In the previous article we introduced Maximilian I, the "Last Knight". The emperor used both marriage and war to lay a strong foundation for the Habsburgs.
Maximilian I, the "Last Knight" of the Habsburg Emperors
"The Last Knight" Maximilian I, German painter Dürer
Maximilian's son was called Philip the "Beautiful Man". He died early due to typhoid fever, and power passed on to his son Charlie.
Charlie's personality is shy, he does not like to learn knowledge, and on the surface there is no potential to become a great emperor. But he is both strict and self-disciplined, good at reflecting on and summarizing the mistakes he has made. This made Charles one of the most important rulers in European history.
At the age of seven, Charlie, the Habsburgs' characteristic big chin was not so obvious
Although Charles's grandfather Maximilian I was struggling to maintain his rule within the framework of the European Middle Ages, he grew the power of the family through successful marriages. But in 1519, the first year Charles ascended to the throne and began to rule the country, Magellan set sail for the first human voyage around the world; the legendary Cortés embarked on a journey to conquer Mexico. All of this marked the transition of European history from the Middle Ages to the modern era, and Charles was destined to play an important role in shaping modern history.
The Spanish conquistadors conquered the Aztec kingdom
In terms of personality, Charlie is both diligent and hard-working, a bit like the Yongzheng Emperor. From the age of ten, he began to participate in the Imperial Council. At the age of seventeen, due to the turmoil of Spanish succession, Charles set off from present-day Holland by boat to Spain to inherit the throne that belonged to him. Because the sea route became unsafe by storm, he had to land, cross the Pyrenees from southwestern France and trek to northern Spain. The road is deserted and sparsely populated, and there are many bandits. Charles traveled for more than two months without food and clothing, day and night, and it was difficult to ensure a safe trip to Valladolid, Spain, fortunately, he was in good health since he was a child, otherwise he might have died during this difficult journey.
Charlie, a young man in a military uniform
After arriving in Valladolid, he met his younger brother Ferdinand for the first time. Raised at the Spanish court, Ferdinand was the future duke of the Spanish nobility. Charlie explained his intentions to Ferdinand, who, for reasons of family interest, did not mind that Charles was about to become the new King of Spain. Charlie and Ferdinand had more than a year of brotherhood and happiness, but eventually Charlie realized that in order to take full control of Spain, he would have to send Ferdinand away. At the same time, Austria, as the base of the Habsburgs, also needs a trustworthy person to guard. Ferdinand was thus sent to Austria and became the new Grand Duke of Austria.
As an adult, Archduke Ferdinand of Austria
He ascended the throne as emperor
More than two years after inheriting the Spanish throne, grandfather Maximilian died at the Hofburg Palace in Innsbruck, Austria. Charles was only nineteen years old at the time, and Emperor Maximilian spent a great deal of money to bribe the Electors of the Empire to ensure that they voted for their grandson Charles to inherit the throne of the Holy Roman Empire. But when the old emperor died, several strong opponents appeared: King François I of France, King Henry VIII of England, King Sigismon of Poland, and King Lajos of Hungary. They were all interested in competing for the throne. One of the strongest opponents was François I.
Let's look at the Habsburg domain under Charlie. See the green land in the figure below:
Habsburg domain under Charlie
It can be seen that under Charlie's rule, the family territory can be roughly divided into four parts:
Austria, the Kingdom of Bohemia, where the Habsburgs founded their origins. Later in Charles's reign, Hungary was added
Spain and a large number of overseas colonies in North and South America, which were small treasuries of the empire
The Netherlands (present-day Netherlands, Belgium) had developed industry and commerce, had high revenues, but had very little loyalty, and had always pursued independence
The kingdoms of southern Italy and Sicily, inherited from the Kingdom of Aragon, were relatively poor and at the forefront of pirates in North Africa
King François of France was very uneasy about the growing power of the Habsburgs, and it can be said that France was besieged in all four directions, southeast, and northwest. So he wanted to stop and weaken the Habsburgs at all costs. After nearly a thousand years of development in the Middle Ages and a century-long war with Britain, France has become a relatively complete modern country, and François I has considerable control over the land, population and wealth under his rule. This was very different from the Holy Roman Empire, which still maintained a loose medieval feudal system. Thus, although François's territory was not as vast as Charles's, he could mobilize more wealth to bribe the electors. He even made it clear that no matter how much money Charles gave the elector, he was willing to offer a higher price.
The Pope at that time was Leo X from the Florentine Medici family, a famous patron of the arts, but with no respect for religion. Leo X's famous saying was "The highest bidder for the throne wins." It is conceivable that Charles's embarrassment, in the face of the competition of the King of France at any cost, he really cannot match it.
However, the final election had a dramatic result, François I paid so much money and still lost the election, mainly because of the germination of national consciousness within the German region, they hated François as an outsider to intervene in politics, and the story of the knighthood of the former Emperor Maximilian I gained excellent reputation in the folk, so the electors voted for Charles. Charles was officially crowned and became Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.
