Emperor Charles V ruled over a vast amount of land for a little less than 40 years. However, he faced many challenges that ultimately prevented him from unifying Europe under one ruler. When he first gained authority, He had control over places including Germany, Bohemia, Switzerland, and parts of Northern Italy. This also included land in Austria and Spain, as well as the colonies Spain controlled in other parts of the world. Even though Charles V ruled over a vast amount of land, he never established lasting control over the area. After retiring in 1556, his empire fell apart. It was split between his son (King Philip ll of Spain) and his brother Ferdinand. King Philip ll received most of the land, Excluding the Hapsburg family lands in Austria, which were granted to Ferdinand. …show more content…
He ruled each land according to its own traditions and customs. This made his entire empire weaker because they were not fully united. Another obstacle that Charles V faced was the fact that he had no ambition to extend his influence using military force. He collected wealth to maintain an army, but it was only used to put out rebellions and uprisings within the areas he already controlled. The final obstacle that Charles V faced was more of an outside push factor. French kings felt threatened and they believed that he was trying to take over and extend his influence. Therefore, they created as many problems as they could for Charles V and even went as far as allying with the Ottoman Turks against him. This resulted in a short siege on Vienna, and the loss of control in Hungary in