Panel
Master from the Southern Low Countries Brussels, 1550-1560
Charles V. Copy after an original by Titian from 1548.
Charles V Copy after a painting by Titian (1548) by an unknown master from the Southern Netherlands.
Charles V was born in 1500, the son of Philip the Handsome and Joan (the ’mad’) of Aragon. Due to the early death of his father, he became Lord of the Netherlands in 1506. His grandfather, Maximilian I, was Regent, and after him Margaret of Austria. This continued until Charles was inaugurated as sovereign in 1515. In 1516, Charles inherited the Spanish Crown, and in 1519 he succeeded Maximilian I as Emperor of the Holy German-Roman Empire. It was during his reign that the Reformation took place. Charles’ attitude towards the Holy See was clear and simple: he accepted the guidance of Rome in religious affairs, but he rejected any papal political interference. To safeguard the position of Catholicism in the Netherlands, he tried to establish an Inquisition as early as 1523, but in vain. In 1555 he resigned from the government of the Netherlands, in 1556 from that of Spain, and in 1559 he relinquished the title of emperor to his brother Ferdinand.
Charles had one legitimate son and two daughters. Margaret of Parma (later Regent of the Netherlands) and the regent Don Juan were Charles’ illegitimate children. Charles grew up at the court of his aunt Margaret in Mechelen (in present-day Belgium). As emperor, however, he chose to make Madrid his most important Court.
A man as powerful as Charles was depicted as a conqueror. He is wearing a ceremonial suit of armour, worn only at tournaments and parades, Around his neck is the chain of the Golden Fleece. When he abdicated he revealed the thoughtful and sensitive side of his nature, asking forgiveness from those whom he may have harmed or treated unjustly during his reign.
Josquin des Prez (1440-1512)
Mille regretz
The Musick’s Monument Vocal Ensemble
