The last travel of Emperor Carlos V
What led the most powerful man on the face of the Earth to retire to the Monastery
of Yuste?

The Emperor was suffering from poor health as well as low stat
of mind and strong depression, maybe all these symptons, which were inherited
from his mother, Juana de Castilla (Joanna the
Mad), made the Emperor abdicate in favour of his son Felipe and retire in Yuste.
The official act of abdication in favour
of Felipe II took place in The Netherlands on October 1555.
A year later, Charles V left the Netherdlands and begin the
long journey to Monastery of Yuste. The entourage
reached Laredo on September 1556 and after they had travel across the Plateau
of Castile they arrived Jarandilla de la Vera.
There the Emperor was accomodated in Oropesa Count's
Castle (nowadays is National Tourism Parador)
On February the 22nd, 1557 the Emperor finally settled in the
Monastery of Yuste.

While he was living there a great amount of people from the
Court visited him, even his own son, King Felipe II.
On September 21st, 1558 Emperor Carlos
V died in his final resting place. He was buried in the church, and later
on his mortal remains were moved to the Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo in El
Escorial, where all the Spanish kings and queens are buried.
The Monastery of Yuste is placed in the foothills of the mountain
range of Gredos, in the natural zone of La Vera (Cáceres), next to the
village of Cuacos de Yuste. The monastery was
re-built over the ruins of the old Monastery where Carlos V lived.
Nowadays, the Monastery of Yuste is a point of reference because
of its historical and artistic meaning, as well as its beautiful
surroundings.