Spain becomes Emperor Charles V, the most powerful ruler in Europe. As the King of Spain, Naples and Sicily, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, ruler of Flanders, the Netherlands and large areas of Central and South America, the sun virtually never set on Charles empire. For the first time, Europe became the center of a world empire. However, Charles failed to achieve unity across the whole continent.

Charles V greatness was not entirely of his own making. It was largely the creation of his grandfather, the Emperor Maximilian I (1459รป1519). At first, Charles was a puppet in the hands of his ministers and advisors. Slowly, he began to assert himself and take control. From the very outset of his reign, he was faced by the situation created by Martin Luther's agitations in Germany against the Catholic Church.

The Emperor had one reason for siding with the reformers in the opposition of the Pope to his election. But he had been brought up in Spain, that most Catholic of countries, and he decided against Luther. So, he came into conflict with the Protestant princes in Germany. He found himself in the presence of an opening rift that was to split Christendom into two camps. His attempts to close that rift were stren...

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Emperor Charles V. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 12:44, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1693364.html