How Did Charles 1's Actions Become Successful?

The reign of Charles V proved to be one of many challenges; some predestined, and some as a result of his leadership style. To evaluate his success, the state of the Habsburg empire upon which he gained leadership at the age of 19 must be considered. It is important to note that Charles took on a fractious, polyglot empire (not a compact, national state) which meant he would never possess the capability of levying direct taxes or raising an army from his territory. Not only this, but foreign policy was also previously determined by feuds with France, as did he begin his reign in debt due to electoral bribery. However, this is not to say Charles didn’t rule in such a way that many of his challenges were as a result of his own incompetence. This essay will therefore evaluate what challenges Charles faced, how he reacted to them and not only whether such reactions constituted to success or failure but also, in cases of failure, whether his inadequacy was justifiable.
Naturally, issues arose regarding the immense spread of Charles’s territory, commonly referred to as “the empire on which the sun never
The difficulty of this task is highlighted when reviewing the duties each of his roles evoked; as emperor, Charles was tasked with preserving imperial power against the German semi-independent princes, whilst defending what was left of his imperial suzerainty from France in Northern Italy. In addition to this, he was expected to deal with Burgundian-Netherlands princes who desired a policy of peace with France and Britain in the hopes of securing better trade deals. As an Austrian prince, the struggle against the Turks in Hungary and the Balkans was also inherited and, as king of Aragon, Charles endeavoured to protect his subject’s long-established involvement in Southern Italy and their commercial Mediterranean