Authors Bio- Charles the V was the Holy roman emperor and king of Spain (1519 -1556). He was a catholic Christian and the King controlled by Pope. He volunteer to retire in favor of his son Phillip II and brother Ferdinand who later became the holy roman empire. He died after two years of his abdication in 1558. Though always at war, Charles was a lover of peace. "Not greedy of territory," wrote Marcantonio Contarini in 1536, "but most greedy of peace and quiet."[8] Charles abdicated in 1556. The Habsburg Monarchy passed to Charles's younger brother Ferdinand, whereas the Spanish Empire was inherited by his son Philip II. The two empires would remain allies until the 18th century. Charles was only 56 when he abdicated, but after 34 years of energetic rule he was physically exhausted and sought the peace of a monastery where he died aged 58.
Speaker- See above
Date and Context- The speech was given in 1556 when Charles was 56 years old and tired from the protest an reformation.
Summary- The speech is what we called a retirement speech from a holy roman emperor. Being tired and incapable of holding his empire Charles decided to announce his voluntary abdication announcing his brother as the new holy roman emperor and his son Phillip the king of the Spain. In my view the decision of taking retirement is a very diplomat and a wise decision made by Charles which can be determined by his speech. He present himself to people as the follower of God and a Catholic believing the Ideas of church and stating the importance of the follower of the church. The disappointment of protestant reformation could easily determined by the tone of his speech and as he disagree the Martin Luther idea it is confirmed. He describes his struggles and the political consequences that he have to suffered in his time presenting himself as a good leader and as he thanks to people he announces the new holy roman emperor is his brother and the king of Spain will be his son who will serve people as he does.
Key Quotation-" I am determined to retire to spain, to yield my son Phillip the possession of all my states and to my brother the king of all the romans and empire".
A major part of Charles V speech is his fatigue. He continually mentions how tired he is after his years of leading the Holy Roman Empire and Germany since he was a young boy. The pressure that this has put on him has been too much for him to bear, especially with the Reformation and the subsequent religious wars, and he feels that his is impacting his ability to govern. This part of the speech gives the reason for his abdication; it is not just his failure to keep Christianity whole, it is his lack of energy from all that he has tried to do. Secondly, one can identify his speech when he mentions that he has accepted God’s will and allowed the Protestants to win; he will not deny them any more even as a civilian. He has finally recognized them as a separate, yet doctrinally accurate, subset of Christianity. This sets a precedent for future Holy Roman Emperors to accept them as well; however, this is not the end of the persecution of the Protestants. Thirdly, this speech presents which of his lands will go to whom. He decides to give his son Spain and Germany while he gives his brother the title of Holy Roman Emperor. This is obviously significant because it impacts the remainder of European history due to the size and, while dwindling, relevancy of the Holy Roman Empire.
ReplyDeleteOverall, it is a concise yet effective summary and explanation of Charles V speech. However, the date and context could be expanded upon quite a bit. The entire Protestant Reformation just occurred which affected, and is affecting, Europe for years. Going into more detail about it is always helpful even if we have gone over it in class. Also, you mention some personal opinions in the summary. While recognition of the bias of the speaker and the primary document author (yourself) is important, it should be included some where else. The summary portion should not state anything that the document itself does not say. Remember, keep it objective because the rest of the class has to use this on the test. Finally, the key quotation, while significant in European history and I commend you in that aspect, does not effectively summarize this document. It does summarize this effects and should most definitely be included in the PDP, but another quote to state’s Charles’ feelings or plans would definitely be helpful. All in all, the post will serve to help the rest of the class on the test and in learning about Western Civilization.
With the abdication of Charles V, Habsburg lands are divided - western lands (Spain) are controlled by his son and eastern lands (Austrian lands) and the title of Holy Roman Emperor are granted to his brother, Ferdinand. Both Philip and Ferdinand continue the struggle against Protestantism and seek to restore Catholic supremacy. Charles warns his successors to "Beware of infection from the sects of neighboring lands. Extirpate at once the germs, if they appear in your midst, for fear lest they may spread abroad and utterly overthrow your state." Although the Peace of Augsburg (1555) will relieve some pressures, the tensions will erupt in violence several generations later with the outbreak of the Thirty Years War (1618-1648).
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