Portrait of Charles V by the famous Venetian painter Titian in Italy
Oil painting, coronation of Emperor Charles V
Several major challenges for the Empire
Charles, 21, officially ascended the throne as the new Holy Roman Emperor, known as Charles V. At this time, the Empire ushered in several great challenges
The expansion of the Ottoman Empire reached its climax, and the Islamic world ushered in the era of Suleiman the Great. The Ottoman Empire attacked Christendom from both land and sea: pirates based in Algiers, North Africa, and Tunisia continued to plunder and kidnap Christians along the Italian coast, and even southern France was affected, represented by Barbarossa Hayreddin in Algiers and Turgut after him. Suleiman the Great personally led a large army to first recover the forefront of Christendom, the island of Rhodes under the jurisdiction of the Knights Hospitaller, and then through the Balkan Peninsula into Hungary. Gradually even Austria became the forefront of the conflict.
Glorious game The Red Bearded Barbarossa HayReddin in the Age of Discovery
France came out after the trough of the Hundred Years' War between England and France, and was the first among the continental powers to awaken its national consciousness. Due to the many territorial disputes with the Habsburgs, France regarded the Habsburgs as their greatest rival.
Inside Germany, a priest named Martin Luther affixed a text on the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany, in 1517 called the Ninety-Five Theses or on the Meaning and Effects of Indulgences. The article shocked the entire Christian world and sparked a schism in Christianity. The flames of the Reformation spread throughout the world with the help of the newly invented typography, and in the days after Charles, these flames would be ignited into flames.
German priest Martin Luther, initiator of the European Reformation
A struggle with France
King François I of France fought several wars with Charles V over the territory of northern Italy and Burgundy. One of the most important battles, the Battle of Pavia, which took place in 1525, was the most important. Due to internal conflicts, the French commander, the Duke of Bourbon, defected to Charles V, and a fierce battle ensued with François I in the region of Pavia. The French army was defeated, and even the king was taken prisoner. In order to escape, the King signed an agreement promising to assign the disputed area to Charles V, who was released after eight months of captivity. But once free, the King immediately repented of refusing to recognize the agreement he had signed. The Vatican Also remembered the lessons of the historical struggle for imperial and clerical power, and feared that an overly powerful emperor would emerge in Europe, so it stood up and declared the agreement null and void.
Famous Italian painter Titian, equestrian statue of Charles V
Charles V was furious, believing that these secular affairs had no interference with religion, and sent the Duke of Bourbon to Rome to intimidate the Pope. Unfortunately, the Duke of Bourbon was killed by an arrow during the siege, and the army completely lost control, capturing Rome and plundering, and bringing shame to the Pope. Subsequent popes have had to be more careful when dealing with secular forces such as emperors and kings.
Weapons of the 16th century
War with the Ottoman Empire
The "legislator" Suleiman the Great was the greatest sultan in the history of the Ottoman Empire
France was only the strongest rival within Christendo, and when looking at the overall situation, Charles V's biggest rival was Suleiman the Great of the Ottoman Empire.
Suleiman the Great's canonized governor, Barbarossa HayReddin of Algiers, North Africa, commanded nearly a hundred pirate ships along the Mediterranean Sea to burn and loot. He even robbed Ostia, the outer port of the Papal States of Rome. Charles V's territory included southern Italy and the Kingdom of Sicily, so it was inevitable that he would have to fight these pirates. He carefully selected a Christian genius in water warfare, and Andrea Doria from Genoa's naval family fought with Barbarossa. At first, because the navies of Christendom were allied forces from different countries (including the Papal States, Venice, Amalfi, and other Italian city-states), they were often unable to reach a unified opinion and were often defeated. Charles V had to pay for a grand fleet that belonged only to Spain. But even this was often defeated, and it was not until many years later that the Battle of Lepanto was completely won.
In addition to naval warfare, Suleiman the Magnificent further expanded into Central Europe from land. King Lajos II of Hungary, who had been fighting the Ottoman Empire alone for a long time, married the Habsburgs in the hope of getting the help of the Holy Roman Empire. But Suleiman the Great personally led an army across the Balkans to attack Hungary. The bloody Battle of Mohac broke out, killing a large number of nobles on both sides, and even the Hungarian king was killed on the battlefield. The Habsburg Grand Duke Ferdinand of Austria (Charles V's younger brother sent home) took over Hungary, and the Kingdom of Hungary lost its independent status. There is a Hungarian saying that "whatever you lose, you will never lose more than you would lose in Mohaci" to encourage people to work hard to overcome difficulties.
The Ottoman Empire was well armed, and the Empire's Sipahi troops were known for their bows and machetes
The Battlefield of Mohaci was a nightmare for the Hungarian nation
Suleiman the Great also took a break after hungary's crushing victory. In 1529 he made a comeback with hundreds of thousands of troops and marched on Austria. Grand Duke Ferdinand of Austria led 20,000 troops to defend the city of Vienna. After months of fierce sieges, Suleiman the Magnificent was forced to withdraw due to logistical exhaustion. Known in history as the First Siege of Vienna.
