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'•‘uoi’ ♦ jFB.ONTIS PIE CE PublUUtd JIarch by CcuUU t 7fm'us. Strand. THE HISTORY OF THE REIGN OF THE EMPEROR CHARLES V. By WILLIAM ROBERTSON, D.D. VRINCIPiSL OF THE VNIVEFSITY OF EDINBURGH, HISTORIOGRAPHER TO HIS MAJESTY FOR SCOTLAND, AND MEMBER OF THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF HISTORY AT MADRID. THE NINTH EDITION. IN FOUR VOLUMES. VOL. I. LON DON: PRINTED FOR T. CADELL JUN. AND W. DAVIES ^SUCCESSORS TO MR. CADELL) IN THE STRANDi AND E. BALFOUR, EDINBURGH. 1798. TO THE KING. SIR, J presume to lay before Your Majefty the Hiftory of a Period, which, if the abilities of the Writer were equal to the dignity of the Subject, would not be unworthy the attention of a Monarch, who is no lefs a Judge than a Patron of Literary Merit. Hiftory claims it as her prerogative to offer inftruction to Kings, as well as to their people. What refle&ions the Reign of the Emperor Charles V. may fuggeft to Your Majefty, it becomes not me to conjecture. But your Subjects cannot obferve the various calamities, which that Monarch’s ambition to be diftinguiftied as a Conqueror, brought upon his dominions, without recollecting the felicity of their own times, and looking up with gratitude to their Sovereign, who, during the fervour of youth, A 3 and VI DEDICATION. and amidft the career of victory, poflefTed fuch felf-command, and maturity of judgment, as to fet bounds to his own triumphs, and prefer the blefiings of peace to the fplendour of military glory. Pofterity will not only celebrate the wifdom of Your Majefty’s choice, but will enumerate the many virtues, which render Your reign confpicuous for a facred regard to all the duties incumbent on the Sovereign of a Free People. It is our happinefs to feel the influence of thefe Virtues ; and to live under the dominion of a Prince, who delights more in promoting the Public Welfare, than in receiving the juft Praife of his Royal Beneficence. I am, SIR, Your Majesty's Moft faithful Subject, And moft dutiful Servant, William Robertson. THE PREFACE. ■fsjo period in the hiilory of one’s own country can be confulered as altogether uninterefting. Such tranfaftions as tend to illuftrate the pro- grefs of its conftitution, laws, or manners, merit the utmoft attention. Even remote and minute events are objedts of a curiolity, which, being natural to the human mind, the gratification of it is attended with plcafure. But, with refpect to the hiftory of foreign States, we muft fet other bounds to our defire of information. The univerfal progrefs of fcience, during the two laft centuries, the art of printing, and other obvious caufes, have filled Europe with fuch a multiplicity of hiftories, and with fuch vail collections of hiftorical materials, that the term of human life is too fhort for the ftudy or even the perufal of them. It is neceffary, then, not only for thofe who are called to con- duct the affairs of nations, but for fuch as in- quire and reafon concerning them, to remain fatisfied with a general knowledge of diftant events, V1U PREFACEi- events, and to confine tlieir ftudy of hiftory in detail chiefly to that period, in which the feveral States of Europe having become intimately con- nected, the operations of one power are fo felt by all, as to influence their councils, and to regulate their meafures. Some boundary, then, ought to be fixed in order to feparate thefe periods. An sera ftiould be pointed out, prior to which, each country, little connected with thofe around it, may trace its own hillory apart; after which, the tranf- actions of every confiderable nation in Europe become interefting and inftruftive to all. With this intention I undertook to write the hiftory of the Emperor Charles V. It was during his adminiftration that the powers of Europe were formed into one great political fyftem, in which each took a ftation, wherein it has fince remained with lefs variation, than could have been expedted after the fttocks occafioned by fo many internal revolutions, and fo many foreign wars. The great events which happened then have not hitherto fpent their force. The political principles and maxims, then eftablifhed, ftill continue to operate. The ideas concerning the balance of power, then introduced or ren- dered general, ftill influence the councils of nations. The age of Charles V. may therefore be confidered as the period at which the political ftate of Europe began to aflume a new form. I have endeavoured to render my account of it, an introdudlion to the hiftory of Europe fubfequent to his reign. While his numerous Biographers deferibe his perfonal qualities and adlions ; PREFACE. IX actions; while the hiftorians of different countries relate occurrences the confequences of which were local or tranfient, it hath been my purpofe to