The Emperor that was crowned by the Pope on this day – Charles V of Habsburg – was probably one of the most powerful rulers in the whole of European history.
On this day was the last time in recorded history that a pope crowned a monarch. This was the coronation of the mighty Charles V of Habsburg as the Holy Roman Emperor (also known as the Roman-German Empire). This empire existed for hundreds of years and a coronation by a pope was once really considered a condition that someone could carry the dignified title of an emperor.
The pope who on this day performed the coronation was called Clement VII and came from the noble Florentine family of Medici. The Emperor – Charles V – was a very powerful ruler, probably one of the most powerful in all of European history. Namely, Emperor Charles V ruled over a huge territory, which included Spain and its recently discovered colonies in America (from present-day Mexico to Peru). Furthermore, he ruled over present-day Netherlands and Belgium, southern Italy, Lombardy, part of Burgundy, and the Austrian lands (Tyrol, Austria, Carinthia, Carniola, Styria, etc.), which were the old legacy of the Habsburg dynasty.
The last papal coronation was not held in Rome, but in Bologna – a wealthy city within the Papal States. Bologna was ruled, in the name of popes, by the so-called Cardinals legates. The coronation was held in front of the famous Basilica of St. Petronius – one of the largest churches in the world.
