Thoughts & Things

Five Kings Named Charles

There are a great many kings throughout history who have been named Charles. In fact, over the past twelve hundred years, there have been dozens of kings named Charles, as well as dozens more lower ranking noble men with the same name. Many of them used different versions of Charles, according to where they ruled over, however this list will use the anglicised "Charles."

Because there have been so many Kings Charles, a fair few of them happen to be rather interesting historical figures. Statistically, it would have to be so. I am going to share some fun facts about the kings named Charles that I have personally found most interesting.

Charles II of Spain
Charles II of Spain is a notable king, not for his significant deeds as ruler of Spain, but rather he is notable for the state of his body leading to the end of the House of Habsburg's rule in Spain. Born in 1661, Charles II was a product of the severe royal inbreeding that was considered socially acceptable at that time. Unfortunately, because the inbreeding had gone on for generations, Charles II suffered from severe physical, intellectual, and emotional disabilities. He had a severe under bite that made chewing and speaking extremely difficult. He could not speak until he was four, or walk until he was eight. He was also infertile. Because of his disabilities and his caregivers subsequently treating him like an infant, Charles was an ineffectual ruler, and Spain suffered under his rule. After a severe decline in his physical and mental health, Charles II of Spain passed away days before his thirty-ninth birthday. As he had bred no heir, Spain fell into the War of The Spanish Succession.

Charles I, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles I, Holy Roman Emperor, born in 742, was the King of the Franks and Lombards and Emperor of the Roman Empire. While you might not be familiar with him as Charles I, you have most likely heard of him under his better known name, Charlemagne. Unlike the previous Charles on this list, Charlemagne is remembered for his many great deeds, including uniting much of Europe. He was the first king to be recognised as emperor in western Europe in three centuries, since the fall of the Roman Empire. He first became King of the Franks in 768, and his later titles accumulated over the next several decades. He also founded the Carolingian Empire, and expanded Frankish state. Charlemagne was a known lover of books, and so encouraged so many monks in the way of recording different texts in a variety of languages, that many manuscripts from the time of Charlemagne have managed to be preserved over the years. Charlemagne had eighteen children, and his descendants included the dynasties Habsburg, Capetian and Plantagenet. He lived to be seventy-two years old, and died of pleurisy.

Charles I of England
Born in 1600, Charles I of England was not a particularly popular king, which is part of what makes him so interesting to study. As part of the Stewart house, he believed in the "divine right of kings," meaning he thought that his family had been designated by God to rule over England and that he should have absolute power. Charles I also married Henrietta Maria of France, who was Catholic, which most Englishmen of the time did not exactly approve of. He failed to aid the protestants during the Thirty Years War, Europe's deadliest conflict, and many of his views seemed to be too Catholic in protestant England. Charles I was also adamantly opposed to giving more powers to English parliament, which allowed for him to be viewed as a tyrant. All of this combined led to the English Civil War, where Parliament and the royals fought to determine who would control England. Charles I was executed in 1649 for high treason, and England went without any monarch for eleven years, and was ruled by parliament during that time. Charles' son, Charles II, was crowned in 1660, thereby restoring the monarchy.

Charles XII of Sweden
Born in 1682, Charles XII was not the twelfth king of Sweden. Charles XII was the sixth Swedish King Charles, however, generations prior to his day, kings named Charles in Sweden began using numerals in their titles based upon a mythological history of Sweden, beginning with Charles IX. Charles XII began his rule as King of Sweden when he was only fifteen years old. Denmark–Norway, Saxony–Poland–Lithuania and Russia formed a triple alliance in 1700 to attack Sweden, as it stood alone and was led by a young and inexperienced king. This was known as the Great Northern War. Charles XII exceeded all expectations, as he was a skilled military leader, and won many victories, despite his youth, and usually being outnumbered. By 1706, Russia was the only remaining power facing Sweden. Voltaire once quoted him as having said, "I have resolved never to start an unjust war but never to end a legitimate one except by defeating my enemies." The war took place for his entire rule as king, so he never had the time to marry or father an heir. Charles XII died in 1718 under mysterious circumstances. He was struck in the head by a projectile that killed him, however, it is unclear if this was an accidental hit, an assassination by his enemies, or if he was murdered by one of his own men. Charles XII has been exhumed three times to determine what would be most likely, but different theories still abound.

Charles VII of France
Charles VII of France was born into the midst of the Hundred Years War in the year 1403. When he was due to inherit the throne, invading forces occupied Paris and Reims, and his father had disinherited him and recognised the English monarchs of the time as his legitimate successors in his place. Charles VII did not have much in the way of political sway until Joan of Arc arrived on the scene. Charles famously tested Joan by placing another in position to lead her to believe he was not king, but she was able to determine who he was, and to praise him as the Dauphin. Charles had a great deal of respect for Joan, and was a believer of her connection to God. Joan fought to restore Charles VII to his place on the French throne. Eventually this allowed them to regain control of Reims, which allowed for Charles' coronation to take place in 1429. Joan of Arc overshadows the legacy of Charles VII, although credit is certainly due to him, as he was able to defeat the English and end the Hundred Years War, something that previous monarchs had been unable to achieve. Charles VII died in 1461, eight years after his victory at the Battle of Castillon had won him the Hundred Years War.

(I have committed to blogging daily with Give It 100. This is Day Forty-Three. Six days of leave taken total.)