Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor

Charles V (Spanish: Carlos I, Dutch: Karel V, German: Karl V.) (24 February 1500–21 September 1558) is considered (the first) King of Spain though in fact was his son the first who used that title. He was king from 1516 to 1556 (in principle, he was from 1516 king of Aragon and from 1516 guardian of his insane mother, queen of Castile who died 1555, and the co-king of Castile 1516-55, full king 1555-56), and Holy Roman Emperor from 1519 to 1556. In Spain, he ruled officially as Charles I. Under the reighn of 1516 to 1556, Charles the 5th was the emperor of Spain, Austria, Italy and Germany, though he is referred to by the ordinal he used as Holy Roman Emperor more often. He was the son of Philip and Joanna of Castile. His maternal grandparents were Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. His paternal grandparents were Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor and Marie, Duchess of Burgundy.

Family and nationality

It's hard to say what nationality Charles really held. He was a Habsburg on his father's side, but he was not German. His mother tongue was French, that being the language of the aristocracy in the Low Countries (modern-day Benelux and the French région of Nord-Pas-de-Calais), where he grew up. In his youth, he made frequent visits to Paris, then the largest city of Western Europe, which he thoroughly enjoyed, like most aristocrats of his day. In his words: "Paris is not a city, but a universe" (Lutetia non urbs, sed orbis). He also famously said: "I speak Spanish to God, Italian to women, French to men and German to my horse." Though his first language was French, in which he was known as Charles Quint (Charles the Fifth), he was a lifelong enemy of the Kings of France. His mother was Spanish, and Spain was the core of his kingdom, but he himself was not Spanish. He probably felt more at home in the Low Countries where he had spent his youth. In Spain, he always felt a foreign prince, and he was never totally assimilated.

Related Topics:
Habsburg - French - Low Countries - Benelux - Région - Nord-Pas-de-Calais - Paris - Western Europe - Universe - Lutetia - Spanish - God - Italian - German - Horse - Kings of France

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