To be written like an LEQ
Case Study; Charles V - Holy Roman Emperor
Reading: For this case study you are to analyze Chapter 13 The Reformation and German Politics (Pgs. 368 - 371) and review the sources provided below. You are expected to be able to answer the guiding question in full depth with specific historical evidence and supporting details.
Case Study; Charles V - Holy Roman Emperor
Reading: For this case study you are to analyze Chapter 13 The Reformation and German Politics (Pgs. 368 - 371) and review the sources provided below. You are expected to be able to answer the guiding question in full depth with specific historical evidence and supporting details.
Charles V was ruler of both the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and the Spanish Empire (as Charles I of Spain) from 1516, as well as of the lands of the former Duchy of Burgundy from 1506. He stepped down from these and other positions by a series of abdications between 1554 and 1556. Through inheritance, he brought together under his rule extensive territories in western, central, and southern Europe, and the Spanish viceroyalties in the Americas and Asia. As a result, his domains spanned nearly 1.5 million square miles, and were the first to be described as "the empire on which the sun never sets".
|
"I speak Spanish to God, Italian to women, French to men and German to my horse."
~ Charles V |
Charles was the heir of three of Europe's leading dynasties: Valois of Burgundy, Habsburg of Austria, and Trastámara of Spain. As heir of the House of Burgundy, he inherited areas in the Netherlands and around the eastern border of France. As a Habsburg, he inherited Austria and other lands in central Europe, and was also elected to succeed his grandfather, Maximilian I, as Holy Roman Emperor. As a grandson of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, from the Spanish House of Trastámara he inherited the Crown of Castile, which was developing a nascent empire in the Americas and Asia, and the Crown of Aragon, which included a Mediterranean empire extending to southern Italy. Charles was the first king to rule Castile and Aragon simultaneously in his own right (as a unified Spain), and as a result he is often referred to as the first king of Spain. The personal union under Charles of the Holy Roman Empire with the Spanish Empire was the closest Europe has come to a universal monarchy since the time of Charlemagne in the 9th century.
Because of widespread fears that his vast inheritance would lead to the realization of a universal monarchy and that he was trying to create a European hegemony, Charles was the object of hostility from many enemies. His reign was dominated by war, particularly by three major simultaneous conflicts: the Italian Wars with France, the struggle to halt the Turkish advance into Europe, and the conflict with the German princes resulting from the Protestant Reformation. The French wars, mainly fought in Italy, lasted for most of his reign. Enormously expensive, they led to the development of the first modern professional army in Europe, the Tercios.
Because of widespread fears that his vast inheritance would lead to the realization of a universal monarchy and that he was trying to create a European hegemony, Charles was the object of hostility from many enemies. His reign was dominated by war, particularly by three major simultaneous conflicts: the Italian Wars with France, the struggle to halt the Turkish advance into Europe, and the conflict with the German princes resulting from the Protestant Reformation. The French wars, mainly fought in Italy, lasted for most of his reign. Enormously expensive, they led to the development of the first modern professional army in Europe, the Tercios.
Guiding Question - Skill: Contextualization
|
Charles V Success in Governing the Empire
Arguably, Charles V could be considered as successful in governing the Empire, as he attempted to improve and centralize government within each part of his Empire. As Charles had to reduce hostility to his government and gain acceptance for his new taxes, a number of reforms were adopted, including the replacement of unpopular of corrupt officials. The Cortes was also allowed to partnership with the Crown and in return for taxes, it was responsible for handling revenue. A partnership was also affected with the nobility. They were rewarded by being confirmed in their social position and privileges, form the government of Spain. The price of this exclusion was that the nobility was allowed to govern the countryside with very little interference. Peace was brought to Castile but at considerable cost, with severe limitations on central policy and on the Crown’s ability to make changes. However, with a compliant Cortes, Charles could afford a standing army and was less dependent on the power of the nobles. Finally, although Charles continued with the conciliar system of government, he did extend its role to new areas. For instance, the Council of State, created in 1522 dealt with the affairs of both Spain and the Holy Roman Empire. Charles was also able to maintain personal control and historian J.J. Elliot notes that Charles was ‘”an old style ruler who liked to lead his army to battle and to govern his subjects personally”. |
Charles V Failures in Governing the Empire
He failed in his attempts to centralize government in Germany, as there were no long-term effects as a result of his actions. Throughout Charles' reign there was a need for central direction and coordination of policies, although it could also be argued that the Spanish Empire had no institutions in common and no imperial bureaucracy. Any attempt at reform of the administration had to take account of the privileges of each territory and also the prolonged absence of the Emperor. Finally, it could be put forward that Charles found it difficult to impose his authority as a territorial ruler. Historian N.M. Sutherland stated that vision and failure were inextricably interwoven form the start and it was no disgrace when Charles realized this and abandoned the struggle to men whose responsibilities were less and whose vision was narrower. |
