Charles the Fifth became an influential and powerful leader when he became the holy roman emperor in 1519. The Holy Roman Empire was a German-based empire in central Europe. He inherited this position from his grandfather, Maximilian I. During his reign as the holy roman emperor, he ruled over a far greater amount of territory than of Charlemagne. Despite his power and the size of his kingdom, he faced several political, social, and religious problems.
One of the political problems Charles V had was that he was in constant conflict with the princes. Charles refused the idea of religious freedom bought about by the Protestant reformation. The princes, however, did not share the same belief. The result of this conflict was that the princes had received first a tolerance but later a full acceptance of Religious freedom. Another encounter was a territory conflict with France. Pope Leo X wanted to expand the papal power in Italy, territory that was controlled by France. This meant that Charles had to go to war with France. The first year of the conflict, Charles" generals won only a few minor battles, but took a lead after the invasion of France. .
Charles also dealt with social issues. After Clement VII came into the papacy and befriended France and not Charles, he regulated the affairs of Spain and the Netherlands. By centralizing the general administration of the government, and assimilating laws and legal procedures, he set out to counteract nationalist ideas. Charles" main objective was to reorganize the governmental bureaus and put them entirely under royal power and control. He brought about the dependence of the judicial and fiscal systems. He also created an excellent policing system and a body of laws that fostered the social and industrial life of his subjects.
Religious concerns were also an issue for this holy roman emperor. He was in power during the Protestant Reformation. Charles, a catholic, did not believe in the religious freedom of his subjects, which caused political clashes with his princes.