Carlos I arrived in Castile in 1517 without knowing the Spanish language or customs, since after the death of his father in 1506 and the absence of his mother, Juana la Loca, he was left in the care of his aunt Margarita de Austria, at his court in Mechelen. Although he has the Spaniard Luis de Vaca as tutor, he is preferably educated in the Francophone cultural environment. When he was proclaimed king of Spain, moreover, he surrounded himself with Burgundian collaborators to whom he gave important positions.
Carlos I used the assets and tax increases, mainly from Castile, to cover external expenses and finance the interests he had in the German empire. All this created mistrust among the Castilians who organized a rebellion against him: the Revolt of the Communities, between the years 1520 and 1522, in which Toledo was the central nucleus, although they spread throughout much of the territory.
It began in the cities that tried to claim their Castilian identity and ended up moving to the towns in the form of anti-seigneurial revolts.
On the other hand, in Valencia, a similar uprising began, but of a social nature: the Germanías, which took place between 1519 and 1523 and whose objective was to reduce the public debt.
Later this movement of the people moved to Mallorca.
All these revolts were harshly suppressed, although they bore fruit and Carlos I began to value the Castilians: he gave important positions to the Castilian nobility and created new Councils of State, Treasury, Indies and Italy.
The king was urged to put an end to these revolts since King Francisco I was trying to invade Spain, through Navarre, with the intention of reaching Castile.
Correos issues a stamp dedicated to the fifth centenary of the beginning of these popular revolts, which includes an illustration where you can see several raised fists as a reflection of the people who one day rose up against the government of a king with whom they felt oppressed.
