Charles V

Reign: 1519 – 1556
Life: 1500–1558

In the Americas, he oversaw the continuation of Spanish colonisation and a short-lived German colonisation. The personal union of the European and American territories he ruled was the first collection of realms labelled "the empire on which the sun never sets". Charles was born in Flanders to Habsburg Archduke Philip the Handsome, son of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor and Mary of Burgundy, and Joanna of Castile, younger child of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon, the Catholic Monarchs of Spain. In 1516, he became King of Spain as co-monarch of Castile and Aragon with his mother.

During Charles V's reign, Suleiman the Magnificent ruled Ottoman Empire, Henry VIII of England ruled England, and Charles V ruled Spain.

Want to learn more? Further reading

Emperor: A New Life of Charles V by Geoffrey Parker

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The World During Their Reign

The most notable rulers who held power elsewhere at the same time, from European courts to Ottoman, Mughal, and Chinese thrones.

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From the library

Go deeper on Charles V

Hand-picked histories and biographies for readers who want more than the timeline: the same era, told in full.

Emperor: A New Life of Charles V

Geoffrey Parker

Parker's definitive biography of the ruler who held Spain, the Low Countries, and the Empire.

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Imperial Spain, 1469–1716
J. H. Elliott
Elliott's classic survey, essential background for Charles V's Spanish inheritance.
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