Timeline

Chronology

Chronology of Charles' life

  • Oct 20, 1496Formal marriage of Charles’ parents

  • Nov 15, 1498Birth of elder sister, Eleanor

  • Feb 24, 1500Charles’ Birth

    Charles' Location: Ghent
  • Nov 18 , 1501Birth of sister, Isabella in Brussels

  • Mar 10, 1503Birth of brother, Ferdinand, in Spain

  • Nov 26 , 1504Death of Queen Isabella of Castile

  • Sept 15, 1505Birth of sister, Mary, in Brussels

  • Sept 25, 1506Death of Charles’ father, Philip, in Burgos. Charles inherits the Low Countries (L.C.) Margaret of Austria regent in L.C.

    Charles' Location: Malines
  • Jan 14, 1507Birth of sister, Catherine, in Spain

  • Apr 21, 1509Chievres appointed his Chamberlain Juana confined in Tordesillas

  • Apr 21, 1509Death of Henry VII - accession of Henry VIII

  • 1510Martin Luther visits Rome

  • 1513Meets Henry VIII at Tournai

  • Jan 1, 1515Accession of Francis I to throne of France

  • Jan 5, 1515Proclaimed ruler of the L.C.

    Charles' Location: Brussels
  • Sept 14, 1515Francis regains Milan for France after battle of Marignano (Italy)

  • Jan 23, 1516Death of Ferdinand of Aragon

    Charles' Location: L.C.
  • Feb 18, 1516Birth of Mary, daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon

  • Aug 13 , 1516Treaty of Noyon with Francis I

  • Sept 8/18, 1517First voyage to Spain

  • Oct 31, 1517Martin Luther issues the 95 theses in Wittenberg

    Charles' Location: Spain
  • Nov, 1517Visits mother in Tordesillas

  • Nov, 1517First meeting with brother, Ferdinand

  • Feb, 1518Meets cortes of Castile

    Charles' Location: Valladolid
  • April, 1518Meets cortes of Aragon

    Charles' Location: Zaragoza
  • Oct, 1518Gattinara appointed Chancellor

  • Jan, 1519Death of Emperor Maximilian in Austria. Margaret re-appointed regent in the L.C.

    Charles' Location: Barcelona
  • June 28, 1519Elected Holy Roman Emperor by electors in Frankfurt

    Charles' Location: Spain
  • May 20, 1520Leaves Spain to travel to Germany. Adrian of Utrecht appointed regent in Spain

    Charles' Location: Corunna
  • May 26, 1520Visits Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon

    Charles' Location: England
  • Jun, 1520Field of the Cloth of Gold – meeting of Francis I and Henry VIII

  • Jun, 1520Meets Henry VIII between Calais and Gravelines

    Charles' Location: L.C.
  • Sep, 1520Suleiman becomes Ottoman sultan

  • Oct 23, 1520Crowned ‘elected Emperor’

    Charles' Location: Aachen
  • Jan-May, 1521Diet of Worms – Luther declared a heretic. Outbreak of war against Francis I

  • Apr 23, 1521Defeat of Comuneros rebels at Villalar

  • May, 1521Death of adviser, Chievres

    Charles' Location: Brussels
  • May, 1521Marriage of Ferdinand to Anne of Hungary

  • June, 1521Marriage of Louis of Hungary to Mary

  • Aug, 1521Capture of Belgrade by the Ottomans

  • Dec, 1521Milan captured by Imperial troops

  • Jan, 1522Election of Pope Adrian VI

  • June, 1522Leaves Flushing for Spain via England

  • June 16, 1522Treaty of Windsor with Henry VIII

    Charles' Location: England
  • July 16, 1522Arrives in Spain – where he remains for 7 years

    Charles' Location: Spain
  • Dec, 1522Birth of illegitimate daughter, Margaret, to Johanna Maria van der Gheyst

  • 1523Revolt of Imperial Knights in Germany. Charles III, Duke of Bourbon, defects from Francis I

  • Nov, 1523Election of Pope Clement VII

  • 1524 - 1525Peasants’ War in Germany

  • Oct, 1524 Francis I retakes Milan

  • Feb 24, 1525 Major victory at the Battle of Pavia. Francis I captured and later moved to Spain

  • Jan 16, 1526 Treaty of Madrid signed with Francis I

  • Jan 19, 1526 Death of sister, Isabella, in Low Countries

  • Mar 10, 1526Marriage to Isabella of Portugal

    Charles' Location: Seville
  • April, 1526Francis I released in exchange for two sons, Francis (8) and Henry (7)

  • April, 1526Charles and Isabella in Alhambra palace

    Charles' Location: Granada
  • May 22, 1526Anti-Habsburg League of Cognac formed by Francis I, Papacy, Venice, Florence and Milan

