How would Philip I of Castile divide his empire?

Definitely.

Alright, well that makes things easier. So, we'd have Ferdinand ruling Spain as Ferdinand VI, whilst his brother rules the low countries and the Empire as Charles V Holy Roman Emperor. I imagine then that their reigns might well begin around the 1530s.
 
Ah, so the title of Emperor then?

Not quite, since the title of Emperor was an elective one, the highest hereditary titles the house of Habsburg had at this point was archduke of Austria, duke of Burgundy etc. King of Castille, Aragon etc. were more prestigious, in terms of both power and rank (a monarch stands above a noble).

The candidate for the position of Emperor would be the one with his Hausmacht (Dynastic Powerbase) in the Empire, since he would also be the more appealing candidate for the Prince-Electors.

Edit: IMHO Castille-Aragon for Charles, Ferdinand gets Austria-Burgundy and thus the position of Emperor, whereas Milan will be a wild card. Either there's a third son, Maximilian? Otherwise both Ferdinand and Charles could claim it. Charles could claim it compensation for giving up the (other) Imperial possessions to his younger brother, whereas Ferdinand could argue, that the duchy of Milan, an Imperial Fief, should go to the Imperial branch.
 
Not quite, since the title of Emperor was an elective one, the highest hereditary titles the house of Habsburg had at this point was archduke of Austria, duke of Burgundy etc. King of Castille, Aragon etc. were more prestigious, in terms of both power and rank (a monarch stands above a noble).

The candidate for the position of Emperor would be the one with his Hausmacht (Dynastic Powerbase) in the Empire, since he would also be the more appealing candidate for the Prince-Electors.

Edit: IMHO Castille-Aragon for Charles, Ferdinand gets Austria-Burgundy and thus the position of Emperor, whereas Milan will be a wild card. Either there's a third son, Maximilian? Otherwise both Ferdinand and Charles could claim it. Charles could claim it compensation for giving up the (other) Imperial possessions to his younger brother, whereas Ferdinand could argue, that the duchy of Milan, an Imperial Fief, should go to the Imperial branch.
Alright interesting. Would Ferdinand be better placed to handle whatever situation comes about in the Low Countries?
 
Ferdinand was more flexible that Charles. Make sure Charles gets placed in spain as a child instead of burgundy and marry him of to Isabella of portugal in 1520
 
Top