Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (Merveilles des Morte)

Charles V
Holy Roman Emperor
Reign	1564-1595
Coronation	9 December 1564 in Speyer
Predecessor	Henry X
Successor	Frederick V (for Catholics) Joktan (for Jungists)
Duke of Livonia
Reign	1530-1595
Predecessor	Charles I
Regent
Born	20 June 1527 Riga, Livonia
Died	13 August 1595
House	Přemyslid Dynasty
Father	Charles I, Duke of Livonia
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Charles V  (20 June 1527 - 13 August 1595) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1564 and the Duke of Livonia from 1530. A grandson of famed Catholic general Marek Ironside, Charles was raised Catholic and remained so all his life, even after the conversion of his predecessor and cousin, Henry X. Following the death of Henry X, who had become the first Jungist emperor, an interregnum emerged that nearly brought the Holy Roman Empire to civil war, but Charles was ultimately elected due to his moderate policies and nomination by Henry X. During his reign, Charles V sought to keep a balance within the Holy Roman Empire, allowing Catholic victories, such as in the Trier War, but granting Jungist concessions as well. His death in 1595 sparked a contentious and deadlocked election that ultimately led to the outbreak of the Forty Years' War.

Election

Following the War of the Three Henrys, Holy Roman Emperor Henry X maintained his position as King of Bohemia and converted to Jungism, becoming the first Holy Roman Emperor to do so. This would be highly controversial and polarized the Catholic electors, who created the Catholic League as an organized alliance against future Jungist emperors. The remainder of Henry X's reign would be cautiously tolerated by Catholics. In 1563 his death began a highly contested election, which nearly brought both sides to the brink of war over fears that the election would spark an irremediable division. Among the most radical of the electors, one proposal was the division of the empire into its Catholic and Protestant sides, with two emperors being elected between the respective sides. Prominent Jungists such as Louis of Ziegenhein, Apostolic President of the Rätian Union, were outspoken against this idea, believing this would undoubtedly lead to a major war that the Jungists would not be prepared to win. Instead the more moderate electors hoped to elect a candidate who was unzealous in his faith and amicable to both sides.

Before the election the Jungists on paper held a slight majority in the electorate. In addition to seven secular electors, the stubborn and elderly Philip von Wied refused to step down in Trier, granting the Jungists one ecclesiastic elector. Additionally the late emperor had cast a vote, and it was hoped the first Jungist emperor would ensure a Jungist successor. To the shock of both sides, Henry X had instead voted for a fellow Přemyslid but a Catholic, Duke Charles II of Livonia. This was interpreted as a slight to the Jungist side, particularly Henry X’s own son and other Jungist relatives. Premier Captain Zebulon Zobel, who despite being Catholic was above all else loyal to the Emperor, was crucial in persuading his fellow electors to consider the option and not cause a schism. Zobel was a knight from Habsburg and a close friend of the Habsburg Dukes, and once he was able to persuade Leopold III, he brought the Catholic League in favor of the idea.

Philip von Wied would author a series of demands, later known as the Decree of Frankfurt, stating that Livonia would support the Peace of Passau, make no attempts to persecute Jungists or Jungist states, and pursue a course of neutrality and peace in the Empire, in exchange for the Jungist electors supporting Charles' candidacy and not boycotting the diet. With these efforts occurring, the diet quickly grew into the longest single election in the Empire’s history, and the longest interregnum since the Great Interregnum some three centuries prior. Henry X died on 23 September 1563, and Charles would not be formally elected until 5 July 1564, and then would not accept and be formally crowned until 9 December.

Crowned as Charles V, the Emperor would abide by the Diet of Frankfurt, which inadvertently caused him to allow religious toleration in Livonia and end the inquisition there, despite Livonia traditionally being an overtly Catholic power. Soon after his election he would be forced to mediate in a dynasty conflict among his relatives in Bohemia and Brandenburg, in what became known as the Brothers' Quarrel. Through Charles' guidance the conflict ended, although weakness had begun to show in the Přemyslid Dynasty.

Death and Aftermath

Charles V died on 13 August 1595 while in Livonia. He was entertaining guests, including his cousin the King of Bohemia, and he decided to try on his grandfather Marek Ironside's armor. However, according to eyewitness accounts, while handling the accompanying blade, Charles accidentally tripped over, unable to stop himself falling due to the weight of his armor, and accidentally impaled himself through the eye with the lance. He toppled over, crashing into a pile of lethal weapons that had been resting against the wall, some of which penetrated parts of his armor, and he was dead two minutes later.

His death famously resulted in an interregnum lasting over a year during the Imperial Elections of 1595-1596. With the electors divided along religious lines, this election led to an outbreak of violence in the city of Frankfurt, eventually leading to the Forty Years' War. Two emperors would be elected to succeed Charles V: Frederick V by Catholics and Joktan by Jungists.

Footnotes