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
The Burgundian Inheritance and the Order of the Golden Fleece
In 1477,...
Read More