Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V / Charles I of Spain
Holy Roman Emperor;
King of the Romans; King of Italy
Reign
1519–1556
Predecessor Maximilian I
Successor
Ferdinand I
King of Spain
Reign
1516–1556
Predecessor
Joanna
Successor
Philip II
Duke of Burgundy, Lord of the Netherlands
Reign
1506–1556
Predecessor
Philip the Handsome
Successor
Philip II of Spain
Spouse
Isabella of Portugal
Issue
Philip II of Spain
Maria of Spain
Joan of Spain
John of Austria (illegitimate)
Margaret of Parma (illegitimate)
House
House of Habsburg
Father
Philip I of Castile
Mother
Joanna of Castile
Born
24 February 1500
Ghent, Flanders
Died
21 September 1558 (aged 58)
Yuste, Spain
Burial
El Escorial
Charles V (24 February 1500 – 21 Septem-
ber 1558) was ruler of the Holy Roman Em-
pire from 1519 and, as Charles I of Spain,
of the Spanish realms from 1516 until his ab-
dication in 1556. On the eve of his death in
1558, his realm, which has been described as
one in which the sun never sets, spanned al-
most 4 million square kilometers.
As the heir of four of Europe’s leading
dynasties – the Habsburgs of Austria, the
Valois of Burgundy,
the Trastamara of
Castile, and the House of Aragon – he ruled
over extensive domains in Central, Western,
and Southern Europe, as well as the various
Castilian (Spanish) colonies in the Americas.
He was the son of Philip I of Castile (Philip
the Handsome) and Juana of Castile (Joan the
Mad of Castile). His maternal grandparents
were Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of
Castile, whose marriage had first united their
territories into what is now modern Spain,
and whose daughter Catherine of Aragon was
Queen of England and first wife of Henry
VIII. His cousin was Mary I of England, who
married his son Philip. His paternal grand-
parents were the Holy Roman Emperor Max-
imilian I and Mary of Burgundy, whose
daughter Margaret raised him.
As the first King to reign in his own right
over both Castile and Aragon he is often con-
sidered as the first King of Spain. Charles I of
From Wikipedia, the free enc