Holy Roman Empire


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On December 25, 800 Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne Holy Roman Emperor.
On December 25, 1046 Pope Clement VI crowned Henry III as Holy Roman Emperor.
 
I wonder what would have happened if Francis II hadn’t disbanded the Holy Roman Empire when Napoleon was invading?
 
A number of electors were opposed to the election of Leopold I as Holy Roman Emperor.
The traditional Habsburg claim to the emperorship was challenged by France.
 
A number of electors were opposed to the election of Leopold I as Holy Roman Emperor.
The traditional Habsburg claim to the emperorship was challenged by France.

And in the end he was the second longest-ruling Holy Roman Emperor with a reign of over 46 Years.
18 July 1658 – 5 May 1705

His reign saw the major gains against the Ottomans in Europe.
 
List monarchs of Holy Roman Emperors/ King of the Romans

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The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans during the Middle Ages, and also known as the German-Roman Emperor since the early modern period, was the ruler and head of state of the Holy Roman Empire. 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.

King of the Romans (Latin: Rex Romanorum; German: König der Römer) was the title used by the king of Germany following his election by the princes from the reign of Henry II (1002–1024) onward.

The title originally referred to any German king between his election until his being crowned Emperor by the Pope.

  1. Charlemagne (Charles I) (800-814) m. 1.Desiderata 2.Hildegard of Vinzgouw 3.Fastrada 4.Luitgard
  2. Louis the Pious (813-840) m. 1.Ermengarde of Hesbaye 2.Judith of Bavaria
  3. Lothair I (823-855) m. Ermengarde of Tours
  4. Louis II (855-875) m. Engelberga
  5. Charles II, the Bald (875-877) m. 1.Ermentrude of Orleans 2.Richilde of Provence
  6. Charles III, the Fat (881-888) m. Richardis of Swabia
  7. Guy III of Spoleto (891-894) m. Ageltrude
  8. Lambert (891-898)
  9. Arnulph (896-899) m. 1.Ota 2.Oda of West Francia 3.Vinburge
  10. Louis III, the Blind (901-905) m. 1.Anna of Constantinople 2.Adelaide
  11. Berengar I (915-924) m. 1.Bertila of Spoleto 2. Anna of Provence
  12. Otto I (936-973) m. 1.Eadgyth of England 2.Adelaide of Italy
  13. Otto II (973-983) m. Theophanu
  14. Otto III (983-1002)
  15. Henry II (1002-1024) m. Cunigunde of Luxembourg
  16. Conrad II (1024-1039) m. Gisela of Swabia
  17. Henry III (1028-1056) m. 1Gunhilda of Denmark 2.Agnes of Poitou
  18. Henry IV (1054-1106) m. 1.Bertha of Savoy 2.Eupraxia of Kiev
  19. Conrad (III) (Roman King 1087–1098) m. Maximilla (Matilda)
  20. Henry V (1099-1125) m. Matilda of England
  21. Lothair II (1125-1137) m. Richenza of Northeim
  22. Henry Berengar (Roman King 1147-1150)
  23. Friedrich I (1155-1190) (Roman King 1152) m. 1.Adelheid of Vohburg 2.Beatrice I, Countess of Burgundy
  24. Heinrich VI (1191-1197) (Roman King 1169; King of Sicily 1194) m. Constance I of Sicily
  25. Philipp (1198-1208) (Duke of Swabia; Roman King) m. Irene Angelina
  26. Otto IV (1209 -1218) (Roman King 1198) m. 1.Beatrice of Hohenstaufen 2.Maria of Brabant
  27. Friedrich II (1220-1250) (King of Sicily 1197; Roman King 1212) m. 1.Constance of Aragon 2.Isabella II of Jerusalem 3.Isabella of England
  28. Henry (VII) (Roman King 1220–1235) m. Margaret of Austria
