Holy Roman Empire Sacrum Imperium Romanum (Latin) Heiliges Römisches Reich (German) | ||||||
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File:Holy Roman Empire at its territorial apex (per consensus).svg The Holy Roman Empire at its greatest extent during the Hohenstaufen dynasty (1155–1268), superimposed on OTL state borders | ||||||
Capital | Not specified | |||||
Languages | Latin, German Various | |||||
Religion | Official: Catholicism | |||||
Government | Confederal elective monarchy | |||||
Emperor | ||||||
- | 800–814 | Charlemagne | ||||
- | 962–973 | Otto I | ||||
- | 1479-1493 | Henry VIII | ||||
Legislature | Imperial Diet | |||||
Historical era | Middle Ages Early modern period | |||||
- | Charlemagne is crowned Emperor of the Romans | 25 December 800 | ||||
- | Otto I is crowned Emperor of the Romans | 2 February 962 | ||||
- | Conrad II assumes crown of Burgundy | 2 February 1033 | ||||
- | Disestablished | N/A | ||||
Area | ||||||
- | 1032 | 900,000 km² (347,492 sq mi) | ||||
Population | ||||||
- | 1032 est. | 10,000,000 | ||||
Density | 11.1 /km² (28.8 /sq mi) |
The Holy Roman Empire (Latin: Sacrum Imperium Romanum; German: Heiliges Römisches Reich), often unofficially referred to as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, is a multi-ethnic complex of territories in Western and Central Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages. The largest territory of the empire after 962 was the Kingdom of Germany, though it also included the neighboring Kingdom of Bohemia and Kingdom of Italy, plus numerous other territories, and soon after the Kingdom of Burgundy was added.
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 earlier ancient Western Roman Empire in 476. 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 I, in 924. The title was revived again 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.
The exact term "Holy Roman Empire" was not used until the 13th century, but the concept of translatio imperii, the notion that he – the sovereign ruler – held supreme power inherited from the ancient emperors of Rome, was fundamental to the prestige of the emperor. The office of Holy Roman Emperor was traditionally elective, although frequently controlled by dynasties. The mostly German prince-electors, the highest-ranking noblemen of the empire, usually elected one of their peers as "King of the Romans", and he would later be crowned emperor by the Pope.
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