Adrian of Utrecht in Spain (1515-1522): A Career in the Service of a Habsburg Prince

Between 1515 and 1522, Adrian was an official in the service of the Habsburg in Spain. The article discusses how he achieved such important positions and how he helped to secure the Habsburg inheritance of Aragon and Castile. After the 1517 arrival of the new King (Charles V) whom he had served as tutor, he accompanied Charles on his travels through Spain and functioned as one of his main advisers. The nomination as governor of Castile in 1520 can be interpreted as the peak of his Habsburg service. However, it was a difficult post as he had to handle, until his departure for Rome, the rebellion of the Castilian Comuneros against the Emperor. He proved to be a cautious and skilled negotiator, who avoided military encounters as much as possible. Adrian’s political talents may have been limited but the imperfections of his governorship were mainly attributable to the absence of delegated power for decision making, a shortage of money, limited feedback from Charles V, showing the inadequacies of early modern dynastic states.