Charles V with Martin Luther
In 1521, Charles V held a conference in Worms, which Martin Luther also attended. Charles V's attitude toward religion was not fanatical, and he also realized that the Roman Catholic Church was already deeply corrupt and in urgent need of reform. Pope Leo X, who claimed that "the one who bids for the throne, the one who gets the highest price," condones the corruption of the church and sells indulgences to make money.
Papa Leone X Pope Leo X
Charles V, who saw Martin Luther rush to Rome to speak for reform but was expelled from the Pope, sympathized with the rebel. He agreed that the best way to repent and confess his sins was not to buy indulgences, nor to confess to the confessor but to sincerely follow his conscience and practice asceticism in moderation. He was willing to call for a synod to discuss reform. But Charles V was also one of the highest authorities in Christendom, and he could not accept Martin Luther's public questioning of the nature of the Church and the authority of the Pope. To this end, he personally delivered a speech:
"I am the inheritor of the ancient Christian monarchy of this noble German nation, a noble descendant of the Catholic King of Spain, the Grand Duke of Austria, and the Duke of Burgundy. My ancestors were willing to die for the Birth and Death of the Roman Catholic Church, who swore to defend the Church to the death and to protect the glory of God.
I am determined to follow in their footsteps, the monk who single-handedly rebelled against the Christian world that has lasted for a thousand years, and will be wrong. Therefore, with my land, my friends, my body, my blood, my life, and my soul, I promise that I will fight with him to the end and defend the Church to the death. ”
The role of the Habsburgs in the history of the Reformation in Europe was thus defined as the defender of traditional Catholicism, and Martin Luther was convicted. But the Elector of Saxony, one of the great princes of the Empire, took Martin Luther away and kept him secretly. The Elector of Saxony had voted for the accession of Charles V to the throne, but in the face of religion, he resolutely chose Protestantism and drew a line with his monarch.
Statue of Emperor Charles V
King François I of France, in order to defeat the Habsburgs, even secretly sent emissaries to ally with the Ottoman Empire. This covenant with pagans against the guardians of the Catholic world has historically been called hereditary enmity.
Charles V was diligent in government throughout his life, but he caught up with a stormy era, and enemies kept coming out one by one. Throughout his life, he fought with the Ottomans in the Mediterranean and Hungary, with the French in Italy, and against his Protestant princes. The total area of the land he ruled overseas reached 30 million square kilometers, which was the size of three Chinas. Charles V once proudly said that "in my land, the sun will never set". However, the ethnicity, political system, and beliefs of the inhabitants of these lands are very different, and the mobilization power is extremely poor, and the strength cannot be used in one place. This made it impossible for Charles V, though he had many goals, to accomplish any of them.
The Emperor's army consisted of several nations and nationalities, and in this picture are Austrian, Spanish, and Venetian soldiers
As a diligent and hard-working emperor, Charles V's life was like playing gophers, and opponents rose and fell. He was never able to free his hand to gain the initiative in even one thing, but this was important for the history of modern Europe, because it was during the reign of Charles V that Martin Luther spread the ideas of the Reformation to thousands of households through the printing press, which had just come out, and made Protestantism stand firm. If Charles V had not had so many opponents, perhaps he could have concentrated his forces to suppress the fledgling Protestant forces and fail the Reformation.
Charles V's diligence was also reflected in the fact that he rarely stayed in a fixed place during his life, and he always paraded around a large territory to maintain his rule. But he eventually discovered that Christendom was disintegrating, which left him with a lot of stress and frustration. As an emperor, he was unable to complete the cause in his heart, and could only watch everything slide into the abyss. This sense of powerlessness led Charles V to voluntarily abdicate. He first passed on the Spanish throne and the land of the Netherlands to his son Philip, and then to his younger brother Ferdinand. In fact, since Charles V toured the various territories for many years, the German princes were no longer willing to accept this kind of leadership, so they demanded that Ferdinand take the throne. Charles V, tired of worldly affairs, turned to the pursuit of christian inner perfection.
Charles V's wife, Princess Isabella of Portugal, died prematurely at the age of 36, and Charles V never remarried, often wearing black mourning clothes
Portrait of Charles V in black
In his later years, the emperor lived alone in seclusion in a monastery in Spain, living a simple life. He was also concerned about the success or failure of his son Philip, and often wrote to his son to remind him of some things to pay attention to. But in short, the days as emperor are gone. In 1558, Charles V died.
Yuste Monastery, the place where Charles V lived in seclusion in his later years
In the next issue we will continue to tell the story of Philip II, the son of Emperor Charles. The Spanish Habsburgs reached their peak, and Philip II would use the wealth gained in the New World to build a so-called invincible Grand Fleet to try to conquer Queen Elizabeth of England.
Other notable members of the Habsburg family will be introduced in the future:
Counter-Reformation and The Thirty Years' War - Ferdinand II
Ottoman and French re-invasion - Leopold I
Who said that women were inferior to men, "grandmothers of Europe" - Maria Theresia
The dynasty ended and was powerless to return to heaven - Franz Joseph I
Interested friends can pay attention to the two or four libraries, talk about geography, talk about history, and tell the stories that have happened.