Charles ya zo Masarautar Hungary bisa gayyatar wani babban sarki dan kasar Croatia, Paul Šubić, a watan Agustan shekara ta 1300. Andrew III ya mutu (daular Arpad na karshe) a ranar 14 ga Janairu 1301, kuma a cikin watanni hudu Charles ya zama sarki, amma tare da kambi na wucin gadi maimakon Mai Tsarki Crown na Hungary.Yawancin mutanen Hungary sun ƙi yarda da shi kuma suka zaɓi Wenceslaus na sarkin Bohemia.Charles ya koma yankunan kudancin masarautar.Paparoma Boniface VIII ya amince da Charles a matsayin sarki halal a 1303, amma Charles ya kasa ƙarfafa matsayinsa a kan abokin hamayyarsa.Charles ya ci nasararsa ta farko a yakin Rozgony (a halin yanzu Rozhanovce a Slovakia) a ranar 15 ga Yuni 1312. A cikin shekaru goma masu zuwa, Charles ya maido da ikon sarauta da taimakon shugabanni da ƴan ƙasa a yawancin yankuna na masarautar. .Bayan mutuwar babban oligarch, Matthew Csák, a shekara ta 1321, Charles ya zama mai mulkin da ba a taba ganin irinsa ba na dukan masarautun, ban da Croatia inda masu fada aji suka iya kiyaye matsayinsu na cin gashin kansu.Bai sami damar hana ci gaban Wallachia ya zama masarauta mai zaman kanta ba bayan shan kaye a yakin Posada a 1330.Charles da wuya ya ba da tallafin ƙasa na dindindin, a maimakon haka ya gabatar da tsarin "fiefs na ofis", wanda jami'ansa ke samun kudaden shiga mai yawa, amma kawai a lokacin da suke riƙe da ofishin sarauta, wanda ya tabbatar da amincin su.A cikin rabin na biyu na mulkinsa, Charles bai riƙe Abinci ba kuma ya gudanar da mulkinsa da cikakken iko.Ya kafa Order of Saint George, wanda shine tsari na farko na mayaka.Ya inganta bude sabbin ma'adinan zinare, wanda ya sanya kasar Hungary ta zama kasar da ta fi kowacce kasa samun zinare a Turai.An haƙa tsabar zinare na farko na Hungary a lokacin mulkinsa.A taron Visegrád a shekara ta 1335, ya shiga tsakani a sulhu tsakanin sarakuna biyu makwabta, John na Bohemia da Casimir III na Poland.Yarjejeniyoyin da aka rattaba hannu a wannan taron sun kuma ba da gudummawa wajen samar da sabbin hanyoyin kasuwanci da ke danganta Hungary da yammacin Turai.Ƙoƙarin da Charles ya yi na sake haɗa ƙasar Hungary, tare da sauye-sauyen harkokin mulki da na tattalin arziki, sun kafa tushen nasarorin da magajinsa, Louis the Great ya samu.