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Definition: Holy Roman Empire from The Macquarie Dictionary
1.

the empire in western and central Europe which began with the coronation of Otto the Great, king of Germany, as Roman emperor AD 962, and ended with the renunciation of the Roman imperial title by emperor Francis II in 1806, regarded theoretically as the continuation of the Western Empire and as the temporal form of a universal dominion whose spiritual head was the pope. It is sometimes regarded as originating with Charlemagne, who was crowned Roman emperor AD 800.

Holy Roman Empire

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
designation for the political entity that originated at the coronation as emperor (962) of the German king Otto I and endured until the renunciation (1806) of the imperial title by Francis II . The term itself did not come into usage until several centuries after Otto's accession. For a list of all emperors from Otto I to Francis II and the dates they reigned, see the table entitled Holy Roman Emperors . The Holy Roman Empire was a successor state to the empire founded in 800 by Charlemagne (see also Carolingians ), who revived the title of Roman emperor in the West. According to Carolingian theory, the Roman Empire had merely been suspended, not ended, by the abdication of the last Roman emperor in 476. In 800, Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne Roman emperor, probably perceived more as a personal title than as a reference to a particular territorial rule. From the death of Arnulf (899), the last Carolingian to hold the imperial title, until Otto's coronation in Rome by Pope John XII, …
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Although the pope named Charlemagne Holy Roman Emperor in 800, his realm was held together largely by the force of his personality. After his death, France and Germany became separate countries, and much of Europe dissolved into a patchwork of feudal kingdoms. In the mid-tenth century the ruler of…
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Full text Article Holy Roman Empire

From Philip's Encyclopedia
European Empire centred on Germany (10th-19th centuries), which echoed the Empire of ancient Rome . It was founded (962) when the German king Otto I (the Great) was crowned in Rome, although some historians date it from the coronation of Charlemagne in 800. The Emperor, elected by the German…
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Full text Article Holy Roman Empire

From Encyclopedia of World Religions: Encyclopedia of Catholicism
Latin: sacrum romanum imperium . The Holy Roman Empire was a central European collection of states and principalities that emerged out of the lands ruled by Charlemagne (ca. 742–814). It was created with the idealistic goal of protecting the Catholic faith at a time when much of Europe was still…
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During the period of 1500 to 1750, the Holy Roman Empire grew to be a large political entity but faced serious problems that brought it close to the point of disintegration. The immense territory of the empire—over 300 states of varying size—was to be its ultimate undoing. Though several…
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Full text Article Holy Roman Empire

From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
Realm of varying extent in medieval and modern western and central Europe. Traditionally believed to have been established by Charlemagne , who was crowned emperor by Pope Leo III in 800, the empire lasted until the renunciation of the imperial title by Francis II in 1806. The reign of the German…
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Full text Article Holy Roman Empire

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
designation for the political entity that originated at the coronation as emperor (962) of the German king Otto I and endured until the renunciation (1806) of the imperial title by Francis II . The term itself did not come into usage until several centuries after Otto's accession. For a list of all…
| 1,821 words
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Full text Article Holy Roman Empire

From Encyclopedia of Empire
Holy Roman Empire, c.1200.
Burgundy Charlemagne feudalism Germany Italy monarchy Otto I papacy The Holy Roman Empire existed 800–1806 and its ruler was Europe's only emperor west of the Balkans until the international recognition of the Ottoman and Russian imperial titles. Long condemned by historians as weak and largely…
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Holy Roman Empire, The
The title Holy Roman Empire, sacrum Romanum imperium , was first used in 1254. The political institution to which it refers, however, came into being over 400 years earlier. Its establishment is usually dated to the coronation of Charlemagne (742–814) in 800 as Emperor over most of Christian Western…
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Following the death of Emperor Louis the Pious (814–840) and the Frankish civil war (840–843), the Carolingian Empire was divided among three sons of Louis. On the eastern ruins of the empire a new kingdom, that of Germany, had emerged, stretching from Holstein in the north down to the Alps in the…
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Full text Article Holy Roman Empire

From Merriam-Webster's Geographical Dictionary
A realm of primarily cen. Europe in medieval and modern periods; of varying extent with Germany as its chief component; originated 800 a.d. when Frankish King Charlemagne was crowned emperor of the West; revived with coronation 962 of Otto the Great; at its height in mid-11th cent. before emperors…
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