CHARLES V, Holy Roman Emperor, and King of Spain (in the latter capacity he is called Charles I): b. Ghent, 24 Feb. 1500; d. Yuste, Spain, 21 Sept. 1558. He was educated in the Netherlands under the care of William of Croy, lord of Chievres, who taught him history, formed him for affairs of state and from whom he acquired that gravity of manner which he retained through life. After the death of Ferdinand of Spain, his grandfather, in 1516, Charles assumed the title of king of Spain. The management of this kingdom was entrusted to the celebrated Cardinal Ximenes. In 1519 Charles, on the death of Maximilian, was elected emperor. He left Spain to take possession of his new dignity, for which he had to contend with Francis I, King of France. His coronation took place at Aix-la-Chapelle with extraordinary splendor. The progress of the Reformation in Germany demanded the care of the new emperor, who held a Diet at Worms. Luther, who appeared at this Diet with a safe conduct from Charles, defended his cause with energy and boldness. The Em peror kept silent; but after Luther's departure a severe edict appeared against him in his name who thought it his interest to declare himself the defender of the Roman Catholic Church.
In a very few years the power of Charles became a source of uneasiness to most other princes of Europe. Pope Clement VII placed himself at the head of a league of the principal of Italy against the emperor, but their ill-directed efforts were productive of new mis fortunes. Rome was taken by storm by the troops of the Constable of Bourbon, sacked, and the Pope himself made prisoner. Charles publicly disavowed the proceedings of the Cons table, went into mourning with his court and carried his hypocrisy so far as to order prayers for the deliverance of the Pope. Henry VIII of England now allied himself with the French monarch against Charles, who accused Francis of having broken his word. The war was terminated in 1529 by the Treaty of Cambray, of which the conditions were favorable to the Emperor. Charles soon after left Spain, and was crowned in Bologna as king of Lombardy and Roman emperor. In 1530 he seemed desir ous, at the Diet of Augsburg, to reconcile the various parties; but not succeeding, issued a decree against the Protestants, which they met by the Schmalkaldic League. Notwith•tanding
his undertakings in favor of the Roman Cath olic religion, Charles always practised modera tion toward the Protestants whenever his inter est left room for toleration. Nor did the Prot estant princes hesitate to furnish their contin gents when he was assembling an army against the Turks. Having compelled Solyman to re treat, he undertook in 1535 an expedition against Tunis, reinstated the Dey, and released 20,000 Christian slaves. This success added to his character something of the chivalric, which gave him still more influence in Christ endom, and promoted his political projects.
The policy of Charles was to reconcile the two great religious parties, and with this end in view he alternately threatened and courted the Protestants. After some show of negotiation the Protestant princes raised the standard of war. The Emperor declared, in 1546, the heads of the league under the ban of the empire, excited divisions among the confederates, col lected an army in haste, and obtained several advantages over his enemies. John Frederick, the Elector of Saxony, was taken prisoner in the battle of Miihlberg in 1547. Charles re ceived him sternly, and gave him over tp a court-martial consisting of Italians and Span iards, under the presidency of Alva, which con demned him to death. The Elector saved his life only by renouncing his electorate and his hereditary estates, but remained a prisoner. Meanwhile the Emperor appeared somewhat more moderately inclined toward the van quished party. On coming to Wittenberg he expressed surprise that the exercise of the Lutheran worship had been discontinued. On visiting the grave of Luther he said, 'I do not war with the dead; let him rest in peace; he is already before his Judge?) The Land grave of Hesse-Cassel, one of the leaders of the Protestants, was compelled to sue for mercy. Notwithstanding his promise Charles deprived him of his freedom. After having dissolved the League of Schmalkalden the Em peror again occupied himself with the plan of uniting all religious parties, and for this pur pose issued the Interim, which was as fruitless as the measures proposed by him at the Diet of Augsburg.