Charles v

Charles V: A Visual Resume

I was born in the Flemish city of Ghent in 1500 to parents Joanna and Philip I of Castile.

1516:My father died, leaving me in control of the Netherlands, Luxembourg, as well as some territories in Northern and Eastern France. Later that year, my grandfather Ferdinand also died, leaving me Naples, Sicily, Sardinia, and Spanish colonies in the Americas.

1519:My other grandfather Maximilian died. He left me the Hapsburg lands in Germany and Austria. That year I officially became the Holy Roman Emperor as well as the Archduke of Austria.

To rule such a large empire, I needed to know how to maintain a stable economy – I did this through the colonies I inherited. I also needed to know how to spend the money wisely – if I spent too much money on territorial conquest, I would not have any left to unify the newly gained territory.

I learned to prioritize and make important decisions; if I felt that something threatened my empire’s stability, I was ruthless in vanquishing the threat, whether it be external or internal. For example, I opposed the Protestant reformation because it threatened the political stability of my empire.

I waged Italian wars against French kings Francis I and Henry II . The wars were expensive but very militarily successful due to my undefeated Spanish military unit and my employment of prime ministers Mercurino Gattinara and Francisco de los Cobos y Molina. I recaptured Milan and Franche-Comté.

I was able to establish a system of governance for new colonies, extracting economic tribute and labor from the indigenous people.

Under my reign, Spanish colonies produced more gold and silver, which helped fund the wars I waged. The more wars I waged, the more territory I gained, the more money I earned through tributary systems; this cycle increased my authority.

The Ottoman empire was a serious threat to mine, but I was able to resist them and I had success in the sieges of Vienna and Tunis.

I permitted a reasonable amount of religious freedom, but I still tried to prevent doctrines from spreading because it would lead to political turmoil. For this reason, in 1521, I summoned Luther to attend my assembly of German princes to recant his 95 Theses – when he refused to, I declared Luther an outlaw. I did this for the political and religious stability of my empire.

I am Catholic, but I allowed my princes to choose the religion they wanted to make official in their states.

I allowed the nobility more autonomy – in doing so, I gained their support and increased my own power. Since they depended on me for power, they would be less likely to rebel against me.

1556: I divided my land between my brother Ferdinand and my son Philip II. After my voluntary resignation and abdication, I entered a monastery.

Adrian of Utrecht was my teacher for most of my childhood and played an important role in my education – he later went on to become Pope Adrian VI. He taught me to be forgiving and compassionate.

1526: I married my first cousin Isabella of Portugal. We have six children, including Philip II.

Thank you for considering me. I am sure I am an effective, powerful, and benevolent king that would rule Westeros well.