  • Aug 29, 1526Battle of Mohacs – death of Louis II of Hungary in defeat by Ottomans

  • May 6-12, 1527‘Sack of Rome’ by Imperial troops. Henry VIII petitions Pope Clement for a divorce from Catherine of Aragon

  • May 21, 1527Birth of Philip, first child of Charles and Isabella, in Valladolid

  • July 31, 1527Birth of Maximilian, first son of Ferdinand and Anne

  • 1528French army besieges Naples

  • June 21, 1528Birth of Maria, Charles’ second child

  • Aug, 1528Andrea Doria of Genoa sides with Charles. French siege of Naples is broken

  • June 21, 1529French defeated at Landriano

  • June 29, 1529Treaty of Barcelona with Pope Clement

  • July, 1529Charles travels across Mediterranean to Italy

  • Aug 3, 1529Treaty of Cambrai (the Ladies Peace)

    Charles' Location: Italy
  • Sept-Oct, 1529Ottoman advance on Vienna

  • Sept, 1529Start of siege of Florence

  • Nov, 1529Arrives for talks with Pope Clement. Birth of Charles’ second son, Ferdinand

    Charles' Location: Bologna
  • Feb 24, 1530Charles crowned by Pope Clement

    Charles' Location: Bologna
  • May, 1530Meeting with Ferdinand and Mary of Hungary

    Charles' Location: Innsbruck
  • May, 1530Death of Gattinara

  • June, 1530Diet of Augsburg opens – attempt to achieve a religious settlement - fails

    Charles' Location: Augsburg
  • July 4, 1530Marriage of sister, Eleanor, to Francis I

  • July, 1530Death of second son, Ferdinand

  • Dec 1, 1530Death of Margaret of Austria, regent of the Low Countries

  • Jan 5, 1531Ferdinand elected ‘King of the Romans’. Charles appoints Mary of Hungary as regent in L.C.

    Charles' Location: L.C.
  • Feb 27, 1531Formation of Schmalkaldic League of Protestant princes

  • May, 1532Diet of Regensberg – Civil law code

    Charles' Location: Regensburg
  • June-Sept, 1532Ottoman advance on Vienna

  • Sept, 1532Leads army down Danube to Vienna

    Charles' Location: Vienna
  • Oct, 1532Negotiations with Pope Clement

    Charles' Location: Italy
  • April, 1533Returns to Spain

    Charles' Location: Spain
  • Sep 7, 1533Birth of Elizabeth to Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn

  • Oct 28, 1533Marriage of Catherine de’ Medici to Henry (2nd son of Francis I)

  • May 4, 1534Marriage of Christina of Denmark to Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan

  • Sep 25, 1534Death of Pope Clement VII

  • Oct 13, 1534Paul III (Alessandro Farnese) elected pope

  • June - Aug, 1535Expedition to and capture of Tunis

    Charles' Location: Tunis
  • June 24, 1535Birth of daughter, Juana, in Madrid

  • Oct 24, 1535Death of Francesco Sforza of Milan

  • Oct 24, 1535Start of Charles’ triumphal journey through Sicily and Italy

    Charles' Location: Sicily, Italy
  • Jan 7, 1536Death of aunt, Catherine of Aragon

  • Feb, 1536French alliance with Ottoman Empire

  • April, 1536Speech to pope and cardinal in Vatican

  • April, 1536Pope Paul refuses to side with Charles

  • May 18, 1536Execution of Anne Boleyn

  • 1536War with France (1536-1538)

    Charles' Location: N. Italy
  • Jul - Sept, 1536Failure of campaign in Provence

  • Nov - Dec, 1536Returns to Spain from Genoa

  • Oct 19, 1537Birth of son, John

  • Mar 20, 1538Death of son, John

  • June, 1538Meeting with Pope Paul – peace terms with France agreed

    Charles' Location: Nice
  • July, 1538Meeting with Francis I and Eleanor

    Charles' Location: Aigues Mortes
  • Sept 28, 1538Naval battle of Preveza against Ottomans

    Charles' Location: Spain
  • Apr 21, 1539Birth of still born son to Isabella

  • May 1, 1539Death of wife, Isabella

    Charles' Location: Toledo
  • Oct - Dec, 1539Travels through France to Low Countries at invitation of Francis I

    Charles' Location: France
  • Jan, 1540Travels on to Low Countries

    Charles' Location: L.C.
  • Feb - May, 1540Punishment of Ghent

    Charles' Location: Ghent
  • Apr - Sep, 1541Diet of Regensburg – further attempt to resolve religious divisions – unsuccessful

    Charles' Location: Regensburg
  • Sep, 1541Meeting with Pope Paul III

    Charles' Location: Italy
  • Oct - Nov, 1541Failed expedition against Algiers – returns to Spain

