>>1735150
>Not sure why you seethe at the idea that Spain was the military hegemon of the 16th century in Europe
You're making an outlandish claim and then act surprised when you get called out on it. Spain wasn't hegemonic in any way, she was firmly checked by the French and the Dutch, and having a high quality military does not mean much when you can't actually back it up with successes.
The Ottomans were considered the hegemonic power in the West and thus were the most politically isolated. What little allies did they have absolutely hated them, did not cooperate, or outright switched sides. By the end of the 17th century even the French, Protestants, and the Orthodox joined the Holy League's effort to take a part of an eschatological final struggle against the "Antichrist". Martin Luther himself wrote about the Turks, and not Spaniards, being God's punishment for christian sins.
This is the level of fear and awe the Porte projected, as opposed to Spain, which was merely a regional power.
>When Charles V died, he gave Spain to his eldest son and the HRE to his youngest son, that should give you an idea of which realm was valued more.
Ferdinand wasn't his youngest son, he was Charles' own brother, and his inheritance wasn't based on prestige but actual political needs of the time. Philip was granted Spain because he was essentially a Spaniard, and numerous lands to the West such as Flanders were given to him because Spain was still in England's good graces at the time and with territories close to Austria he'd be forced cooperate with the Austrian branch due to shared geopolitical threats. Ferdinand on the other hand was firmly an Imperial and was thus more qualified to rule as an emperor. And the Holy Roman Emperor, should I add, was still the most prestigious title in christian Europe.

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