Holy Roman Empire

Holy Roman Empire
Radulescu Adrian
Introduction
The Holy Roman Empire was a multi-ethnic complex of territories

in central Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and
continued until its dissolution in 1806. The largest territory of the
empire after 962 was the Kingdom of Germany, though it also
came to include the Kingdom of Bohemia, the Kingdom of
Burgundy, the Kingdom of Italy, and numerous other territories.
Kingdom of Bohemia
The Kingdom of Bohemia, sometimes in English

literature referred to as the Czech Kingdom
was a medieval and early modern monarchy in
Central Europe, the predecessor of the modern
Czech Republic. It was an Imperial State in the
Holy Roman Empire, and the Bohemian king
was a prince-elector of the empire. The kings
of Bohemia, besides Bohemia ruled also the
Lands of the Bohemian Crown, which at various
times included Moravia, Silesia, Lusatia and
parts of Saxony, Brandenburg and Bavaria.
Kingdom of Burgundy
The Kingdom of Arles (Arelat) or Second Kingdom of

Burgundy was a Frankish dominion established from
lands of the early medieval Kingdom of the
Burgundians in 933 by the merger of the kingdoms of
Upper and Lower Burgundy under King Rudolf II.
The new kingdom was named after the Lower
Burgundian residence at Arles. Its territory stretched
from the Mediterranean Sea to the High Rhine in the
north, roughly corresponding to the present-day
French regions of Provence-Alpes-Cte d'Azur, Rhne-
Alpes and Franche-Comt, as well as western
Switzerland. It was ruled by independent kings until
1032,[2] after which it was incorporated into the Holy
Roman Empire.
Kingdom of Germany
The Kingdom of Germany or German Kingdom (Latin:

Regnum Teutonicum, "Teutonic Kingdom"; German:
Deutsches Reich) developed out of the eastern half of the
former Carolingian Empire. Like Anglo-Saxon England and
medieval France, it began as "a conglomerate, an
assemblage of a number of once separate and
independent... gentes [peoples] and regna [kingdoms]."[1]
East Francia (Ostfrankenreich) was formed by the Treaty of
Verdun in 843, and was ruled by the Carolingian dynasty
until 911, after which the kingship was elective. The initial
electors were the rulers of the stem duchies, who generally
chose one of their own. After 962, when Otto I was crowned
emperor, the kingdom formed the bulk of the Holy Roman
Empire, which also included Italy (after 951), Bohemia
(after 1004) and Burgundy (after 1032).
Kingdom of Italy
The Kingdom of Italy comprised northern and central Italy, but excluded
the Republic of Venice. Its original capital was Pavia until the 11th
century.
In 773, Charlemagne, the King of the Franks, crossed the Alps to invade
the Kingdom of the Lombards, which encompassed all of Italy except the
Duchy of Rome and some Byzantine possessions in the south. In June
774, the kingdom collapsed and the Franks became masters of northern
Italy. The southern areas remained under Lombard control in the Duchy
of Benevento. Charlemagne adopted the title "King of the Lombards" and
in 800 had himself crowned "Emperor of the Romans" in Rome. Members
of the Carolingian dynasty continued to rule Italy until the deposition of
Charles the Fat in 887, after which they once briefly regained the throne
in 89496. Until 961, the rule of Italy was continually contested by
several aristocratic families from both within and outside the kingdom.
Kingdom of Italy
Name
Before 1157, the realm was merely referred to as the Roman

Empire.[21] The term sacrum ("holy", in the sense of
"consecrated") in connection with the medieval Roman Empire was
used beginning in 1157, under Frederick I Barbarossa ("Holy
Empire") the term was added to reflect Frederick's ambition to
dominate Italy and the Papacy;[22] the form "Holy Roman Empire"
is attested from 1254 onward.[23]
The start of the empire
On 25 December 800, Pope Leo III crowned the Frankish king

Charlemagne as Emperor, reviving the title in Western Europe,
more than three centuries after the fall of the Western Roman
Empire. The title continued in the Carolingian family until 888 and
from 896 to 899, after which it was contested by the rulers of Italy
in a series of civil wars until the death of the last Italian claimant,
Berengar, in 924.
The start of the empire
The title was revived in 962 when Otto I was crowned emperor,
fashioning himself as the successor of Charlemagne and beginning
a continuous existence of the empire for over eight centuries.
Some historians refer to the coronation of Charlemagne as the
origin of the empire, while others prefer the coronation of Otto I
as its beginning. Scholars generally concur, however, in relating an
evolution of the institutions and principles constituting the
empire, describing a gradual assumption of the imperial title and
role.
Charlemagne
Charlemagne numbered Charles I, was the King of the Franks from 768, King of the
Lombards from 774 and Emperor of the Romans from 800. He united much of Europe
during the early Middle Ages. He was the first recognised emperor in western Europe
since the fall of the Western Roman Empire three centuries earlier. The expanded
Frankish state that Charlemagne founded was called the Carolingian Empire.
Charlemagne was the oldest son of Pepin the Short and Bertrada of Laon. He
became king in 768 following his father's death, initially as co-ruler with his brother
Carloman I. Carloman's sudden death in 771 in unexplained circumstances left
Charlemagne as the undisputed ruler of the Frankish Kingdom. He continued his
father's policy towards the papacy and became its protector, removing the
Lombards from power in northern Italy and leading an incursion into Muslim Spain.
He campaigned against the Saxons to his east, Christianising them upon penalty of
death and leading to events such as the Massacre of Verden. Charlemagne reached
the height of his power in 800 when he was crowned Emperor of the Romans by
Pope Leo III on Christmas Day at Old St. Peter's Basilica.
Early middle ages
As Roman power in Gaul declined during the 5th century, local

