Charles V was born in 1500 and inherited large territories across Europe through succession, including the Netherlands, parts of France, Naples, Sicily, Spain, and the Holy Roman Empire. He faced threats both internal and external to his vast empire and was ruthless in opposing anything that challenged its stability, such as the Protestant Reformation. Through conquest and tributary systems with colonies, he was able to fund wars to further expand his empire and authority. In 1556, he divided his lands between his brother and son before entering a monastery, having established a powerful empire through prudent economic and military strategies during his reign.

1. Charles V: A Visual Resume

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

3. 1516:
My father
died, leaving me
in control of the
Netherlands, Lu
xembourg, as
well as some
territories in
Northern and
Eastern France.
Later that
year, my
grandfather
Ferdinand also
died, leaving me
Naples, Sicily, S
ardinia, 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

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

10. 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.

11. 1556: I divided my land between my
brother Ferdinand and my son Philip II.
After my voluntary resignation and
abdication, I entered a monastery.

12. 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.

13. 1526: I married my first cousin
Isabella of Portugal. We have
six children, including Philip II.

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