Holy Roman Empire
Topic: Medieval Europe: Feudalism and the Three Orders · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 2 "An Empire Across Three Continents"; Class 11, Ch 4 "The Three Orders"
Meaning
The Holy Roman Empire was a western European empire backed by the Church. It claimed to carry on the old Roman Empire. Its idea began when the Pope gave the title of emperor to a Frankish king. It mixed royal power with the Pope's blessing, so it shows how closely kings and the Church worked together in medieval Europe.
Example
In 800, Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne, king of the Franks, as 'Holy Roman Emperor' to make sure he had Charlemagne's support. Many centuries later the Habsburg family of Austria held the title. One of them was Maximilian, one of the 'new monarchs' of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.
Don't confuse with
- Roman Empire: the old empire centred on Rome. It fell in the west before the medieval era began. The Holy Roman Empire only claimed to continue it.
- Byzantine Empire: the eastern empire ruled from Constantinople. It had its own emperor and the head of the Eastern Church.