Editing Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (section)

==Inheritances==
[[File:Barend van Orley - Portrait of Charles V - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|A 1519 portrait of Charles V by [[Bernard van Orley]] with the insignia of the [[Order of the Golden Fleece]] prominently displayed]]
[[File:Jakob Seisenegger 001.jpg|thumb|''[[Portrait of Charles V with a Dog]]'', a 1532 portrait by [[Jakob Seisenegger]]]]

The Burgundian inheritance included the [[Habsburg Netherlands]], which consisted of a large number of the lordships that formed the [[Low Countries]] and covered modern-day [[Belgium]], [[Netherlands]] and [[Luxembourg]]. It excluded [[Burgundy]] proper, annexed by France in 1477, with the exception of [[County of Burgundy|Franche-Comté]]. At the death of Philip in 1506, Charles was recognized Lord of the Netherlands with the title of ''Charles II of Burgundy''. During his childhood and teen years, Charles lived in [[Mechelen]] together with his sisters [[Mary of Hungary (governor of the Netherlands)|Mary]], [[Eleanor of Austria|Eleanor]], and [[Isabella of Austria|Isabella]] at the court of his aunt [[Margaret of Austria, Duchess of Savoy]]. [[William de Croÿ]] (later prime minister) and Adrian of Utrecht (later [[Pope Adrian VI]]) served as his tutors. The culture and courtly life of the Low Countries played an important part in the development of Charles's beliefs. As a member of the Burgundian [[Order of the Golden Fleece]] in his infancy, and later its grandmaster, Charles was educated to the ideals of the medieval knights and the desire for Christian unity to fight the infidel.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Heath |first=Richard |title=Charles V: Duty and Dynasty – The Emperor and his Changing World 1500–1558 |year=2018 |isbn=978-1725852785 |page=23|publisher=CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform }}</ref> The Low Countries were very rich during his reign, both [[History of capitalism|economically]] and [[Flemish art|culturally]]. Charles was very attached to his homeland and spent a large part of his life in [[Brussels]] and various Flemish cities.

The Spanish inheritance, resulting from a [[dynastic union]] of the crowns of [[Crown of Castile|Castile]] and [[Crown of Aragon|Aragon]], included Spain as well as the Castilian possessions in the Americas (the [[Spanish West Indies]] and the [[Province of Tierra Firme]]) and the Aragonese kingdoms of [[Kingdom of Naples|Naples]], [[Kingdom of Sicily|Sicily]], and [[Kingdom of Sardinia (1324–1720)|Sardinia]]. Joanna inherited these territories in 1516 while confined, allegedly because she was mentally ill. Charles, therefore, claimed the crowns for himself ''[[jure matris]]'', thus becoming co-monarch with Joanna with the title of ''Charles I of Castile and Aragon'' or ''Charles I of Spain''. Castile and Aragon together formed the largest of Charles's personal possessions, and they also provided a great number of generals and ''[[tercios]]'' (the formidable Spanish infantry of the time), while Joanna remained confined in [[Tordesillas]] until her death. ''[[Plus Ultra]]'', the rendition from French into Latin of Charles's personal motto "Plus Oultre" (''Further Beyond''), later became the national motto of Spain and features on the country's flag as part of the Spanish coat of arms since the 18th century. However, at his accession to the Iberian thrones, Charles was viewed as a foreign prince.<ref name="History of Spain, Joseph Perez">History of Spain, Joseph Perez</ref>

Two rebellions, the [[Revolt of the Germanies]] and the [[Revolt of the Comuneros]], contested Charles's rule in the 1520s. Following these revolts, Charles placed Spanish counselors in a position of power and spent a significant part of his life in Castile, including his final years in a monastery. Indeed, his son and heir, later [[Philip II of Spain]], was born and raised in Castile. Nonetheless, many Spaniards believed that their resources (largely consisting of flows of silver from the Americas) were being used to sustain Imperial-Habsburg policies that were not in the country's interest.<ref name="History of Spain, Joseph Perez"/>

Charles inherited the [[Austrian hereditary lands]] in 1519, as ''Charles I of Austria'', and obtained the [[1519 Imperial election|election]] as [[Holy Roman Emperor]] against the candidacy of the French king. Since the Imperial election, he was known as ''Emperor Charles V'' even outside of Germany. The dynastic motto of the House of Habsburg used by Charles was ''[[A.E.I.O.U.]]'' ("Austria Est Imperare Orbi Universo" — "it is Austria's destiny to rule the world"; although its exact meaning remains disputed). Charles staunchly defended Catholicism as Lutheranism spread. Various German princes broke with him on religious grounds, fighting against him. Charles's presence in Germany was often marked by the organization of [[Imperial Diet (Holy Roman Empire)|imperial diet]]s to maintain religious and political unity.<ref name="Charles V, Pierre Chaunu">''Charles V'', Pierre Chaunu</ref><ref name="ReferenceB">''Germany in the Holy Roman Empire'', Whaley</ref>

He was frequently in Northern Italy, often taking part in complicated negotiations with the [[Pope]]s to address the rise of Protestantism. It is important to note, though, that the German Catholics supported the Emperor. Charles had a close relationship with important German families, like the [[House of Nassau]], many of which were represented at his imperial court. Many German princes, noblemen and generals led his military campaigns against France and the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]] or accompanied him in his travels, and the bulk of his army was generally composed of German troops, especially the Imperial [[Landsknechte]].<ref name="Charles V, Pierre Chaunu"/><ref name="ReferenceB"/>