Seminar 21 - Charles V - a failure?
Discussion topics & essay titles
- Dynastic background and biography
- Was Charles a medieval or modern ruler?
- Which were the greatest challenges of his reign? Should it be deemed a failure?
- Could Charles have prevented the Reformation in Germany?
Key sources
- 'The Peace of Augsburg of 1555Link opens in a new window', taken from 'Germany in Documents and Images'
- 'The Abdication of Charles V in 1555/56Link opens in a new window', taken from 'Germany in Documents and Images'
Core reading
- W. Blockmans, Emperor Charles V: 1500-1558 (2002), esp. ch. 7: ' The image in balance' (Uni scan; in case of access problems use this pdf version)
E-Resources
- Titian, Emperor Charles V at Mühlberg
Link opens in a new window - Titian, Emperor Charles V Seated (1548)
- 'Organization of the Imperial Diet of 1521Link opens in a new window', produced by Th. A. Brady Jr.
- 'The Partition between Spanish and German Habsburgs (1522)Link opens in a new window' (from heraldica.org)
- Baldassare Castiglione, The Book of the CourtierLink opens in a new window (1528), trans. Sir Thomas Hoby (1561)
Further reading (recommended in bold)
- Brady, Th. / Cameron, E. / Cohn, H., ‘The Politics of Religion: The Peace of Augsburg 1555. A Roundtable Discussion, in: German HistoryLink opens in a new window 24 (2006)
- K. Brandi, The Emperor Charles V (1939)
- Cohn, Henry, ‘Did bribes induce the German electors to choose Charles V as emperor in 1519’, in: German HistoryLink opens in a new window 19 (1/2001), 1-27S.
- Dixon, C. Scott, ‘Recent works on Charles V’, in: German HistoryLink opens in a new window 21 (2003), 104-24
- J. Edwards, Ferdinand and Isabella (2004)
- M. Fernandez Alvarez, Charles V: Elected Emperor and Hereditary Ruler (1975)
- W. Maltby, The Reign of Charles V (2002)
- G. Parker, Emperor: A New Life of Charles V (New Haven, 2019)
- M. Rady, The Emperor Charles V (1988)
- H. Soly (ed.), Charles V 1500-1558 and his Time (1999), esp. chaps. on religion and international relations
- Sutter Fichtner, P., The Habsburg Monarchy 1490-1848 (2003)
- J. Tracy, Emperor Charles V, Impresario of War (2002)
- O. Volckart, '"The dear old Holy Roman realm, how does it hold together?" Monetary policies, cross-cutting cleavages and political cohesion in the age of Reformation', German History 38 (3/2020), 365-86
Anonymous Artist, 'Charles V' (Flemish 16thC; source)