Success as Defender of the Faith and Religious Unity
Charles was also able to withstand the Turkish menace, and although Lutheranism had to be accepted as permanent, German Catholicism was saved at a crucial moment and revived in the later part of the century. Charles was also successful in maintaining Catholicism in the Americas, the Netherlands and Spain, which was to become the most dominant force in Europe. In these places, heresy was withheld and it could be argued that religion was not a complete failure. Also, the opening of the Council of Trent in 1545 suggested that at last Pope and Emperor would join forces to renew the Church. In the great biography by Karl Brandi, the foundation of modern studies of Charles V, attention is focused on Charles in northern Europe, where his setbacks were greatest. He might be thought of as more of a success if he is viewed as a Mediterranean monarch rather than a world emperor. |
Failure as Defender of the Faith and Religious Unity
When considering Charles’s aim as Defender of the Faith to restore Catholic faith, Charles failed. He had to confront the problem of the Ottoman Turks and also accept a division in the Empire. Charles also needed the support of German princes and it was politically expedient for many princes to adopt Lutheranism. This meant that without their support, Charles could do little. The crucial middle years of the 1520s were devoted to settling Spain and by the time Charles turned his full attention back to the Empire, the Lutherans had established themselves too firmly to be dealt with easily. The Schmalkaldic League grew in power throughout the 1530s and established contacts with France, England and Denmark. Charles was more concerned with relations with France and the Turks and as a result, his policy in Germany throughout the 1530s consisted of periodic denunciations of heresy combined with toleration in practice while a solution was left to the General Council he repeatedly pressed upon the Pope. This absence of direction meant that the Protestants were able to make steady gains. By 1545 all of north-east and north-west Germany was Protestant as well as large parts of the south and Frederick of Palatinate became a Protestant. The General Council at Trent which first met in 1545 was a disappointment for Charles because it was not seeking a compromise solution to the Protestant problem but a restatement of Catholic faith in opposition to Protestantism. Charles attempted to solve the German problem himself in the Augsburg interim but the Pope saw it as an attack on his own position and rights while for the Protestants it was a wholly inadequate addressing on the depth of their religious convictions. In conclusion, this double failure by Charles to resolve the political and religious problems of the empire made him consider the future in a new light. The victory at Muhlberg had only been possible with the help of money and troops from the Netherlands and Spain. Any future emperor deprived of these resources would find governing the Empire even more impossible than Charles himself. Such reasoning then led Charles to question the position of his brother Ferdinand, and in doing so, to split the Hapsburg family down the middle. |
Success in Foreign Policy
Charles’ foreign policy could be considered a success the Battle of Pavia in 1525 proved a success for Charles during the Habsburg-Valois Wars where Francis I was captured. Charles’ claim to Naples was successfully defended and Charles also successfully led an expedition to recapture Tunis from the Barbarossa and this reduced the Turkish threat. Finally, he was able to assert his territorial and dynastic rights. Navarre, Flanders, Artois, Tournai, and Cambrai were consolidated within the Habsburg Empire. In conclusion, war was always a central feature of his reign and his resources would always be stretched in attempting to deal with the Turkish threat and threats posed by other enemies such as the French and the Lutherans |
Failure in Foreign Policy
Charles real failure as a ruler lay not in the inability to achieve his ideals, which were unrealisable, but in the legacy he left to his successors. Warfare was an almost constant backdrop to the reign, distorted the economies of Spain and the Netherlands and in the latter caused serious unrest. It could be argued that only small territorial changes occurred during the Hapsburg Valois wars, and both sides suffered heavy losses and financial problems, and this contributed to Philip’s bankruptcy in 1557. Charles was also unable to gain a long-term peace agreement with France and arguably, had failed to destroy the Turkish threat. Finally, the attack on Algiers in 1541 was considered to be a disaster for Charles V. In Germany, the imperial title was preserved but only with the failure to gain real power and the effective fragmentation of the Empire. |
Success in Hapsburg Family Ambitions
When considering the success of the Habsburg family ambitions, it must be understood that the family was the basis of power and government. Charles was head of the Hapsburg family and maintained the traditions of governing the land as a family orientated business, including marriages that would help to expand the Hapsburg influence in Europe. The marriage between Philip and Mary Queen of England was considered a very valuable agreement, which linked England with Spain and the Netherlands. |
Failures in Hapsburg Family Ambitions
It may be considered that a failure resulted in the fact that Philip and Mary failed to have a son and heir who would have ruled Spain, England and the Netherlands. It could be argued, therefore that this son may have prevented problems in the Netherlands and England becoming a Protestant country. During this period, whenever foreign policy and family interests conflicted, the priority always lay in family interests. |