Assess the view that Charles V was successful in warfare between 1519
and 1558
Primary Evidence – Supporting a view
Secondary Historian – supporting a view
Own Knowledge to test a view
Evaluation of provenance of primary evidence
If Charles’ warfare in Hungary and Austria left the eastern borders of his
Empire vulnerable and beholden to powerful enemies, his expedition to tackle
the Ottoman backed corsairs in the North-African port of Tunis proved to be more
successful according to Charles’ contemporary Paulo Giovio, who judged the
campaign to be an ‘incomparable victory... that far surpasses all others of ever-
lasting memory.’1 The view that the expedition was a victory is certainly credible;
Tunis was a potential launching post to invade Sicily, and thus threaten all of Italy,
and therefore re-capturing this land was clearly a priority for the defender of
Western Christianity. As well as successfully storming the city, Charles’ forces also
succeeded in destroying 82 ships of the Ottoman fleet which had participated in
frequent raiding of Charles’ lands. Giovio, however, was an Italian Bishop and
therefore was likely to exaggerate the extent of any Christian success against the
infidels that threatened his homeland. To describe the victory as incomparable is
clearly false, arguable Tunis was not even Charles’ biggest military victory given
that King Francis I was successfully captured at the Battle of Pavia; by contrast
Admiral Barbarossa escaped Tunis unscathed and later that same year led the
Sack of Mahon, where he took 6,000 Christian slaves from Minorca. 2 Unlike Pavia,
which ended French influence in Italy, Barbarossa maintained control of Algiers,
another significant North African port from which to conduct raids on the
southern coasts of Western Christianity. Nor was the victory at Tunis won by
Habsburg arms alone, a point unmentioned in Giovio’s eulogy, the gates to the
city were opened from the inside by Christian slaves, thus allowing for an easy
entry for Charles’ army.3 Whilst Charles still successfully restored Spanish control
over this stretch of coast, his failure to maintain the discipline of his forces in the
1
Defenders of the Faith, James Reston, Jr, (Penguin, 2009), pg 369
2
Empires of the Sea, Roger Crowley (Faber and Faber, 2008) pg 63
3
Empires of the Sea, Roger Crowley (Faber and Faber, 2008) pg 61
and 1558
Primary Evidence – Supporting a view
Secondary Historian – supporting a view
Own Knowledge to test a view
Evaluation of provenance of primary evidence
If Charles’ warfare in Hungary and Austria left the eastern borders of his
Empire vulnerable and beholden to powerful enemies, his expedition to tackle
the Ottoman backed corsairs in the North-African port of Tunis proved to be more
successful according to Charles’ contemporary Paulo Giovio, who judged the
campaign to be an ‘incomparable victory... that far surpasses all others of ever-
lasting memory.’1 The view that the expedition was a victory is certainly credible;
Tunis was a potential launching post to invade Sicily, and thus threaten all of Italy,
and therefore re-capturing this land was clearly a priority for the defender of
Western Christianity. As well as successfully storming the city, Charles’ forces also
succeeded in destroying 82 ships of the Ottoman fleet which had participated in
frequent raiding of Charles’ lands. Giovio, however, was an Italian Bishop and
therefore was likely to exaggerate the extent of any Christian success against the
infidels that threatened his homeland. To describe the victory as incomparable is
clearly false, arguable Tunis was not even Charles’ biggest military victory given
that King Francis I was successfully captured at the Battle of Pavia; by contrast
Admiral Barbarossa escaped Tunis unscathed and later that same year led the
Sack of Mahon, where he took 6,000 Christian slaves from Minorca. 2 Unlike Pavia,
which ended French influence in Italy, Barbarossa maintained control of Algiers,
another significant North African port from which to conduct raids on the
southern coasts of Western Christianity. Nor was the victory at Tunis won by
Habsburg arms alone, a point unmentioned in Giovio’s eulogy, the gates to the
city were opened from the inside by Christian slaves, thus allowing for an easy
entry for Charles’ army.3 Whilst Charles still successfully restored Spanish control
over this stretch of coast, his failure to maintain the discipline of his forces in the
1
Defenders of the Faith, James Reston, Jr, (Penguin, 2009), pg 369
2
Empires of the Sea, Roger Crowley (Faber and Faber, 2008) pg 63
3
Empires of the Sea, Roger Crowley (Faber and Faber, 2008) pg 61