  29. Conrad IV (1237-1254) (Roman King; King of Sicily 1250) m. Elisabeth of Bavaria
  30. Wilhelm (1254-1256) (Count of Holland; Roman King) m. Elisabeth of Brunswick-Lüneburg
  31. Richard (1256-1272) (Earl of Cornwall; Roman King) m. 1.Isabel Marshal 2.Sanchia of Provence ​3.Beatrice of Falkenburg
  32. Rudolf I (1273-1291) (Count of Hapsburg 1240; Roman King) m. 1.Gertrude of Hohenberg 2.Isabella of Burgundy
  33. Adolf (1292-1298) (Count of Nassau 1276; Roman King) m. Imagina of Isenburg-Limburg
  34. Albrecht I (1298-1308) (Duke of Austria 1282; Roman King) m. Elizabeth of Carinthia
  35. Heinrich VII (1308-1313) (Count of Luxemburg 1288) m. Margaret of Brabant
  36. Friedrich (III) (1314-1330) (Duke of Austria 1308; Roman King) m. Isabella of Aragon
  37. Ludwig IV (1314-1347) (Duke of Bavaria) m. 1.Beatrix of Świdnica 2.Margaret II, Countess of Holland
  38. Karl IV (1355-1378) (Roman King & King of Bohemia 1346) m. 1.Blanche of Valois 2.Anne of Bavaria 3.Anna von Schweidnitz 4.Elizabeth of Pomerania
  39. Wenzel (IV) (1376-1400) (Roman King; King of Bohemia 1378) m. 1.Joanna of Bavaria 2.Sophia of Bavaria
  40. Rupert (Roman King 1400-1410) m. Elisabeth of Hohenzollern
  41. Jobst of Moravia (Roman King 1410-1411) m. 1.Elisabeth of Opole 2.Agnes of Opole
  42. Sigismund (1433-1437) (King of Hungary 1387; Roman King 1411; King of Bohemia 1419) m. 1.Mary, Queen of Hungary 2.Barbara of Celje
  43. Albrecht II (1438-1439) (King of Bohemia & Hungary 1437; Roman King) m. Elizabeth of Luxembourg
  44. Friedrich III (1440-1493) (Archduke of Austria 1458) m. Eleanor of Portugal
  45. Maximilian I (1493-1519) (Roman King 1486) m. 1.Mary, Duchess of Burgundy 2.Anne, Duchess of Brittany 3.Bianca Maria Sforza
  46. Karl V (1519-1556) (King {as Carlos I} of Spain 1516; Roman King 1519) m. Isabella of Portugal
  47. Ferdinand I (1556-1564) (King of Bohemia & Hungary 1526) m. Anne of Bohemia and Hungary
  48. Maximilian II (1564-1576) m. Maria of Austria
  49. Rudolf II (1576-1612)
  50. Matthias (1612-1619) (King of Hungary 1608; King of Bohemia 1611) m. Anna of Tyrol
  51. Ferdinand II (1619-1637) m. 1.Maria Anna of Bavaria 2.Eleonora Gonzaga
  52. Ferdinand III (1637-1657) m. 1.Maria Anna of Austria 2.Maria Leopoldine of Austria 3.Eleonora Gonzaga
  53. Ferdinand IV (1653-1654) (King of Bohemia 1646; Roman King)
  54. Leopold I (1657-1705) m. 1.Margaret Theresa of Austria 2.Claudia Felicitas of Austria 3.Eleonore Magdalene of Neuburg
  55. Joseph I (1705-1711) (King of Bohemia 1690) m. Wilhelmine Amalie of Brunswick
  56. Karl VI (1711-1740) m. Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick
  57. Karl VII (1742-1745) (Elector of Bavaria 1726) m. Maria Amalia of Austria
  58. Maria Theresa (1745-1780) (Queen of Bohemia & Hungary) m. Francis III Stephen, Duke of Lorraine
  59. Franz I (1745-1765) (Duke of Lorraine 1729) m. Maria Theresa of Austria
  60. Joseph II (1765-1790) m. 1.Princess Isabella of Parma 2.Maria Josepha of Bavaria
  61. Leopold II (1790-1792) (Grand Duke of Tuscany 1765) m. Maria Luisa of Spain
  62. Franz II/I (1792-1806) (Emperor of Austria 1804; abdicated as Holy Roman Emperor 1806) m. 1.Elisabeth of Württemberg 2.Maria Teresa of Naples and Sicily 3.Maria Ludovika Beatrix of Modena 4.Caroline Augusta of Bavaria
 
:previous: It is interesting to note that Ferdinand IV had a coronation in Ratisbon in 1653 but did not live to succeed his father.
 