re- cord only thofe great tranfaftions in his reign, the effedts of which were univerfal, or continue to be permanent. As my readers could derive little inftruction from fuch a hiftory of the reign of Charles V. without fome information concerning the ffate of Europe previous to the fixteenth century, my delire of fupplying this has produced a preli- minary volume, in which I have attempted to point out and to explain the great caufes and events, to whofe operation all the improvements in the political ftate of Europe, from the fub- ■verfion of the Roman Empire to the beginning of the fixteenth century, mull be afcribed. I have exhibited a view of the progrefs of fociety in Europe, not only with refpect to interior government, laws, and manners, but with re- fpeft to the command of the national force re- quifite in foreign operations ; and I have defcribed the political conllitution of the principal ftates in Europe at the time when Charles V. began his reign. In this part of my work I have been led into feveral critical difquifitions, which belong more properly to the province of the lawyer or anti- quary, than to that of the hiftorian. Thefe I have placed at the end of the firft volume, under the title of Proofs and Illuftrations. Many of my readers will, probably, give little attention to fuch refearches. To fome they may, per- haps, appear the mod curious and interefting part of the work. I have carefully pointed out X PREFACE. the lources from which I have derived informa- tion, and have cited the writers on whofe autho- rity I rely with a minute exacfnefs, which might appear to border upon oftentation, if it were polfible to be vain of having read books, many of which nothing but the duty of examining with accuracy whatever I laid before the Public, would have induced me to open. As my in- quiries conducted me often into paths which were obfcure or little frequented, fuch conftant references to the authors who have been my guides, were not only necelfary for authenti- cating the fadts which are the foundations of my reafonings, but may be ufeful in pointing out the way to fuch as lhall hereafter hold the fame courfe, and in enabling them to carry on their refearches with greater facility and fuccefs. Every intelligent reader will obferve one omif- fion in my work, the reafon of which it is necef- fary to explain. I have given no account of the conquefts of Mexico and Peru, or of the eita- blifhment of the Spanilh colonies in the continent and illands of America. The hiftory of thefe events I originally intended to have related at confiderable length. But upon a nearer and more attentive conlideration of this part of my plan, I found that the difcovery of the new world ; the ftate of fociety among its ancient inhabitants ; their character, manners, and qrts; the genius ot the European fettlements in its various pro- vinces, together with the influence of thefe upon the fyftems of policy or commerce in Europe, were fubjefts fo fplendid and important, that a iuperticial view of them could afford little fatif- faCtion ; and, on the other hand, to treat of them as PREFACE. XI as extenfively as they merited, mull produce an epifode, difproportionate to the principal work. I have therefore referved thefe for a feparate hif- tory; which, if the performance now offered to the Public {hall receive its approbation, I purpofe to undertake. Though, by omitting fuch confiderable but detached articles in the reign of Charles V. I have circumfcribed my narration within more narrow limits, I am yet perfuaded, from this view of the intention and nature of the work which I thought it neceffary to lay before my readers, that the plan muff hill appear to them too ex- teniive, and the undertaking too arduous. I have often felt them to be fo. But my conviction of the utility of fuch a hihory prompted me to per- fevere. With what fuccefs I have executed it, the Public muft now judge. I wait, not with- out folicitude, for its decifion; to which I fnall fubmit with a refpedtful filence. A VIEW A VIEW OF THE PROGRESS OF SOCIETT IN EUROPE, FROM THE SUBVERSION OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE, TO THE BEGINNING OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY, SECT. I. View of the Progrefs of Society in Europe, with rc- fpecl to interior Government, Laws, and Man- ners. wo great revolutions have happened in the political ftate, and in the manners of the European nations. The.firft was occafioned by the progrefs of the Roman power ; the fecond by the lubverlion of it. When the fpirit of conqueif led the armies of Rome beyond the Alps, they found all the countries which they invaded, inhabited by people whom they denominated barbarians, but who were neverthelefs brave and independent.

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