Holy Roman Empire Sacrum Imperium Romanum (in Latin) Heiliges Römisches Reich (in German) | |||||||||||||||||||||
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800/962[a]–1806 | |||||||||||||||||||||
![]() The Holy Roman Empire at its greatest extent in the early to middle 13th century during the Hohenstaufen dynasty (1155–1268) superimposed on modern state borders. | |||||||||||||||||||||
Capital | No official capital, various imperial seats[b] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Common languages | German, Latin (administrative/liturgical/ceremonial) Various[c] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Religion | Roman Catholicism (800–1806) Lutheranism (1555–1806) Calvinism (1648–1806) see details[broken anchor] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Government | Elective monarchy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Emperor | |||||||||||||||||||||
• 800–814 | Charlemagne[a] | ||||||||||||||||||||
• 962–973 | Otto I (first) | ||||||||||||||||||||
• 1792–1806 | Francis II (last) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Legislature | Imperial Diet | ||||||||||||||||||||
Historical era | Middle Ages Early modern period | ||||||||||||||||||||
• Charlemagne is crowned Emperor of the Romans[a] | 25 December 800 | ||||||||||||||||||||
2 February 962 | |||||||||||||||||||||
2 February 1033 | |||||||||||||||||||||
25 September 1555 | |||||||||||||||||||||
24 October 1648 | |||||||||||||||||||||
2 December 1805 | |||||||||||||||||||||
• Francis II abdicated | 6 August 1806 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Population | |||||||||||||||||||||
• 1200 | 5000000[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||
• 1500 | 16000000[3][4] | ||||||||||||||||||||
• 1618 | 21000000[5] | ||||||||||||||||||||
• 1648 | 16000000[5] | ||||||||||||||||||||
• 1786 | 26265000[6] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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The Holy Roman Empire (Latin: Sacrum Imperium Romanum; German: Heiliges Römisches Reich), occasionally but unofficially referred to as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation,[7] was a polity in Western and Central Europe under the rule of an emperor, who was elected by the princes and the magistrates of its regions and cities. On 25 December 800, Pope Leo III crowned the Frankish king Charlemagne as Roman emperor and revived the title in Western Europe for the first time since the fall of the ancient Western Roman Empire in 476.
When Charlemagne died in 814, his Frankish Empire was given to his sons and divided into three different countries: West Francia, Lotharingia and East Francia. In 962, Otto I was crowned emperor by Pope John XII. The empire would last for over eight centuries, until it ended in 1806.
At the start of the empire, the emperor was quite powerful. As time went on, however, the empire's duchies and counties became more powerful than the emperor.
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