Austrias Mayores: The Rise of the Empire

Following the death of his grandfather Maximilian, Carlos I (1516-1556) inherited the title of

• Emperor of Germany

• King of Spain

• Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire

• King of Portugal

Answer explanation

The Holy Roman Empire included many German principalities which preserved a certain level of self-government and symbolically recognised the emperor as their head

Which THREE issues would proved to be problematic for Carlos I after his ascension to power as The Holy Roman Emperor?

• His distance from the Iberian peninsula

• Civil war breaking out

• A disunited army

• Lutheranism and the expansion of Protestantism

• European monarchs feeling threatened

Answer explanation

In general, Carlos I focused more in his European ambitions rather than the Spanish affairs

Carlos I was born in

• France

• Flanders

• Castille

• Milan

Answer explanation

He was born and raised in Ghent (Gante), current Belgium. He always felt Flanders as his homeland and a basic part of his family estates, so he told his son Felipe not to lose it ever. The sculpture in the photo is located in the exterior of the cathedral of Ghent. See the globe in his hands topped with a cross: it simbolises his fight to create a catholic empire

Select the THREE TRUE options

• Carlos I didn't speak Castilian at first

• Carlos I was trusted by the nobility on the Peninsula

• Carlos was educated in Flanders

• Carlos I asked the Cortes for funding for his election as Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire

Answer explanation

At first he was considered a suspicious foreigner in Spain

How did Carlos I respond to the Revolt of the Valencia Brotherhoods (Germanías en Valencia, 1521-1523)?

• He supported the revolt to punish the nobility

• He supported nobility and suppressed the revolt

• He supported the peasants and punished the Valencia bishop

• He supported the Valencia artisans against nobility

Answer explanation

Despite the traditional fights between monarchs and noblemen, when it came to fight against the commoners' (Third Estate) revolts, they always were allies. The Valencia Brotherhoods (Germanías de Valencia) was a good example

SELECT TWO ANSWERS. Why did the nobility in Toledo, Segovia and Burgos revolt against the king in The Revolt of the Comuneros?

• They believed the king acted more in favour of Flanders than Castile

• They believed that the king was too old

• They hated the way he dressed and his long chin (prognatism)

• They distrusted the King as they thought he would be increasingly authoritarian

Answer explanation

At first the Castilian nobility tried to get advantage of the general dissatisfaction against Carlos to reduce the royal power so that they could be more independent, like in the Middle Ages. Nevertheless, the nobility soon got afraid of the social repercussions that the revolt of the Comuneros was taking, so they finally supported the king

Fill in the blank. The peasants and artisans supported the Revolt of the Comuneros because they didn't want to pay high taxes and support European (a)   .

Answer explanation

Yes, the Comuneros did not understand why the king of Castile had to be so involved in far countries' affairs

Who did Carlos I leave as regent after becoming the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire in 1520?

• His mother Joanna the Mad (Juana la Loca)

• His father Philip the Handsome (Felipe el Hermoso)

• Adrian of Utrecht, a Flemish clergyman who used to be his teacher and counselor

• Felipe II

• King Henry VIII

Answer explanation

Adrian of Utrecht was a very cultivated and intelligent person who later became Pope for a few years

Who did the nobles and the Comuneros want and asked to be the monarch instead of Carlos I, but refused

• His mother, Queen Juana la Loca

• His son, Felipe II

• His grandfather Fernando de Aragón, the Catholic Monarch

Answer explanation

The Comuneros tried to get support from Juana, but she noticed that that would have been a treason to his son Carlos. He realised that despite being mentally disabled (or maybe somebody explained it to her)

What territory did Felipe II NOT inherit from his father Carlos I?

• Castile

• Aragon

• The Holy Roman Empire and Austria

Answer explanation

The Holy Roman Empire and Austria were passed on to Fernando, Carlos' brother