Why did the election of Charles V as Holy Roman emperor threaten France?

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Francis I King Francis I of France, portrait by Pierre Dumonstier, after a drawing by Jean Clouet; in the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris.

The election of Charles V as Holy Roman emperor in 1519 posed a significant threat to France because it resulted in the strategic encirclement of the French kingdom.1

Through a series of strategic marriage alliances, Charles V had already inherited the Burgundian Netherlands, Spain, and vast overseas territories in the Americas. By also securing the imperial title, he effectively surrounded France from the northeast to the southwest. This geopolitical position made the Habsburgs a formidable power, leading to a century-long rivalry that dominated European diplomacy.21

For Francis I, this encirclement created a dangerous environment where France faced pressure on multiple fronts, ultimately fueling decades of conflict as the French crown sought to counter Habsburg hegemony.231