Emperor Charles V was one of the most important ruling
             personalities in European history. The lottery of birth placed Charles at
             the center of a genealogical network that covered half Europe. His
             father, Philip, was Duke of Burgundy. His grandfather was Emperor
             Maximilian of Austria. His mother, Joanna, was daughter of Isabella and
             Ferdinand, Spain's Catholic monarchs. The reign of Charles V coincides
             with the beginning of the Modern Age and is marked by the Renaissance, by
             the spread of printed material, the discovery of the Americas, and by the
             Reformation started by Martin Luther.
             Through his mother, he would inherit Spain and the bloodstained
             kingdom of Naples as well. Charles, archduke of Austria and King of Spain
             becomes Emperor Charles V, the most powerful ruler in Europe. As the King
             of Spain, Naples and Sicily, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, ruler of
             Flanders, the Netherlands and large areas of Central and South America, the
             sun virtually never set on Charles empire. For the first time, Europe
             became the center of a world empire. However, Charles failed to achieve
             Charles V greatness was not entirely of his own making. It was
             largely the creation of his grandfather, the Emperor Maximilian I
             (1459-1519). At first, Charles was a puppet in the hands of his
             ministers and advisors. Slowly, he began to assert himself and take
             control. From the very outset of his reign, he was faced by the situation
             created by Martin Luther's agitations in Germany against the Catholic
             The Emperor had one reason for siding with the reformers in the
             opposition of the Pope to his election. But he had been brought up in
             Spain, that most Catholic of countries, and he decided against Luther.
             So, he came into conflict with the Protestant princes in Germany. He
             found himself in the presence of an opening rift that was to split
             Christendom into two camps. His attempts to cl...