CHARLES V. of Germany (Don Carlos 1. of Sprain) was born at Ghent in the year 1500. His father, the Archduke Philip of Austria, was the son of the emperor Maximilian I., and of Mary, the daughter of Charles the Bold, and heiress of the house of Burgundy. His mother was Joanna, the only child of Ferdinand. of Aragon and Isabella of Castile. By the death of Philip in 1500, Charles Inherited the Netherlands and Fraoche Comt6. lie was brought up in Flanders, under the oars of William de Croy, lord of Chiberes, whom his grand father Maximilian appointed to be his governor, with Adrian of Utrecht as his preceptor. [Anetax VI.] By the death of Ferdinand of Aragon, January 1516, Charles, than sixteen years of ago, inherited the crowns of Aragon and Castile, with their vast possessions in the New World, as well as the kingdoms of Naples and Sicily, and the island of Sardinia. After the death of his grandfather Maximilian in 1519, be was elected Emperor of Germany, his brother Ferdinand being entrusted with the administration of the hereditary dominions of the house of Austria.
Upon the death of Ferdinand of Spain, Joanna was acknowledged queen; but beiug in a state of imbecility, she was unable to exercise the sovereign power. Charles was therefore proclaimed king conjointly with his mother. Cardinal Ximenes, the celebrated minister of Ferdi nand, sent proasing iovitationa to Charles to repair to his Spanish kingdoms ; but Charles, young and Inexperienced, and surrounded by Flemish ministers and favourites who did not wish for his departure from Flanders, delayed more than a twelvemonth before he set out for Spain. At hut, in September 1517, he embarked with his Flemish court, and landed at Villa Vidor& in Asturias, where the Castilian nobility hastened to meet him. Ximenes also, old and infirm as be was, went to meet the young king; but he fell iii on the road, and died at Arend; after receiving a cold latter of dismissal from Charles. Diecoutent moon showed itself among the Castilians at the insolence and rapacity of the Flemish courtiers. William de Croy, his wife, his nephew, and Sauvage, whom Charles was imprudently induced to appoint Chancellor of Castile in place of Ximenes, and several other Flemish favourites, thought of nothing but amassing money in Spain and transmitting it to Flanders. Upon Charles assembling the Cortes of Castile at Valladolid, marks of a stubborn spirit soon discovered themselves among the members. At Zaragoza he was obliged to swear to maintain the nghta and liberties of the Aragonese before they would acknowledge him king. In Catalonia he likewise assembled the Cortes of that principality. While he was in this province he received the news of the emperor Masimilian's death, which happened in January 151e. A few mouths afterwards ho was himself elected to succeed his grandfather, and he hastened his preparations in order to leave Spain for Germany. Having appointed Adrain of Utrecht regent of Castile, Don Juan do Lanus viceroy of Aragon, and Don Diego de Ileteloni viceroy of Valencia, he sailed from Corufui In May 1520; landed at Dover on his way, where he had an interview with Henry VIII. awl Cardinal Woltoy, who showed him great attention ; and was crowned Emperor at Aix-la-Chapelle, 23rd of October 1521 Charles found Germany disturbed by Luther's incipient schism. At a diet held at 1Vorms in January 1521, Luther was summoned to appear, and Charles gave him a safe-conduct for his security. Luther came, refused to retract his opinions, and appealed to a general council. Ile wee however allowed to depart in safety, the majority of the diet, and Charles at their head, refusing to renew the disgraceful scenes of Constance. After his departure, an edict of outlawry was issued against him in the name of the emperor and by the authority of the Diet, For the sequel of this momentous controversy see LUTHER. While Charles was absent from Spaiu, the towns of Castile broke out into open insurrection. The nobles wore hurt at the influence and interference of the Flamiugs in the affairs of Spain, and especially at the appointment of Adrian of Utrecht, Charles's former preceptor, as head of the Regency, whose stern and rigid demeanour was not calculated to soothe the pride of the Castilian nobility. The higher clergy were likewise offended at the nomination of young William de Croy, the nephew of the Lord of Chievres, to the archbishopric of Toledo; and fearing that ecclesiastical benefices would be henceforth bestowed upon strangers, they joined the nobles and oummons, and excited the people to resistance by their sermons and writings. " it is certain," says a modern Spanish writer, "that if the procuradores or commoners in the Cortex and the towns of the Holy League had offered to maintain uualtered the temporal authority and privileges of the Church, most of the bishops would have sided with than." (A. do Arguelles,' Introduccion al Examen Ilistorico do Is Ileforma Coustitu cionaL) The procuradores or deputies of the towns showed a still more determined spirit. The remonstranees of the Cortes being
