Coat of arms of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor

Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, or Charles I of Spain, was the heir of four of Europe's leading royal houses. He was the first sole monarch of Spain, inheriting the kingdoms first united by his maternal grandparents, Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon (the Catholic Monarchs). From his father, Philip I of Castile, he inherited the Burgundian Netherlands, which came from his paternal grandmother, Mary of Burgundy. Finally, on the death of his paternal grandfather, Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, he inherited the Habsburg lands in Austria. His coat of arms, representing much of the land he inherited, is blazoned as follows:

Personal arms

The upper half represents Spanish holdings: the left-hand side shows the Castile and Leon quartering, with Aragon and Sicily on the right, and the Granada pomegranate at the bottom between the two. After 1520 the Aragon/Sicily quarter also incorporated the arms of Jerusalem, a titular claim, Naples, and Navarre (not shown but detailed below).

The lower half represents Austrian holdings: the left-hand side shows Austria over "Old" Burgundy, with "New" Burgundy over Brabant on the right, and the inescutcheon in the middle showing Flanders on the left and Tyrol on the right.

The imperial arms were based on the personal ones with grand quartering reduplication, and augmentation with various heraldic elements as detailed below.

Features

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