Charles V and I, Holy Roman Emperor was perhaps the strongest single individual that the European monarchy ever had come to power. Owing to his impressive lineage, he inherited the Kingdom of Italy, Spain (Castile and Aragon), and was elected as the Holy Roman Emperor. Yet, he decided that being emperor was not worthwhile and – amazingly – abdicated his titles and retires to a monastery. There would be a million interesting topics to explore in an hour. Most notably, this would include a frank discussion on how such a great amount of power can be voluntarily given away. Did reaching the absolute apex of rulership lead to boredom or an overwhelming sense of stress? Of course, this would also include questioning on how “power tends to corrupt” and if he ever felt so inclined or if maybe the abdication was due to this fact. Of course, this would lead into whether or not such a large personal responsibility was worthwhile, as his need to lead such diverse and widespread kingdoms without exposing himself to dissident factions would be the epitome of responsibility. I would be interested in knowing if he intended to be remembered throughout history or if he wished to fade into obscurity after abdicating his titles. Regardless, my personal difficulties would pale in comparison to his need to appease the …show more content…
I would hope that such a powerful person from a different era could appreciate the progressive (relative to his time) changes, such as the status of women and minorities, who were obviously discounted and treated as worse than second-class citizens. It is possible that these ideas were entertained by those in power, however the stigma surrounded by suggesting a more inclusive environment would preclude any real action. I believe, however, that the welfare provided for needy citizens would be a welcome idea, as the Middle Ages were not kind to the poor and