France in the 16th Century

In France, the first half of the century saw the reign of François Ier, who brought the art and culture of the Italian Renaissance to France and encouraged the new humanistic learning. His contemporaries were Henry VIII of England and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, whose Hapsburg territories stretched from Hungary to Spain.

In the second half of the century, the dynastic struggles continued and the characters of many of the emerging nations of Europe were formed. Henry VIII of England was eventually succeeded by Elizabeth, perhaps England's greatest monarch. Her age was one of genius, exploration, and growing national pride. Charles V divided his empired between his son Philip II, who received Spain and the Netherlands, and his brother Ferdinand, who received the eastern territories (Austria/Hungary) and the imperial title. Philip II was the most powerful monarch of the age, controlling an empire that stretched completely around the world. The mind-boggling riches of the New World were his, and for the most part they were spent making war to enforce Catholicism in the Netherlands and elsewhere. By the end of the century, Spain had declared bankruptcy twice.

By: Ilievski Boban and Zivotic Aleksandar