De duque a rey. El primer viaje de Carlos

The Museo Naval de Madrid hosts from 3 December to 28 March a new exhibition focusing on the figure of Charles of Habsburg and his arrival in Spain in September 1517, following the process…

The Museo Naval de Madrid hosts a new exhibition from 3 December to 28 March focusing on the figure of Charles of Habsburg and his arrival in Spain in September 1517, following the political and naval process that led to one of the key episodes in his rise to the throne of the Spanish kingdoms.

Following the death of Ferdinand the Catholic on 23 January 1516, a series of political, military, legal and financial circumstances shaped Charles of Habsburg's access to the Peninsular crowns and the interests of the houses of Austria, Burgundy and Trastámara. The exhibition approaches the episode that took the young Charles from the Low Countries to Spain, paying particular attention to the sea crossing.

The exhibition addresses this process from different perspectives, including the Baltic Sea setting, the dynastic relations with Denmark, the Order of the Golden Fleece, the alliances with France and England, and the strategy developed by the future king's Flemish advisers.

One of the threads running through the exhibition will be the Engelen, the great ship sent by Christian II of Denmark to transport Charles to Spain. The prince's story and that of the ship are thus linked within a single narrative, from the crossing to the events that later marked the fate of the vessel.