unheeded by the Regents, several of the towns openly revolted in 1520, and convoked a junta of their deputies. Padilla, a young nobleman of Toledo, placed himself at the head of the Communeros, as the party of the towns was called. They assembled troops, issued proclamations, and renounced all allegiance to the Regency, but appealed to Charles himself, to whom they sent a statement of their grievances, asking for Immediate redress, and the dismissal of obnoxious regents and minis ters. Padilla took possession of the person of Joanna, who was still styled in all pubiio acts Queen of Castile in conjunction with her son. Joanna had been for years insane ; but when Padilla and others spoke to her of the injustice which they had suffered, she seemed to have a lucid interval, and promised redress. She area received in state the deputies of the towns and the members of the junta, who kissed her hand and swore allegiance to bar ; but after the ceremony she relapsed into her usual melancholy absent mood, and they were unable to make her sign any paper. For some months the affairs of the Communeros seemed to prosper; they defeated the troops of the Regency at Tonle allies, and almost all the towns of Castile embraced their cause. But the Junta having showed a disposition to curtail the privileges of the mobility and clergy, among others the important one of being exempt from taxes, they lost the support of those two powerful bodies. The commons agitated the question of the former crown lands, of which many of the nobility had got possession in course of time, and pro posed that they should be re-annexed to the royal domains. The nobles now openly espoused the part of the crowu, and armed their vassals. They attacked the Communeros at Villareal, dcfeatod them, and took Padilla prisoner, who was immediately executed. Ills wife, Maria Pacheco, defended herself for a short time within Toledo, and at last contrived to escape into Portugal. Charles soon after came into Spain, and assumed the reins of government. He behaved with much indulgence, issued an amnesty for all past political offeuces, excepting only the leaders, whom however lie showed no eager/ma to seek after. The war which broke out about that• time between him and France soon engrossed all his attention, and he only assembled the Cortes of Castile to demand fresh supplies of money, till at last they refused in 1539, alleging the privilege of the nobility and clergy to be exempt from taxes. lie dismissed them, and from that time summoned neither the nobles nor clergy, but merely the deputies of the eighteen cities, who proved sufficiently manageable. Charles's armies were triumphant in Italy ; they drove the French from Lom bardy, took Genoa, and at last, iu February 1525, gained the great battle of Pavia, and made Francis L prisoner. Francis was takeu to Madrid, whence he was released, by a convention between him and Charles, in January 1526, but the war broke out afresh soon after. The pope and the Fioreutines, having taken alarm at the power of Charles V., joined the French. In 1527 the troops of Charles V., commanded by the Connetable of Bourbon, marched upon Rome, took and plundered it in a shameful manner, and made the pope prisoner. [C/Excer VII.) Meantime, Charles V. at Madrid was ordering prayers to be offered up in time churches for the deliverance of the pope, saying that he was obliged to make war against the temporal sovereign of Rome, but not upon the spiritual head of the church. Tho treaty of Cainbrai, in 1529, restored peace between Charles and Francis, who gave up all his claims to Italy and Flanders. lu June of the same year, Charles and Pope Clement were also reconciled ; and in March 1530 Charles was crowned by the pope at Bologna as emperor and king of Lombardy. Ile then united his troops to those of the pope splint the republic of Florence, which still held out ; and in August of the same year the Florentines were obliged to capitulate, and to receive for their prince Alexander de' Medici. [Cossto I. De MEDICI.] Charles after his coronation act out for Germany, whero the sequences of the religious schism became every day more threatening. At a groat diet, held at Augsburg in Juno 1530, the confession of faith of the Lutheran Church was solemuly premuted to him. Chivied adopted *temporising policy towards the Protestants of Germany. lie allowed them the free exercise of their religion, which in fact he could not refuse without entering into a war of extermination ; hut he referred ultimately the question to the general council, which he urged tho pope to convoke, but the council (that of Trent) did not take place till after Charles's death. Charles was not intolerant by dispo sition; his mind was of an inquisitive turn, and he showed at various times considerable indulgence towards the doctrines of the Protestants. After his death doubts even of his orthodoxy were entertained by the Spanish Iuquisitioo, which imprisoned and examined some of his familiar attendants.