Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor

Charles V (1500-1558) was Holy Roman Emperor in the sixteenth century. He was descended from the Hapsburg dynastic line. His territory included much of what is now Germany and Italy as well as Spain and the Netherlands. He was a grandson of Ferdinand II and Isabella of Castille and was a first cousin of Queen Mary Tudor of England. This relation would one day give his granddaughter, Queen Isabella, a claim on the English throne. He was the father of King Philip II of Spain.

Charles V was a staunch Catholic. He tried to prevent the Protestant reformer Martin Luther from preaching his reformist religious beliefs.