Charles I Hungarian Karoly known as Charles Robert of Anjou
Van-jii\ (b. 1288, Naples, Kingdom of Naples—d. July 16, 1342, Viseg- ard, Hung.) King of Hungary (1301, 1308—42). He claimed the Hungar¬ ian throne with papal approval and was crowned in 1301, but his claim was disputed, and he was not recognized as king until 1308. A courtly and pious ruler, Charles restored Hungary to the status of a great power. An alliance with Poland enabled him to defeat the Holy Roman emperor and the Austrians. He failed to unite Hungary and Naples but negotiated a pact providing that his eldest son would become king of Poland.
Charles I known as Charles of Anjou \'an-ju\ (b. March 1226—d. Jan. 7, 1285, Foggia, Kingdom of Naples [Italy]) King of Naples and Sic¬ ily (1266-85), the first of the Angevin dynasty. The younger brother of Louis IX of France, Charles allied with the papacy and conquered Naples and Sicily in the 1260s, defeating the last representatives of the Hohen- staufen dynasty. He created a great but short-lived Mediterranean empire, expanding into the Balkans and becoming heir to the kingdom of Jerus¬ alem (1277). The Sicilians rebelled against French domination in 1282 (see Sicilian Vespers) and drove out the Angevins in 1284. Charles died while preparing a counteroffensive, and his kingdom was eventually secured by the Spanish.
Charles II (b. May 29, 1630, London, Eng.—d. Feb. 6, 1685, London) King of Great Britain and Ireland (1660-85). Son of Charles I and Hen¬ rietta Maria, he supported his father in the English Civil Wars. After his father’s execution, he invaded England in 1651 but was defeated at Worcester. He then spent years in exile until Oliver Cromwell died and conditions favored a return to the monarchy. His Declaration of Breda paved the way for him to be proclaimed king in May 1660 (see Resto¬ ration). He became known as “the Merry Monarch” for his lifting of Puri¬
tan restrictions on entertainment and his own love of pleasure; his best- known mistress was the actress Nell Gwyn. Important events of his reign included the controversial Treaty of Dover and two wars with the Dutch (see Anglo-Dutch Wars). By the 1670s the miscarriages of his queen, Catherine of Braganza, had reduced hopes that he would have a legitimate heir (though he left at least 14 illegitimate offspring). He almost lost con¬ trol of his government when hysteria arose over the Popish Plot to replace him with his Roman Catholic brother James (the future James II). Charles kept his nerve, reestablished his political control, and eventually enjoyed a resurgence in loyalty. His political adaptability and acumen enabled him to steer his country through the struggle between Anglicans, Catholics, and dissenters that marked his reign.
Charles II known as Charles of Anjou \'an-ju\ or Charles the Lame (b. c. 1254—d. May 5, 1309, Naples) King of Naples and ruler of several other European territories. He guarded Naples while his father, Charles I, launched a campaign to regain Sicily from the Aragonese. He was captured and imprisoned (1284-88); on being freed he promised to give up his claim to Sicily, but the pope released him from the vow, and he fought unsuccessfully for Sicily until 1302. He built alliances through the marriages of his children and extended his control over Piedmont, Provence, Hungary, Athens, and Albania.
Charles II Spanish Carlos (b. Nov. 6, 1661, Madrid, Spain—d. Nov. 1, 1700, Madrid) King of Spain (1665-1700), the last monarch of the Spanish Habsburg dynasty. Son of Philip IV and Maria Anna of Austria, he was slow-witted and became known as Charles the Mad. His reign opened with a 10-year regency under the queen mother. The first phase of his personal government was concerned with resistance to the French impe¬ rialism of Louis XIV, and the second was dominated by the succession problem, for it was clear that he would father no children. His death led to the War of the Spanish Succession.
Charles II known as Charles the Bad (b. 1332—d. Jan. 1, 1387) King of Navarra (1349-87). He acquired Normandy from John II of France by threatening an English alliance. Arrested for his treachery in 1356, he escaped a year later and regained Normandy. He pursued shifting alli¬ ances in Spain in an effort to expand Navarrese power. Charles V voided his claims in France, and the discovery of his plot to poison the French king cost him all of Normandy except Cherbourg.
