Emperor Charles V: 1500 - 1558

211 Pages·2001·4.609 MB·English

by  Wim Blockmans

Emperor Charles V
Publication of this book was generously assisted by a grant
towards the costs of translation made by the Prins Bernhard
Cultuurfonds
To Helli Koenigsberger, a great authority and a good friend
Emperor Charles V
1500-1558
WIM BLOCKMANS
Professor of History, University of Leiden, The Netherlands
Translated by Isola van den Hoven-Vardon
A member of the Hodder Headline Group
LONDON
Co-published in the USA by Oxford University Press Inc., New York
First published in Great Britain in 2002 by
Arnold, a member of the Hodder Headline Group,
338 Euston Road, London NW1 3BH
http://www.arnoldpublishers.com
Co-published in the United States of America by
Oxford University Press Inc.,
198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016
© 2002 Wim Blockmans
English translation © 2002 Arnold Publishers
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ISBN 0 340 72038 7 (hb)
ISBN 0 340 73110 9 (pb)
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Contents
Maps vii
Chronology ix
Genealogies xii
Justification 1
1 An imperium of forty years 3
Magnificent mourning 3
A difficult departure 8
The Habsburgs: a dynasty for Europe 13
The education of a Christian prince 19
Mission impossible? 22
2 A grand strategy? 25
Territories and dynasty 25
The Holy Roman Empire 30
Strategic options 34
Unforeseen circumstances 40
3 Honour, rights and land 47
A foreign king 47
The XVII Provinces 51
Italy: the key to world hegemony 57
France - again and again 64
1536-1537 68
1542-1544 72
1551-1553 74
Right, ambition and necessity 7 6
vi Contents
4 Protector of the Catholic Church 80
The great misunderstanding 80
Give and take 86
Authoritarian Reformation 92
The fiasco 97
Persecuting heretics 99
The soul of the Indian 106
Christendom divided 108
5 Charles’ political system 116
The absent prince 117
The emperor’s family 120
Servants of the emperor 125
The network 133
6 The cost of the Empire 139
Objectives 139
The tragedy of a viceroy 140
Strategy, resources, choices 147
Money, money and money again 154
Discussion and repression 160
7 The image in balance 169
The creation of a classical hero 169
Personality and fate 176
Selective bibliography 185
Index of proper names 188
Map 1: Habsburg lands in Europe
Map 2: Habsburg Low Countries (1543)
Chronology
1496 20 October Marriage of Philip (the Handsome) of
Habsburg to Joanna of Castile; his sister,
Margaret, marries Crown Prince John of
Castile in the spring of 1497.
1500 24 February Charles is born at Ghent.
1515 5 January Prince of the Low Countries.
1516 23 January Death of King Ferdinand of Aragon, at which
Charles claims the title of King of Spain.
1517 September Arrival in Spain.
1518 February Cortes of Castile at Valladolid.
1519 28 June Elected as Roman King.
1520 23 October Crowned at Aachen as ‘elected emperor’.
1520-22 Revolts of the communeros and hermandades in
Spain.
1520 May Cortes of Castile at Santiago de Compostela;
journey to England, the Low Countries and
Germany.
1521 April/May Luther sentenced at the Diet of Worms.
1521-29 First war with France.
1521 November Conquest of Lombardy.
1522 9 January Adrian IV elected pope, dies on 14 September
1523.
1522 27 April French defeated by imperial army at La
Bicocca.
1522 July Charles returns to Spain (until July 1529).
1523 July Connétable Charles de Bourbon enters Charles’
service.
1523 November French defeat in Lombardy.
1524-26 Peasants’ War in Germany.
1524 26 October Francis I takes Milan.
1525 24 February Francis I taken prisoner at Battle of Pavia.
X Chronology
1526 16 JanuaryTreaty of Madrid; Francis I is released on 17
March.
1526 10 March Charles marries Isabella of Portugal.
1526 22 May League of Cognac between Francis I, Clement
VII, Sforza, Florence and Venice.
1527 Resumption of war; imperial troops plunder
Rome from 6 May.
1528 French invasion of Naples; siege of Naples
lifted in August; Genoa, with Andrea Doria,
chooses Charles; French autumn offensive
against Milan and Genoa is a failure.
1528 October Charles gains control over the bishopric of
Utrecht and Groningen.
1529 29 June Treaty of Barcelona between Charles and
Clement VII.
1529 July Charles travels to Italy.
1529 3 August Ladies’ Peace of Cambrai.
1529 Sept-Oct Turks lay siege to Vienna.
1529 Sept-Aug 1530 Siege of Florence.
1530 24 February Pope crowns Charles emperor at Bologna.
1530 June-Nov Diet of Augsburg.
1530 Nov-Dec Negotiations with Clement VII at Bologna.
1531 5 January Ferdinand is elected Roman King.
1531 Mary is regent in Low Countries. Charles stays
there a year and introduces government
reforms.
1531 27 February Formation of League of Schmalkalden.
1532 Diet of Regensburg.
1532 September Turkish invasion of Lower Austria; Charles in
Vienna.
1532 October-1533 Discussions with Clement VII at Bologna.
1533 April Return to Spain.
1535 June-August Expedition to Tunis.
1535-36 Triumphal journey through Italy.
1536-37 Second war with France; French occupy Savoy;
Charles invades Provence.
1538 17 June Truce between Paul III, Charles and Francis I.
1538 14 July Meeting between Charles and Francis I at
Aigues-Mortes.
1539 1 May Death of Empress Isabella.
1539 Nov-Dec Festive journey through France.