Germanic tribes assumed control. In the late 5th and early 6th
centuries, the Merovingians, under Clovis I and his successors,
consolidated Frankish tribes and extended hegemony over others
to gain control of northern Gaul and the middle Rhine river valley
region. By the middle of the 8th century, however, the
Merovingians had been reduced to figureheads, and the
Carolingians, led by Charles Martel, had become the de facto
rulers. In 751, Martels son Pepin became King of the Franks, and
later gained the sanction of the Pope. The Carolingians would
maintain a close alliance with the Papacy
Early middle ages
In 768 Pepins son Charlemagne became King of the Franks and began an extensive expansion
of the realm. He eventually incorporated the territories of present-day France, Germany,
northern Italy, and beyond, linking the Frankish kingdom with Papal lands.[37][38] On
Christmas Day of 800, Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne emperor, restoring the title in the
west for the first time in over three centuries.
After Charlemagne died in 814, the imperial crown passed to his son, Louis the Pious. Upon
Louis' death in 840, it passed to his son Louis II, who had been his co-ruler. By this point the
territory of Charlemagne had been divided into several territories, and over the course of the
later ninth century the title of Emperor was disputed by the Carolingian rulers of Western
Francia and Eastern Francia, with first the western king (Charles the Bald) and then the
eastern (Charles the Fat), who briefly reunited the Empire, attaining the prize.[citation
needed] After the death of Charles the Fat in 888, however, the Carolingian Empire broke
apart, and was never restored. According to Regino of Prm, the parts of the realm "spewed
forth kinglets", and each part elected a kinglet "from its own bowels".[41] After the death of
Charles the Fat, those crowned emperor by the pope controlled only territories in
Italy.[citation needed] The last such emperor was Berengar I of Italy, who died in 924.
Formation
Around 900, autonomous stem duchies (Franconia, Bavaria,

Swabia, Saxony and Lotharingia) reemerged in East Francia. After
the Carolingian king Louis the Child died without issue in 911, East
Francia did not turn to the Carolingian ruler of West Francia to
take over the realm but instead elected one of the dukes, Conrad
of Franconia, as Rex Francorum Orientalium.[42]:117 On his
deathbed, Conrad yielded the crown to his main rival, Henry the
Fowler of Saxony (r. 91936), who was elected king at the Diet of
Fritzlar in 919.[42]:118 Henry reached a truce with the raiding
Magyars, and in 933 he won a first victory against them in the
Battle of Riade.
Formation
Henry died in 936, but his descendants, the Liudolfing (or Ottonian) dynasty,
would continue to rule the Eastern kingdom for roughly a century. Upon Henry
the Fowler's death, Otto, his son and designated successor, was elected King
in Aachen in 936. He overcame a series of revolts from an elder brother and
from several dukes. After that, the king managed to control the appointment of
dukes and often also employed bishops in administrative affairs.
In 951, Otto came to the aid of Adelaide, the widowed queen of Italy, defeating
her enemies, marrying her, and taking control over Italy.[45]:21415 In 955, Otto
won a decisive victory over the Magyars in the Battle of Lechfeld.[44]:707 In
962, Otto was crowned Emperor by Pope John XII,[44]:707 thus intertwining the
affairs of the German kingdom with those of Italy and the Papacy. Otto's
coronation as Emperor marked the German kings as successors to the Empire of
Charlemagne, which through the concept of translatio imperii, also made them
consider themselves as successors to Ancient Rome.

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Holy Roman Empire

The Holy Roman Empire was a multi-ethnic complex of territories

The Kingdom of Bohemia, sometimes in English

The Kingdom of Arles (Arelat) or Second Kingdom of

The Kingdom of Germany or German Kingdom (Latin:

Before 1157, the realm was merely referred to as the Roman

On 25 December 800, Pope Leo III crowned the Frankish king

As Roman power in Gaul declined during the 5th century, local

Around 900, autonomous stem duchies (Franconia, Bavaria,

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