The Struggle for Hegemony in Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries: the Habsburg Empire

"The sun never sets in it" - that's how they talked about the huge empire built by the Habsburgs in the middle of the 16th century. During the reign of Emperor Charles V in 1519-1558, Spain owned European and overseas lands. On the other hand, his younger brother owned Austria, as well as Hungary and the Czech Republic, inherited from the Jagiellons.

Charles V was the last defender of the concept of a universalist empire. As a result, he fought for the preservation of Christian unity, not only in the face of the Reformation, but also against the Ottoman Turks. Unfortunately for the emperor, he failed in both of these matters after the Peace of Augsburg in 1555. A religious schism occurred in the Reich, and conflicts between Christian rulers led to the further division of Turkey. Eventually, Charles V abdicated the throne in 1556-1558.

Then Philip II of Habsburg (the emperor's son) came to power in Spain, along with its European and American possessions. On the other hand, Ferdinand remained in power in Austria and the Czech Republic. Thanks to this, the latter could be crowned Roman-German emperor.

In this situation, the Habsburg dynasty was divided into two lines — the Spanish and the Austrian. The Spanish line, which succeeded to the Portuguese throne in 1580, focused on maritime policy and the fight against the anti-Habsburg uprising in the Netherlands.

On the other hand, the Austrian line was about establishing control over the situation in the Reich and protecting it from the Turks. Both lines of the Habsburg dynasty continued to fight for supremacy in Europe.

The conflict between France and the Habsburgs

The peak of the first phase of absolutism in France coincided with the reign of Francis I (1515-1547). This ruler tried to subjugate the Principality of Milan in northern Italy and influence the affairs of the Papal state, following the policies of his predecessors.

After the military successes in 1516, a concordat was concluded with the pope in favor of Francis. Thanks to this agreement, the French kings were guaranteed control over the church in their own country. As a result of his success in Italy, Francis decided to try to obtain the imperial crown. This situation led to a conflict with Charles V of Habsburg and fueled the Franco-Habsburg rivalry for supremacy in modern Europe.

The direct result of this rivalry was the wars between the Valois and the Habsburgs in 1492-1559, which took place mainly in Italy and had disastrous consequences for that country. The anti-Imperial League of States, led by France, inflicted damage on the imperial troops of the Papal State, destroying and plundering Rome.

The French side tried to defeat their enemies from the Habsburgs with the help of a treaty concluded with Hungary and the Protestant princes of the Reich. As a result, the Habsburg succession was not recognized in Hungary after the death of Ludwik Jagiellonchik. El fútbol es el rey de las apuestas en México. Por eso muchas casas ofrecen bonos para apuestas fútbol específicamente para la Liga MX, selección nacional o partidos importantes. Estas promociones pueden ser cuotas mejoradas, reembolsos si tu equipo pierde o freebets para el próximo partido. Al elegir una casa, verifica si cubre bien los torneos locales como Apertura y Clausura. Una casa con buena cobertura de fútbol mexicano te dará más opciones de apuesta. El bono de bienvenida es importante, pero la variedad de mercados locales lo es aún más.

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