Holy Roman Empire


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Blog Real

Blog Real

Imperial Majesty
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I noticed that does not exist in the TRF no page about the Holy Roman Empire. So I decided to create one.
 
The Holy Roman Empire was a multi-ethnic complex of territories in central Europe that developed during the Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806.

The core and largest territory of the empire was the Kingdom of Germany, though it included at times the Kingdom of Italy, the Kingdom of Bohemia, and the Kingdom of Burgundy, as well as numerous other territories.

Holy Roman Empire - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
I like the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I.
He was named after Saint Maximilian of Tebessa.
In 1508, Maximilian, with the assent of Pope Julius II, took the title "Elected Roman Emperor".
This ended the custom that the Holy Roman Emperor had to crowned by the Pope.
​

Conrad II continued to build the Catholic Church as a center for imperial power.
He preferred to appoint church bishops over secular lords to important posts across the Empire.
Conrad II was Holy Roman Emperor from 1027 to 1039.
​

Otto III reigned 996 to 1002.
Crowned as Holy Roman Emperor, he put down the Roman rebellion and installed his cousin, Bruno of Carinthia, as Pope Gregory V.
​
 
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When the Holy Roman Empire is restored, I would like to see it go back to its elective roots, with its capital in Aachen. I'm not sure yet if the Emperor or Empress should reign for life, or for a fixed term (maybe ten or twenty years). I think I would like to see a member of the Grand Ducal House of Luxembourg as next Emperor. Maybe to be followed by a Habsburg (who, by then, will back ruling in Vienna as Archdukes of Austria). Then there's the restoration of the Eastern Empire to sort out as well. It could get a bit tricky when Constantinople's Hagia Sofia is re-consecrated, but give it a couple of centuries and it will be fine.
 
Blog Real said:
I noticed that does not exist in the TRF no page about the Holy Roman Empire. So I decided to create one.
Click to expand...
Not by name perhaps but otherwise can largely be covered in the Royal Families of Germany and Austria subforum.
For the Habsburg Holy Roman Emperors the Imperial House of Habsburg sub-subforum should be adequate and the HRE Families (and thus to some extent HRE States) are covered in the family-specific threads. I'd rather avoid having the topic being split across too many disparate areas.

That being said, Holy Roman Emperors and development of the Holy Roman Empire itself prior to the Habsburg ascendency in 1438 could be discussed here (in the Other Non-Reigning Houses area) but to date there hasn't been any.
 
Why did Holy Roman Emperor Rudolph II reverse his father Maximilian II's tolerant policy toward Protestantism?
 
Karlstejn Castle was founded in 1348 by Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor-elect and King of Bohemia. The castle served as a place for safekeeping the Imperial Regalia as well as the Bohemian/Czech crown jewels, holy relics, and other royal treasures.
 
To hold his throne, Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II hired foreigners. His coalition included Spanish Catholics and a German Lutheran elector, the Duke of Saxony. The Catholic ruler Sigismund III of Poland and Maximilian of Bavaria also helped.
 
The Golden Bull of 1356 of Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV set out the conditions for the succession to the imperial crown. The emperor would be elected by seven electors. Four were secular princes, three were ecclesiastical princes.
 
When Maximilian II reigned as Holy Roman Emperor, he allowed the publication of Lutheran liturgy and even had Lutherans at court.
What did the Pope and the Vatican officials think about this?
 
CyrilVladisla said:
When Maximilian II reigned as Holy Roman Emperor, he allowed the publication of Lutheran liturgy and even had Lutherans at court.
What did the Pope and the Vatican officials think about this?
Click to expand...

I'm sure he faced major opposition from the Vatican but they had bigger fish to fry such as the Ottomans in Hungary on the doorsteps of Vienna.
 
Could you post the chronology of the Electorates until the dissolution of the Empire in 1806?
 
The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans (Latin: Imperator Romanorum, German: Kaiser der Römer) during the middle ages, and also known as the German-Roman Emperor since the early modern period (Latin: Imperator Germanorum, German: Römisch-deutscher Kaiser, lit. 'Roman-German emperor'), was the ruler and head of state of the Holy Roman Empire. The Empire was considered by the Roman Catholic Church to be the only legal successor of the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. The title was held in conjunction with the title of King of Italy (Rex Italiae) from the 8th to the 16th century, and, almost without interruption, with the title of King of Germany (Rex Teutonicorum, lit. 'King of the Teutons') throughout the 12th to 18th centuries.

In theory and diplomacy, the emperors were considered primus inter pares, regarded as first among equals among other Roman Catholic monarchs across Europe.[3] In practice, an emperor was only as strong as his army and alliances, including marriage alliances, made him. However the Reformation of the 16th century had made managing the empire more difficult because it made the Empire's role as "holy" questionable in Protestant parts of Europe.

From an autocracy in Carolingian times (AD 800–924) the title by the 13th century evolved into an elective monarchy, with the emperor chosen by the prince-electors. Various royal houses of Europe, at different times, became de facto hereditary holders of the title, notably the Ottonians (962–1024) and the Salians (1027–1125). Following the late medieval crisis of government, the Habsburgs kept possession of the title without interruption from 1440 to 1740. The final emperors were from the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, from 1765 to 1806. The Holy Roman Empire was dissolved by Francis II, after a devastating defeat by Napoleon at the Battle of Austerlitz.

