The Holy Roman Empire was the medieval state that embraced most of Central Europe and Italy under the rule of the German kings from 962 to 1806. Otto was a much better ruler than his predecessors, and he sought to expand his authority by assuming the power of lay investiture. The most serious indictment of the old order was that in the hour of its imminent collapse none of the rulers attempted to defend it in the name of the general welfare of Germany. The Holy Roman Empire thus came officially to an end after a history of a thousand years. Bavaria, Württemberg, Baden, Hesse-Darmstadt, and Nassau were the big winners in the competition for booty that had been the main object of the negotiations. The Empire was first established by Frankish King Charlemagne, when he was crowned as the new "Emperor of Europe" by Pope Leo III in 800 C.E. Create your account. Austria, on the other hand, played the same leading role in the War of the Second Coalition that it did in the War of the First Coalition, with the same unfortunate result. The outcome of this war was even more disastrous than those of the wars of the first and second coalitions.
Rather, the office of emperor was an elected position voted on by the Prince-Electors who were the clerical and secular rulers of the most powerful states within the empire. Napoleon was proclaimed the “protector” of the Confederation of the Rhine, and a permanent alliance between the member states and the French Empire obliged the former to maintain substantial military forces for the purpose of mutual defense. The chief victims of the Final Recess were the free cities, the imperial knights, and the ecclesiastical territories. The peace proved short-lived, however, for at the end of 1798 a new coalition directed against France was formed (the War of the Second Coalition, 1798–1802). The Roman Empire (27 B.C.
It is true that families such as the Hohenstaufen's and Hapsburg's did maintain dynasties within the empire. Frederick William III, a conscientious and modest but ineffectual ruler, was notable for private morality rather than political skill. The government in Berlin drifted back and forth, dabbling in minor economic and administrative reforms without significantly improving the structure of the state. They thereby also furthered the process of national consolidation, since the fragmentation of civic authority in the empire had been a mainstay of particularism. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners.
The ruling Hapsburg's turned their attention to the family's hereditary lands in Austria and their real power from this point was as Archduke of Austria. This had a profound effect on Otto's power, but mostly at the expense of the power of the popes, resulting a conflict later called the Investiture Conflict. There was even talk of a “fundamental statute” that would serve as the constitution of a rejuvenated Germany. The Holy Roman Empire was first established by Charles the Great (Charlemagne), but it declined after his rule because most of his successors were relatively weak and ineffective. Thus, each new emperor, a position already limited in power, was weaker than the last. The goal of appeasing the desires of these various entities was an unrealistic one and with an emperor whose local influence was minimal, maintaining a cohesive national identity was impossible.
The most obvious explanation for this decline was that it was not an empire in the classical sense at all, meaning it had very little central control over its various parts.
In order to carry out this redistribution of territory, the Imperial Diet entrusted a committee of princes, the Reichsdeputation, with the task of drawing a new map of Germany. France, however, exercised the major influence over its deliberations. There could be no doubt whose interests these troops would serve. The French victories at Marengo (June 14, 1800) and Hohenlinden (December 3, 1800) forced Emperor Francis II to agree to the Treaty of Lunéville (February 9, 1801), which confirmed the cession of the Rhineland.
In the summer of 1806, 16 of the secondary states, encouraged and prodded by Paris, announced that they were forming a separate association to be known as the Confederation of the Rhine. The result was that the Final Recess (Hauptschluss) of the Reichsdeputation of February 1803 marked the end of the old order in Germany. The rule of Henry I the Fowler, German King (919-36), represented an improvement in matters because he forced dukes in the old eastern areas which were once under Carolingian rule to submit to his authority. Many people confuse the Holy Roman Empire with the Roman Empire that existed during the New Testament period. Too weak to be useful allies of Napoleon, they were destroyed by the ambition of their French conquerors and by the greed of their German neighbours. These lands were royal estates, making these clergy members servant of the ruler and beholden to him. Frederick William III, a conscientious and modest but ineffectual ruler, was notable for private morality rather than political skill.
The Holy Roman Empire was a large confederation of various states and territories in Central and Western Europe that lasted roughly from the 9th to the 19th Centuries. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Sciences, Culinary Arts and Personal
Germany - Germany - End of the Holy Roman Empire: The peace proved short-lived, however, for at the end of 1798 a new coalition directed against France was formed (the War of the Second Coalition, 1798–1802). The Holy Roman Empire was an attempt to resurrect the Western empire of Rome. The rulers of the secondary states in the south had supported him in the war against Austria, and in the peace that ensued they were richly rewarded. Napoleon forced the main Habsburg army in Germany to surrender at Ulm (October 17, 1805); then he descended on Vienna, occupying the proud capital of his enemy; and finally he inflicted a crushing defeat (December 2, 1805) on the combined Russian and Austrian armies at Austerlitz in Moravia (now in the Czech Republic). The Final Recess was the next to last act in the fall of the Holy Roman Empire. But he worked to aggrandize those German rulers, most of them in the south, who were strong enough to be valuable vassals but not strong enough to be potential threats. The last vestiges of the imperial constitution had now been destroyed, and Germany was ready for a new form of political organization reflecting power relationships created by the force of arms.
This time Prussia remained neutral. Yet all these brave plans were never more than a facade for the harsh reality of alien hegemony in Germany. With the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 ending the Thirty Years War, the imperial territories were given almost complete power and the Swiss Confederation and Northern Netherlands gained complete independence from the empire. Not only did they share in the booty seized from the Habsburgs, but they also were permitted to absorb the remaining free cities, petty principalities, and ecclesiastical territories. It was considered to be a restoration and continuation of the ancient Roman Empire, although it had little in common with its predecessor. 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. Services, The Holy Roman Empire: Politics & Religion, Working Scholars® Bringing Tuition-Free College to the Community. In their attempt to establish a chain of satellite states east of the Rhine, the French diplomats brought about the elimination of the smallest and least viable of the political components of Germany. In 962 Otto moved into Italy and took over Rome, forcing Pope John XII (955 - 964) to crown him Emperor. All rights reserved. Was what is modern-day Germany part of the Holy... What is the difference between a Baptist and a... Why was Martin Luther excommunicated and declared... How did the printing press help Martin Luther? This time Prussia remained neutral. It was not until 1254 that the title of Holy Roman Empire was applied, but the origins of the name date back to AD 800, more than 300 years after the western half of the Roman Empire had collapsed. 4th-century mosaic in the vault of a mausoleum built under Constantine the Great for his daughter Constantina (Costanza), who died in 354 AD. Before the year was out, Francis II was forced to sign the humiliating Treaty of Pressburg (December 26), which ended the dominant role his dynasty had played in the affairs of Germany. However, the emperors from these families did not gain the crown through hereditary means.
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