Charles von Habsburg, the eldest son of Philip von Habsburg and Juana de Trastámara, was quite the prize groom in the early 16th century. Charles was born 24 February 1500 at the Prinsenhof in Ghent, Flanders, which is now part of modern Belgium. His parents, better known as Philip the Handsome and Juana the Mad, were their parents’ heirs, setting up Charles to inherit territories that covered most of Western Europe. Through his father Philip, Charles inherited Burgundy and the Low Countries. Through his mother, Charles inherited Spain. As a likely contender for Holy Roman Emperor once his grandfather Maximilian I died, Charles stood to gain the control of Germany, Austria, Bohemia, and parts of Italy, too.
Charles had an almost inexhaustible number of possible brides. During his lifetime, he was engaged to at least five different women, with only one resulting in marriage. He was engaged to two English princesses, two French princesses, and one Portuguese princess. Two of his fiancées were his close cousins.
