This volume is part of the "Seminar Studies in History" series which aims to provide concise analyses of complex issues and problems in important A level modern history topics. They use supporting documents designed to give students a clear account of historical facts and an understanding of the central themes and differing interpretations. The present volume aims to present a comprehensive study of the reign of Charles V taking into account recent continental research. The author has constructed the work around a biographical framework looking at the role played by Charles V in the German Reformation, the establishment of the state of the Netherlands, the formation of the Spanish overseas empire and the main phase of Habsburg-Valois rivalry in Italy. The work also considers religion, imperial finance and the ideology of kingship. The text is supported by a variety of German, Spanish and Dutch sources, most of which have been hitherto unavailable in English translation.
