Simón Ruiz, the banker of Charles V and Philip II

As a cloth merchant, the great fairs of Medina del Campo brought him into contact with agents of important companies from the great economic centres of Europe

From a merchant of linen from Nantes and goods from Brittany and Aragon to a banker to the Crown. The life of Simón Ruiz, who ended his days in Medina del Campo, is worth reviewing in the following lines.

The armour worn by Emperor Charles V at the Battle of Mühlberg

The armour is recorded as having been constructed and designed by the master Desiderius Helmschmid in 1544, shortly before the start of the campaign against the German Protestants

Every important battle has its own symbolism. That of Mühlberg can be found in the equestrian portrait that Titian painted to commemorate the moment that would bring eternal glory to Emperor Charles V. It is a work by the armourer Desiderius Helmschmid, considered one of the most important armourers of the 16th century.

A treacherous gust of wind

The famous painting commemorating the victory of Emperor Charles V at the Battle of Mühlberg was damaged and had to be repaired by the German painter Christoph Amberger

Who doesn’t have in mind Titian’s painting depicting a triumphant Charles V after defeating John Frederick of Saxony at the Battle of Mühlberg? But did you know that the painting was damaged by a gust of wind while it was drying and had to be repaired by a German painter?

Bertendona’ or Holy Spirit, the ship that brought Charles V to Spain

This is the ship on which the emperor made his last journey to Spain to move permanently to the Monastery of Yuste

The ship Espíritu Santo was the vessel chosen to take Emperor Charles V from the port of Flesinga (Flanders) to the port of Laredo, where he disembarked on 28 September 1556 to make the journey that took him to the Monastery of Yuste.

II reception of Monesterio to the emperor Charles V

Talks and historical recreations made up the menu of activities planned to remember the passage of Emperor Charles V through Monesterio in 1526, on his way to his marriage with Isabella of Portugal in Seville

On 10 and 11 March 2023, the 2nd reception for Emperor Charles V was held in Monesterio (Badajoz) to commemorate his passage through the town on his way to Seville, where he married Isabella of Portugal on 10 March 1526.

The melon: the fruit that could not defeat Emperor Charles V

His grandfather and great-grandfather died as a result of having had enough of this fruit. Or so the story goes…

History is full of curiosities. Today’s is a great one, because it refers to Emperor Charles V’s attraction to melons. The taste ran in his family, as both his grandfather Maximilian and his great-grandfather Frederick III also loved melons. With disastrous consequences for both, according to some chroniclers.

A window and the death of Emperor Charles V

Because of their orientation, the emperor’s rooms were exposed to the sun all day long, with the resulting heat. Especially in summer

It was already known that the emperor’s health was not good. According to the physician and writer Víctor Guerrero Cabanillas in his study ‘Illnesses and death of Charles V’, published in Revista de Estudios Extremeños, already in Jarandilla de la Vera, on 20 November 1556, Luís Quijada wrote to the secretary Juan Vázquez to inform him of the emperor’s health. According to what he reported, he was in good health, healthy and fat, although gout was causing him quite a few ailments. However, in spite of everything, nothing foreshadowed such an accelerated end.

And all because of a window.

XXI Emperor’s Equestrian Route

It will take place on Saturday 11 February from 9 a.m. and will follow the same route as the trekking route

Everything is ready for the celebration of the XXI Emperor’s Equestrian Route! An event which will bring together hundreds of horsemen and horsewomen who will follow the route followed by Emperor Charles V to travel to the Monastery of Yuste.

All set to celebrate the landing of Charles V in Laredo

The programme includes a large number of activities that will take place between 22 and 25 September

Laredo has everything ready to celebrate, once again, the arrival of the Emperor Charles V. A programme of activities will begin on 22 September and conclude on the 25th. As usual, the main and most eagerly awaited activity will be the landing of the emperor, an event that attracts the attention of thousands of visitors every year.

The Appointment of Charles V as Holy Roman Emperor

The election took place on 28 June 1519, following the death months earlier of his grandfather, Emperor Maximilian I

The death of Maximilian I in January 1529 necessitated the election of a new emperor. The choice fell to his grandson Charles, but it was not an easy one…