:previous: It is interesting to note that Ferdinand IV had a coronation in Ratisbon in 1653 but did not live to succeed his father.

Ferdinand was crowned King of the Romans as the Imperial heir and not Holy Roman Emperor.
 
In 1508 Maximilian I took the title Elected Holy Roman Emperor. He had the assent of Pope Julius II. This was suppose to end the custom that the Holy Roman Emperor had to be crowned by the Pope.
 
In 1508 Maximilian I took the title Elected Holy Roman Emperor. He had the assent of Pope Julius II. This was suppose to end the custom that the Holy Roman Emperor had to be crowned by the Pope.

Prior to that Maximilian had been elected King of the Romans in 1486 and he set about retaking Austrian lands which were occupied by Hungary.
He was also Archduke of Austria ,Duke of Burgundy and Lord of the Netherlands.
 
Holy Roman Emperor Henry V reigned from 1111 to 1125. The Concordat of Worms allowed him to oversee bishop elections. However, Henry could not appoint the bishops.
 
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Where was he returning from?

I assumed the Hapsburg Emperors resided in Vienna?
Without looking it up and on memory, I recall the capital then was in Augsburg?
 
Prague was the capital at one point, Maximilian I spent a lot of time in Innsbruck, and Munich and Frankfurt had their turns as well! I think it was Vienna at the time, so maybe he'd just been off on a hunting trip or a visit to another part of the Empire.
 
Probably his return from Spain to Vienna after the death of his brother and predecessor Joseph I. For further information google „War of the Spanish Succession“.
 
Prague was the capital at one point, Maximilian I spent a lot of time in Innsbruck, and Munich and Frankfurt had their turns as well! I think it was Vienna at the time, so maybe he'd just been off on a hunting trip or a visit to another part of the Empire.
There were various Capitals of the Holy Roman Empire : Palermo, Munich ,Aachen,Madgeburg, Regensburg.
It changed with new Emperors and with a new dynasty.
Charles V seems to have moved about the Empire but later Hapsburg HRE's settled mainly in Vienna or moved to Prague during Ottoman threats to Vienna.

Vienna in 1580
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Music Theatre and the Holy Roman Empire
Book Discussion with Austin Glatthorn


:imperialgermany:
How did the Holy Roman Empire Work? (Short Animated Documentary)


:imperialgermany:
Holy Roman Empire Explained

 
The Ottomans laid siege to Vienna twice.
The first one was in 1529 ,this was a very serious assault on the city ,the next siege was in 1683
Siege of Vienna (1529) - Wikipedia
Battle of Vienna - Wikipedia

Southern Hungary had fallen to the Ottomans in 1526 following the defeat of Louis II at the Battle of Mohacs. Louis II died at the battle ,his widow Mary of Hungary was the Emperors sister was forced to flee Buda as the Ottomans advanced towards the capital.
Louis II's sister Anna was married to the Emperors brother ,Archduke Ferdinand of Austria.
 
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The Holy Roman Emperor received the imperial regalia from the hands of the Pope, symbolizing both the pope's right to crown Christian sovereigns and also the emperor's role as protector of the Catholic Church. The Holy Roman empresses were crowned as well.
 
Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (German: Friedrich I; Italian: Federico I), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death 35 years later in 1190. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March 1152. He was crowned King of Italy on 24 April 1155 in Pavia and emperor by Pope Adrian IV on 18 June 1155 in Rome.
More information: Frederick Barbarossa - Wikipedia

Frederick Barbarossa, middle, flanked by two of his children, King Henry VI (left) and Duke Frederick VI (right). From the Historia Welforum.
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@Blog Real , as an history fan I love checking out your posts! The RFs has become my to-go library of links and historical trivia. Here's a contribution to the thread on one of my favorite empires:

The HRE Was Actually Holy, Roman and an Empire

And two bonus videos on the HRE's older sibling from the East:
The New Roman Empire - Interview with Author Anthony Kaldellis


Did Heraclius Change the Official Language of the Roman Empire to Greek?
 
