An accessible reassessment of one of the sixteenth century's most influential rulers.

Charles V (1500-58) inherited an empire on a scale unmatched by any monarch of his generation. Born in 1500 and raised in Brussels, he became duke of Burgundy at fifteen, king of Spain at sixteen, and Holy Roman Emperor at nineteen, ruling territories that stretched across Europe and the Americas. This biography follows his efforts to govern a vast and diverse collection of lands during an age of religious upheaval, war, and imperial expansion. Jean Andrews presents a nuanced portrait of a conscientious monarch who sought compromise as often as conquest, giving particular attention to Charles's lifelong struggle with physical disability, his reliance on family networks, and the financial pressures that shaped his reign. His story illuminates the challenges of ruling a global empire before the modern age.