The emperor was widely perceived to rule by divine right, though he often contradicted or rivaled the pope, most notably during the Investiture controversy. The Holy Roman Empire never had an empress regnant, though women such as Theophanu and Maria Theresa exerted strong influence. Throughout its history, the position was viewed as a defender of the Roman Catholic faith. Until Maximilian I in 1508, the emperor-elect (Imperator electus) was required to be crowned by the pope before assuming the imperial title. Charles V was the last to be crowned by the pope in 1530. Even after the Reformation, the elected emperor was always a Roman Catholic. There were short periods in history when the electoral college was dominated by Protestants, and the electors usually voted in their own political interest.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Roman_Emperor
 
The Holy Roman Empire never had an Empress Regnant or a Protestant Emperor elected even after Reformation.

Maria Theresa could not be elected Holy Roman Empress but her husband Francis was elected as Emperor.
 
An Ard Ri said:
The Holy Roman Empire never had an Empress Regnant or a Protestant Emperor elected even after Reformation.

Maria Theresa could not be elected Holy Roman Empress but her husband Francis was elected as Emperor.
Click to expand...


Towards the end of the Empire, how many electors were Protestant? I never fully understood why the ruler of the Habsburg lands (or, in Maria Theresa's case, her husband) was always elected the Holy Roman Emperor. Could you explain?
 
Mbruno said:
Towards the end of the Empire, how many electors were Protestant? I never fully understood why the ruler of the Habsburg lands (or, in Maria Theresa's case, her husband) was always elected the Holy Roman Emperor. Could you explain?
Click to expand...
Not always the Habsburgs were elected emperors. For example, after the death of Charles VI and the extinction of the original house of Habsburg in male line, before Maria Theres'a husband, Francis of Lorraine, became emperor with the support of his wife, a Bavarian prince from the House of Wittelsbach, Elector-Duke Charles Albert of Bavaria, was elected. He contested the Habsburgs' heritage with Maria Theresa and her husband. He gained enough support among the electors of the time, three of whom, including himself, were Wittelsbachs. Additionally, the French persuaded the electors of Brandenburg (Hohenzollerns) and Saxony (Wettins) to support the Bavarian. Charles Albert's candidacy was even stronger considering he succeeded in opening a dispute with Maria Theresa over her rights to Bohemia, which was also an electorate (in December 1741, shortly before the election took place in Frankfurt in February 1742, Charles Albert was even crowned King of Bohemia after conquering the country). Maria Theresa thus could not be considered at the election as neither an eligible candidate nor elector as her Bohemian throne was temporarily lost and officially denied. In effect, the Bavarian was elected and crowned emperor. Charles VII, as became known, shortly afterwards eventually lost Bohemia and the Austrians took revenge in invading Bavaria. The Emperor died in 1745 and his son and successor, Maximilian III Joseph, quickly made peace with Maria Theresa, promising his support for the election of Francis.
 
Wouldn't the Habsburgs have had the most Emperors among all other Imperial candidates?
 
In the early 16th century, Henry VIII and Francois I both wanted to be elected Holy Roman Emperor - if they were around today, they would definitely be the sort of young men who are always doing "mine's bigger than yours" by getting the flashiest sports cars and so on - but Charles V had a bigger purse than theirs and offered bigger bribes! After that, no-one else seems to have seriously challenged the Habsburgs, except in Maria Theresa's case when there wasn't a male heir. I suppose everyone was more interested in their own lands.
 
The Habsburgs were the premier family of both the Holy Roman Empire and of Catholic Europe for centuries. The only family that rivaled them were the Capetingians of France. Other families such as the houses of Wittelsbach and Brabant (Hessen) did not come close to their status and influence in spite of being more ancient and longer reigning. Their claim to the Imperial crown was founded both on tradition, their wealth and them being the most powerful family not only in the Empire but for a long time in Europe and the world.
In fact a large part of the claim of Charles VII lay in him being the grandson and son-in-law of Habsburg emperors. This coupled with a desire to divide the Habsburg lands and a disdain for the Pragmatic sanction led to the other great powers of Europe supporting him.
 
Alison H said:
In the early 16th century, Henry VIII and Francois I both wanted to be elected Holy Roman Emperor
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Louise de Savoie mother of Francois Ier almost bankrupted France in her attempts at working behind the scenes to have her son elected HRE .

Henry VIII going up against his nephew in law Charles V must have made interesting family politics!
 
When Sigismund was Holy Roman Emperor from 1433 to 1437, there were two rival Popes, one in Italy and one in France. Eventually there was the emergence of a third Pope. As protector of the Church, Sigismund was instrumental in bringing about the Council of Constance. The Council resolved the question of papal legitimacy.
 
CyrilVladisla said:
Why did Holy Roman Emperor Rudolph II reverse his father Maximilian II's tolerant policy toward Protestantism?
Click to expand...
At that time the two factions, the Protestants and Roman Catholics factions were destabilizing the political institutions

Therefore, by reversing his fathers policy of tolerance he sought to limit the influence of the Protestant nobles and representatives

Rudolf was unsuccessful and as a result the Habsburg archdukes had him entrust the matters of the empire to his brother Matthias. Of course, Matthias did not gain the Hungarian Crown until his brother's death in 1612

However, his support of the Catholic revival lead to further Protestant resistance and in 1618 the Bohemian Revolt became the first act that would mark the beginning of the Thirty Year's War
 
On October 21, 1555 Holy Roman Emperor Charles V made Erard of Pallandt Earl of Culemborg.
 
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