It is 1555 and on 25 October, at 3 o’clock in Brussels, Charles V, Ruler of the Spanish Netherlands, King of Spain, Holy Roman Emperor, and Master of Europe, abdicates from the throne, handing the reigns to his son, Philip II. His father had reason to abdicate; when Philip was handed the throne, he discovered that the empire had incurred an enormous debt, and was threatening to break due to the conflicts which arose from the rise of Protestantism. Everybody thought that he was as prepared as the…
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