In 1520 the towns of Castile revolted, leading Charles to put down the uprising by force. However, his Spanish subjects wanted him to focus on their problems rather than spending time and money crusading far from home. He hoped to drive Muslim invaders from Europe and crush the Protestant challenge to Catholicism. These combined titles placed Charles in control of an enormous European empire.Ĭharles saw himself as the leader of the Christian world. Despite opposition from the kings of France and England, Charles won election as emperor unanimously-due in part to large bribes to the electors. In 1519 Maximilian I died, and Charles saw the chance to add Holy Roman Emperor to his titles. When his grandfather Ferdinand of Aragon died ten years later, Charles also acquired the throne of Spain and the Spanish lands in Italy. One of his tutors later became Pope Adrian VI.Ĭharles inherited the Netherlands and other territories in Burgundy upon his father's death in 1506. The young prince grew up at the court in Brussels, then part of Burgundy, under the guidance of his aunt, Margaret of Austria.
His father died when Charles was six, and his mother suffered from mental illness. From his illustrious family, Charles inherited a large number of titles and lands-a legacy that would bring him both power and frustration during his reign.Ĭharles had little contact with his parents. His mother, Joanna of Castile, was the daughter of Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella. Charles's father was Archduke Philip I of Austria, son of Holy Roman Emperor* Maximilian I. He spent much of his reign trying to reform the Roman Catholic Church and fighting the two greatest threats to its power: Islam and Protestantism. Charles V 1500–1558 King of Spain and Holy Roman EmperorĬharles V became the most powerful monarch of his day, ruling over an empire that included what is now Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, parts of Italy and central Europe, and large areas in the Americas.
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