I
German Karl
born Feb. 24, 1500, Ghent
died Sept. 21, 1558, San Jerónimo de Yuste, Spain
Holy Roman emperor (1519–56) and king of Spain (as Charles I, 1516–56).
Son of Philip I of Castile and grandson of Isabella I and of Emperor Maximilian I , he succeeded to his grandfathers' kingdoms on their deaths in 1516 and 1519, respectively. Important events of his reign include the Diet of Worms and the beginning of the Reformation ; his defeat of Francis I , which assured Spanish supremacy in Italy (see Italian Wars ); wars against Turkey under Süleyman I ; the formation of the Schmalkaldic League ; the Council of Trent ; and the Peace of Augsburg . He struggled to hold his vast Spanish and Habsburg empire together against the growing forces of Protestantism, Turkish and French pressure, and even hostility from Pope Adrian VI. In 1555–56 Charles abdicated his claims to the Netherlands and Spain in favour of his son Philip II and the title of emperor to his brother Ferdinand I , and in 1557 he retired to a monastery in Spain.
II
known as Charles the Wise
born Jan. 21, 1338, Vincennes, France
died Sept. 16, 1380, Nogent-sur-Marne
King of France (1364–80).
He raised money to ransom his father, John II , from the English, under the terms of the Treaty of Brétigny . Crowned king on his father's death in 1364, Charles helped the country recover its losses in the first phase of the {{link=Hundred Years' War">Hundred Years' War . When war with England broke out again (1369), he won a series of victories for the French that nullified the damaging treaties of 1360. The plots of his enemy Charles II (of Navarra) prompted him to seize most of the king's French lands. His support of Pope Clement VII helped cause the Western Schism .