Charles II known as Charles the Bald (b. June 13, 823—d. Oct. 6, 877, Brides-les-Bain, Fr.) Carolingian king (843-77) and emperor (875- 77). He was the son of the emperor Louis I and his second wife Judith. Louis’s efforts to include Charles in the succession led to revolts against the emperor by his three older sons. After the death of Louis, Charles fought his two surviving half brothers in a bloody civil war (840^43) that was concluded with the Treaty of Verdun, which settled the terms of suc¬ cession. Charles was granted the kingdom of the western Franks, which he ruled with the support of the bishops despite the wavering loyalties of his vassals and the attacks of Norsemen, Bretons, and Germans. In 864 he won control of Aquitaine, and in 870 he gained western Lorraine. He was crowned emperor in 875 but died two years later in the midst of inva¬ sion and internal revolt. Inspired by his grandfather, Charlemagne, Charles was a patron of the arts and oversaw the revival of the splendours of the Carolingian renaissance.
Charles III known as Charles the Simple (b. Sept. 17, 879—d. Oct. 7, 929, Peronne, France) King of France (893-922). In 911 he ceded ter¬ ritory by treaty, in the area later known as Normandy, to the Vikings, to end their raids; their descendants became the Normans. The magnates of Lorraine (Lotharingia) accepted Charles’s authority on the death of their last Carolingian king. His preoccupation with Lotharingian affairs alien¬ ated the French nobles, and in 922 they elected Robert I king in his stead.
Charles III Spanish Carlos (b. Jan. 20, 1716, Madrid, Spain—d. Dec. 14, 1788, Madrid) King of Spain (1759-88). Son of Philip V and Isabella Farnese, he was duke of Parma (1732-34) and king of Naples (as Charles VII, 1734-59) before becoming king of Spain. He was convinced of his mission to reform Spain and make it once more a first-rate power, but his foreign policy was not successful; Spain’s losses in the Seven Years' War revealed naval and military weakness. He was more successful in strengthening his own empire; during his reign Spain undertook commer¬ cial reforms, made territorial adjustments in the interest of defense, and introduced a modern administrative system. One of the enlightened des¬ pots of the 18th century, he helped lead Spain to a brief cultural and eco¬ nomic revival.
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376 I Charles III ► Charles X Gustav
Charles III known as Charles the Fat (b. 839, Bavaria? [Germany]—d. Jan. 13, 888, Neidingen) Frankish king and emperor (881— 87). The great-grandson of Charlemagne, he inherited the kingdoms of Swabia (876) and Italy (879). Charles was crowned emperor by the pope in 881. He gained control of the eastern and western Frankish kingdoms on the deaths of their rulers, and by 885 he had reunited all of Charle¬ magne’s empire except Provence. Chronically ill, he failed to attack the Saracens and used tribute to buy off Viking invaders. His nephew Arnulf led an uprising against him in 887, and his fall marked the final disinte¬ gration of the empire of Charlemagne.
Charles IV known as Charles the Fair (b. 1294—d. Feb. 1, 1328, Vincennes, Fr.) King of France and of Navarre (as Charles I) 1322-28. The last of the direct line of the Capetian dynasty, he took the throne on the death of his brother Philip V. His intrigues aimed at gaining the Ger¬ man throne and annexing Flanders were unsuccessful. He renewed war with England by invading Aquitaine and won a generous settlement in the peace of 1327.
Charles IV orig. Wenceslas known as Charles of Luxembourg
(b. May 14, 1316, Prague—d. Nov. 29, 1378, Prague) King of the Ger¬ mans and of Bohemia (1346-78) and Holy Roman emperor (1355-78). Charles was elected German king in place of Louis IV in 1346. That same year his father died in a war against England, and Charles became king of Bohemia. He invaded Italy and won the crown of Lombardy as well as the imperial crown at Rome. Charles enlarged his dynastic power through skillful diplomacy and made Prague the political and cultural center of the empire. He issued the Golden Bull of 1356 and won the right of succession to the German throne for his son Wenceslas.