    Charles' Location: Algiers
  • 1542Renewed war with France (1542-1544) ‘New Laws’ about treatment of native peoples in the Americas

    Charles' Location: Spain
  • 1543 Agrees to joint attack on France with Henry VIII

  • May, 1543Charles leaves Spain (until 1556)

  • Sept, 1543Defeats William of Cleves and annexes Guelderland. French alliance with Ottomans. Barbarossa’s fleet winters in Toulon

    Charles' Location: L.C.
  • Feb, 1544Diet of Speyer

    Charles' Location: Speyer
  • July-Aug, 1544Invades eastern France

    Charles' Location: France
  • Sept, 1544Peace of Crepy ends war with France

  • July 8, 1545Birth of Don Carlos, son of Philip and Manuela in Spain, followed by the death of Manuela

    Charles' Location: L.C.
  • Sept 9, 1545Death of Charles, Duke of Orleans

  • Dec, 1545Opening of General Church Council in Trent

    Charles' Location: Brussels
  • Feb 18, 1546Death of Martin Luther

  • Apr-Aug, 1546Diet of Regensburg; affair with Barbara Blomberg

    Charles' Location: Regensburg
  • Aug, 1546Start of War of the Schmalkaldic League

  • Aug - Nov, 1546Campaign on the upper Danube (Bavaria)

  • Jan 28, 1547Death of Henry VIII

  • Jan - Apr, 1547Campaign in Saxony

  • Feb, 1547Birth of illegitimate son, Don John

  • Mar 31, 1547Death of Francis I – accession of Henry II

  • Apr 24, 1547Victory over John Frederick of Saxony who is imprisoned (with Philip of Hesse)

    Charles' Location: Muhlberg
  • 1548Diet of Augsburg – Titian’s famous portraits of Charles. Augsburg ‘interim’ issued

    Charles' Location: Augsburg
  • Sept, 1548Philip leaves Spain for the L.C. via Italy. Maximilian marries Charles’ daughter, Maria, and is appointed regent in Spain

  • Apr, 1549Philip greeted in L.C. by Charles

    Charles' Location: L.C.
  • Nov, 1549Death of Pope Paul III

  • 1550Dictates ‘Memoirs’ to William van Male

    Charles' Location: R. Rhine
  • 1551Family rift – discussions about the future control of the Holy Roman Empire

    Charles' Location: Augsburg
  • Oct, 1551Treaty of Lochau between France and German Protestant princes

  • Jan, 1552Confirmed by Treaty of Chambord

  • Apr, 1552Revolt of Protestant princes

    Charles' Location: Innsbruck
  • May, 1552Charles flees to Villach

  • July 31, 1552Treaty of Passau – peace with German princes

    Charles' Location: Villach
  • 1552War with Henry II of France (1552-1559) French capture Metz, Toul and Verdun

  • Oct - Dec, 1552Charles siege of Metz – fails. Marriage of daughter, Juana, to John Manuel of Portugal

    Charles' Location: Metz
  • Jan, 1553Charles withdraws to L.C.

    Charles' Location: Brussels
  • July 6, 1554Death of Edward VI of England – accession of Mary

  • 1553Negotiations for Mary’s marriage to Philip

  • 1554Death of John Manuel of Portugal. Birth of Sebastian – son of Juana and John Manuel

  • July, 1554Philip leaves Spain for England. Juana appointed regent in Spain. Philip created King of Naples

  • July 25, 1554Philip marries Mary I of England

  • Feb-Sept, 1555Diet of Augsburg - Charles absent

  • Apr 12, 1555Death of mother, Juana, at Tordesillas

  • Sept, 1555Religious Peace of Augsburg

  • Oct 25, 1555Abdicates as ruler of the Low Countries along with Mary as regent

    Charles' Location: Brussels
  • Jan 16, 1556Abdicates as ruler of Spain

  • Aug 3, 1556Abdicates as Emperor – replaced by Ferdinand (not ratified by Diet until Feb.1558)

  • Sept 15-28, 1556Voyage from Flushing to Spain, along with sisters Eleanor and Mary

  • Oct-Nov, 1556Journey to Jarandilla (near Yuste)

    Charles' Location: Spain
  • Feb, 1557Moves into villa at the monastery of Yuste

    Charles' Location: Yuste
  • Feb 25, 1558Death of sister, Eleanor

  • Sept 21, 1558Charles’ death at Yuste

  • Oct 18, 1558Death of sister, Mary

  • Nov 17, 1558Death of Mary I of England – accession of Elizabeth I

  • Oct 7, 1571Battle of Lepanto – Ottoman navy crushed

  • 1574Charles’ body moved together with Isabella’s to El Escorial

  • 1654Their bodies are laid to rest in the King’s Pantheon at El Escorial