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Leopold II (Peter Leopold Josef Anton Joachim Pius Gotthard; 5 May 1747 – 1 March 1792) was the penultimate Holy Roman Emperor, as well as King of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia, and Archduke of Austria from 1790 to 1792, and Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1765 to 1790. He was a son of Empress Maria Theresa and Emperor Francis I, and the brother of Queen Marie Antoinette of France, Queen Maria Carolina, Duchess Maria Amalia of Parma, and Emperor Joseph II. Leopold was a moderate proponent of enlightened absolutism.
More information: Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor - Wikipedia

State portrait of Leopold II in the regalia of the Order of the Golden Fleece.
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Infanta Maria Luisa of Spain (24 November 1745 – 15 May 1792) was Holy Roman Empress, German Queen, Queen of Hungary and Bohemia, and Grand Duchess of Tuscany as the spouse of Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor.
More information: Maria Luisa of Spain - Wikipedia

Maria Luisa at the time of her marriage in 1764.
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Maria Luisa, her husband Leopold II, and their children.
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The Empire in 1618
Notice the Dutch Republic is independent and the remains of Royal Hungary are not part of the Empire.
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Central Europe's history within the Holy Roman Empire is one of the most fascinating things I've ever searched about since I had interest in all thing's history as a kid back in the 1960s and teen in the '70s. I recall it all started when we got the (Spain's) Encyclopedia Tematica Salvat that had everything a kid would love to read about, from dinosaurs to space travel, from cavemen to all historical periods.

It also makes me think that the number of micro nations that composed the empire somehow affected the modern ideas of federal states governments from republics to monarchies. And, that my country Spain and our neighbor France almost became Holy-Roman-Empiresque. Our modern-day countries developed from assembling independent states, from kingdoms to free cities, into mega nations with one central government.

At times when people glorify the Roman Empire as the precursor of nations and citizenship, not much is covered in comparison how the politics and mini governments within the Holy Roman Empire became the base of modern political divisions like the states in the USA where we have 50 states plus dependencies with their own traditions, laws and politics.

So, thanks HRE, for giving us modern politics and local governments.
 
The Reformation and subsequent Wars really weakened the Empire
The Empire in 1540
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Joseph II (13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from 18 August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 29 November 1780 until his death.
More information: Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor - Wikipedia

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Isabella of Bourbon-Parma (31 December 1741 – 27 November 1763) was a princess of Parma and infanta of Spain from the House of Bourbon-Parma as the daughter of Philip, Duke of Parma and Louise-Élisabeth of France. She became an archduchess of Austria and crown princess of Bohemia and Hungary in 1760 by her marriage to Archduke Joseph of Austria, the future Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor.
More information: Princess Isabella of Parma - Wikipedia

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Maria Josepha of Bavaria (20 March 1739 – 28 May 1767) was Holy Roman Empress, Queen of the Romans, Archduchess of Austria, and Grand Duchess of Tuscany, among other titles, by her marriage to Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor. By birth, she was a Princess and Duchess of Bavaria.
More information: Maria Josepha of Bavaria - Wikipedia

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Joseph II was the eldest son of Maria Theresa and Francis
He was crowned King of the Romans in 1764 at Frankfurt Cathedral.
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Francis I (8 December 1708 – 18 August 1765) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1745 to 1765, Archduke of Austria from 1740 to 1765, Duke of Lorraine and Bar from 1729 to 1737, and Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1737 to 1765. He became the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, Austria, and Tuscany through his marriage to his second cousin Maria Theresa of Austria, daughter of Emperor Charles VI. Francis was the last non-Habsburg monarch of the Empire.
More information: Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor - Wikipedia
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Maria Theresa (13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was a ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position suo jure (in her own right).
More information: Maria Theresa - Wikipedia
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The Empress Maria Theresa is believed to have had a very frosty relationship with her mother in law,Élisabeth Charlotte d'Orléans.
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