THIS DAY IN HISTORY

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    Updated:
    Original:
    Year
    1519
    Month Day
    June 28

    Charles I of Spain elected Holy Roman emperor

    Charles I of Spain, who by birth already held sway over much of Europe and Spanish America, is elected the successor of his late grandfather, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I. Charles, who was also the grandson of Ferdinand II and Isabella of Spain, had bribed the princes of Germany to vote for him, defeating such formidable candidates as King Henry VIII of England, King Francis I of France, and Frederick the Wise, the duke of Saxony.

    Crowned as Emperor Charles V, the new Holy Roman emperor sought to unite the many kingdoms under his rule in the hope of creating a vast, universal empire. However, his hopes were thwarted by the Protestant Reformation in Germany, a lifelong dynastic struggle with King Francis, and the advance of the Ottoman Turks into Europe. In 1558, after nearly four decades as Holy Roman emperor, Charles abdicated the throne in favor of his brother, Ferdinand. He had already granted much of the other European territory under his rule to his son Philip.

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    ALSO ON THIS DAY

    This Day in History
    1914

    Archduke Ferdinand assassinated

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    World War I
    1919

    Keynes predicts economic chaos

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    Vietnam War
    1965

    U.S. forces launch first offensive

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    Sports
    1997

    Mike Tyson bites ear

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    Crime
    1975

    A teenage girl’s boyfriend murders her parents

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    Crime
    1993

    A serial rapist strikes in Allentown

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    American Revolution
    1836

    Former President James Madison dies

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