Holy Roman Empire

The Holy Roman Empire (Latin: Sacrum Romanum Imperium, French: Sacre Empire Romain, German: Heiliges Römisches Reich, Dutch: Heilige Roomse Rijk), also known as the Frankish Empire and in its early days as the Carolingian Empire, was the dominant power in Western Europe and the purported successor to the Western Roman Empire. It was founded by Emperor Charlemagne, who was crowned by the Pope on the 1st of January, 777, as Emperor of the Romans. His descendants, the main branch of the Carolingian Dynasty, would dominate the early history of the Empire, maintaining their hold over the title of Holy Roman Emperor well into the 9th century despite various interludes during which the recalcitrant electors of the Empire occasionally refused to elect a Karling.

The Holy Roman Empire ruled over most of Western Christendom at its height under Emperor Charles the Younger and his successor Louis II Karling, combining the later territories of France and Germany with northern Italy and much of Spain. The reign of Charles the Petty, the last Carolingian Emperor, saw the Empire collapse outside of its Frankish heartlands, where Carolingian rule had been ended by the increasingly assertive princes of the Imperial core. The succession of Charles the Petty to the throne of Germany in the stead of his distant cousin King Yves in turn led to the rise of the German Empire, which claimed to be the Holy Roman Empire as a rival to its Frankish counterpart. This German Empire would become the predecessor of the later Kingdom of Germany. Karlings also ruled over the Catalan and Italian domains, united under the crown of Italy.