Emperor Charles V

In the first half of the 16th century, Emperor Charles V ruled a conglomerate of territory more extensive than that previously held by any ruler in European history. This work studies Charles V and re-evaluates his role as a pivital character in the 16th century. The book attempts to answer such questions as: what can one person, given an inordinate amount of power by quirk of fate, achieve?; how much freedom did he have?; and did it help him reach his objective? Blockman also looks at the relationship between the will of an individual and the power of structures in times of such mutability.