Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (24 February 1500 to 21 September 1558) reigned from 1519 until his abdication in 1556 and was one of the most powerful rulers in the history of the Habsburg dynasty. Through a series of dynastic inheritances from his Habsburg and Trastámara ancestors, Charles came to rule over several major kingdoms spanning much of Western and Central Europe by his teenage years. His possessions and titles included Archduke of Austria (1519-1521), King of Castile and Aragon (1516-1556), King of Naples (1516-1554), King of Sicily (1516-1556), and Duke of Burgundy (1506-1555), among many others. The reign of Charles V also coincided with the rapid expansion of the Spanish Empire in the Americas, which included the Spanish conquests of the Aztec and Inca civilizations.
More about: Charles V, Holy Roman EmperorDefinition
Timeline
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25 Sep 1506After the death of his father Philip the Handsome, Charles V, is proclaimed as the Lord of the Netherlands and Duke of Burgundy at the age of six.
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28 Jun 1519Charles V is elected Holy Roman Emperor following the death of his grandfather Maximilian I.
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17 Apr 1521Martin Luther's trial on charges of heresy begins at the Diet of Worms, Bishop's Palace, Worms, Germany, when he appears before the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. After being given time to answer the charges, Luther returned the next day, refusing to recant his theological stand, and was declared a heretic and outlaw through the Edict of Worms.
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1525Francis I of France is captured and held for ransom by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.
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May 1528Hernán Cortés returns to Spain and is honoured by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.
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22 Apr 1529The Treaty of Zaragoza (Saragossa) is signed between King John III of Portugal and Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor dividing regions discovered during the Age of Exploration between Portugal and Spain, even though these lands were already inhabited by people with an established culture.
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1530Augsburg Confession presented to Charles V at the Imperial Diet of Augsburg.
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1 May 1539Isabella of Portugal dies from fever. Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor spends the next two months in a monastery to mourn her death.
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1546 - 1547The Schmalkaldic War between Protestant German princes and the Catholic forces of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. Catholics win.
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25 Sep 1555The Peace of Augsburg is signed between Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and the Schmalkaldic League to end religious strife between Protestants and Catholics in the region by allowing rulers of states to choose whether to adhere to Lutheranism or Roman Catholicism. The treaty did not stipulate complete freedom of religion, however, and ultimately failed in its objective.
