Tuesday, Feburary 24, 2026

It is the 24th of February 2026. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

 

 

You can imagine that here at 1517, we spend a lot of time, mentally, in the 16th century. The 1500’s are the great age of the Renaissance and Reformation- the birth of those churches with names like Lutheran, Reformed, Anglican, and the general Evangelical church tradition. We’ve met many characters in the 2000-plus shows of this program- and you likely know of others….

 

SO.

 

Pop quiz. Who was the most powerful man in that century? And I’ll suggest that he is in the top 5 of the most powerful men of ALL TIME. Can you guess? It’s not a Pope. It’s not a reformer.

 

Not Suleiman the Great nor Francis I of France. Henry VIII is a fun story, but he barely ruled his own island.

 

The most powerful man, whom I’ll suggest is also one of the most tragic of all time, was a King. The King of Spain. And Germany and Naples and Sicily- he was Duke of Burgundy and Lord of the Netherlands. He also had extensive lands in the New World- places like Peru and modern Mexico.

 

Not since Charlemagne had a figure had such vast holdings- and like Charlemagne, our man was also Holy Roman Emperor- and a Charles- he was Charles V- born on this, the 24th of February in 1500.

 

A major story in the late Middle Ages was the growth and consolidation of the house of Habsburg. Beginning in Switzerland, the family would amass territories through dynastic marriages and reach a place of prominence by the time of Charles’ birth in 1500.

 

In 1517, in September (one month before the fateful event), Charles would travel to Spain, where he would add “King of Spain” to his title of the Duke of Burgundy. Not speaking Spanish and now the ruler of an empire, you could imagine that the 18-year-old was anxious. And then the Luther affair occurred, and he had to watch his grandfather, Emperor Maximilian, navigate the great schism in the church. And it was within 2 years that Maximilian would die, making Charles the new Emperor of an expanding empire that followed his successors in Spain into the New World.

 

Before we tell the rest of his story: what was he like? Troubled? His mother, “Juanita the Mad,” was mistreated but also suffered the effects of royal inbreeding. Even flattering paintings of Charles reveal irregularities produced by a reduced gene pool. We know from his extensive diary writings that he was a pious Roman Catholic. He had a confessor for a period who was exploring late medieval devotional practices, which paralleled the Reformation.

 

And “parallel” to the Reformation is in many ways his story. His life parallels Luther’s on a timeline, and the story of reform in the church is accompanied by world exploration and the birth of the modern age in Europe and the New World.

 

But it was, perhaps, too much and too fast. His Empire would rule from Eastern Europe and into the Netherlands, Italy, and Spain. The vast wealth of the New World could finance about anything he desired. The Habsburgs peaked under Charles V- as the tumult of the age would not only help his family rise, but also facilitate his fall.

 

He argued with Luther- wanting the reformer to recant for peace- even if the Emperor said he agreed that the indulgences had gone too far. The pope could consider him disloyal, and both Henry VIII of England and Francis I of France disliked him and would oppose him. And we’ve not even mentioned the Ottomans.

 

For a season, he was the most powerful man on earth- and almost “King of the World” but the political and religious divisions proved too difficult. He authorized Lutheran worship for those princes who so desired it by 1555. But this didn’t win over Protestants nor assuage his own hardliners. Charles would abdicate a boatload of titles- his brother and son would become Emperor Frederick and Phillip of Spain, respectively. He would retire to a monastery in Spain, where he would die in 1558- not disgraced, but having fallen from such great heights- the one time most powerful man on earth, brought to his knees by the turmoil of the Reformation- Charles V of the House of Habsburg was 58 years old.

 

 

 

The Last word for today comes from the daily lectionary and the end of Hebrews 4:

14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

 

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 24th of February 2026, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man who, instead of “irregularities of reduced gene pool,” just looks at Charles and says, “What a chin!” He is Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man reflecting on the name Charles- it’s gotta be up there in the pantheon of power, Charles in charge indeed- I’m Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.