Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor

Charles V married his first cousin Isabella of Portugal, sister of John III of Portugal on 10 March 1526. The marriage was primarily a political arrangement, with Isabella bringing Charles a hefty dowry. The couple went on a long honeymoon and quickly fell deeply in love with each other.

Isabella proved to be a loving wife and a devoted mother in addition to being an astute politician as well. Theirs was a very happy marriage. The couple had six children, though only three survived to adulthood: Philip II of Spain, Maria, and Joanna. Unfortunately, Isabella died in childbirth in 1539, from complications resulting from having borne a stillborn baby.

The emperor was shattered following the death of his beloved wife and grieved her loss for the rest of his life. He never remarried.

Charles V was born on 24 February 1500 in Ghent, Flanders, Habsburg Netherlands, as the eldest son of Philip the Handsome and Joanna of Castile. His paternal grandparents were the Holy Roman emperor Maximilian I and Mary, duchess of Burgundy, while his maternal grandparents were the Roman Catholic king and queen of Spain, Ferdinand II and Isabella I.

As a result of his rich royal legacy, he was the heir of three leading dynasties in Europe: the Houses of Valois-Burgundy (Netherlands), Habsburg (Holy Roman Empire), and Trastámara (Spain).

As the crown prince, he was raised with utmost care and was tutored by the able scholars William de Croÿ and Adrian of Utrecht. He learned to speak several languages, including French and Dutch. He also had a decent command over Castilian Spanish and German.

Charles V was just six years old when his father died. Thus he inherited his father's Burgundian territories in 1506. These territories included the Low Countries and Franche-Comté and most of the holdings were fiefs of the German Kingdom (part of the Holy Roman Empire).

Since he was a minor at that time, his father’s sister, Margaret of Austria was appointed as regent until 1515 by Emperor Maximilian. His inheritance of the territories led to several conflicts which his aunt dealt with deftly.

In 1515, Pier Gerlofs Donia and Wijard Jelckama led the rebellion of Frisian peasants against Charles V. Though initially successful, the rebels were later overpowered and eventually defeated. The last remaining leaders of the rebellion were executed in 1523.

Meanwhile, his maternal grandfather Ferdinand II had died in February 1516. According to his will, Charles, along with his mother, was to govern in Aragon and Castile. Ferdinand’s most trusted advisor, Francisco, Cardinal Jiménez de Cisneros, who was the archbishop of Toledo, was to direct the administration in Castile.

Since Charles’ mother suffered from a serious illness that rendered her incapable of ruling the territories, the young Charles was proclaimed king in Brussels as Charles I of Aragon and Castile on March 14, 1516.

Charles V had been involved in numerous conflicts with France, one of the major ones being the Italian War of 1521–26. Francis I of France and Charles V had a personal rivalry as both had been candidates for election as Holy Roman Emperor. Their enmity intensified once Charles V was made the Holy Roman Emperor.

In 1521, Charles V took Milan from the French and returned it to Francesco Sforza, the Duke of Milan, the following year. In 1525, Francis led his army into Lombardy, only to face a humiliating defeat following which he was imprisoned. Eventually Francis had to sign the Treaty of Madrid in January 1526, thereby surrendering his claims to Italy, Flanders, and Burgundy to secure his release.

The Ottoman–Habsburg wars had already started brewing by the time Charles V became the Holy Roman Emperor. By the 16th century, the Ottomans had become a serious threat to Charles’ powers. Threatened by the Ottomans’ growing influence, Charles V led a massive Holy League against the Ottoman city of Tunis.

The battles continued for a few years during which many soldiers in the 60,000-strong Holy League army lost their lives to wounds and disease. Finally in 1538, the Ottomans defeated the Holy League at the Battle of Preveza.

A deeply devout Roman Catholic, Charles V vehemently opposed the spread of Protestantism. Instead, he called for reformation within the Roman Catholic Church and also attempted to find a modus vivendi with the Protestants. This brought him in conflict with the Protestant Princes who allied with Henry II of France to fight against Charles. He was ultimately forced to concede the Peace of Augsburg of 1555.