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    Holy Roman Empire Power Politics Papacy
    Holy Roman Empire Power Politics Papacy
    Holy Roman Empire Power Politics Papacy
    Ebook69 pages50 minutes

    Holy Roman Empire Power Politics Papacy

    By Anne Davison

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    This book traces the history of the Holy Roman Empire, which lasted for over a thousand years, from the reign of Charlemagne in AD 800 until AD 1806 when it was dissolved following defeat by Napoleon. It is an Empire that had no fixed boundaries and until the 16th century, when the Habsburgs settled in Vienna, it had no permanent imperial city. At different periods its territories stretched from the North Sea to the Balkans and for a time in the 16th century included the South Americas.
    The first chapter covers the rise of the Carolingian Empire in the 9th century and then its subsequent division into regions that roughly equate to modern France and Germany. Chapter Two looks at the period of the Ottonian dynasty, a time when many of the structures of the Imperial Church were put in place. The third chapter covers the Salian dynasty and conflict with the Papacy over the issue of Lay Investiture.
    Chapter Four covers the role of the Prince Electors and the process for the election of the Emperor. The last two chapters are devoted to the Habsburgs, a dynasty that lasted from the 12th century until modern times and includes the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, the foundation of the Austrian Empire and finally the fall of the Austria-Hungarian Empire after World War I.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAnne Davison
    Release dateDec 23, 2013
    ISBN9781311644022
    Holy Roman Empire Power Politics Papacy
    Author

    Anne Davison

    Canon Doctor Anne Davison has had a lifelong interest in history and the religions of the world. Her journey into understanding other cultures began in her early 20s when she lived in Lagos, Nigeria. Later, a job with British Airways gave her the chance to travel the world more widely.When she became aware of a global increase in religious intolerance she felt the need to better understand our world, past and present. She was particularly interested in how ‘religion’ interacts with politics. This led her to study for a Degree in History and Comparative religion, followed by a PhD in inter religious relations.Whilst living in Switzerland in the 1990s Anne took on the role of Vice Moderator of the World Council of Churches in Geneva, before moving back to London to work with the Church of England as an Adviser in Inter Religious Relations.In addition to organising pilgrim groups to Israel and Lebanon, Anne co-ordinated a Youth Exchange Programme for 16 to 18 year- old Jews, Christians and Muslims between Jerusalem and East London. In recognition of her work in inter-religious relations Anne was made a Lay Canon of the Church of England.Since retiring from the Church of England she has lectured on many cruise ships and in the UK for the Arts SocietyIt was in response to people asking for her lecture notes, that in 2013 Anne decided to write her first book: From the Medes to the Mullah: A History of Iran. She has just published her ninth book on A History of China.She remains convinced that many of the problems facing the world today are the result of an ignorance that can lead to intolerance at best and hatred at worst.She firmly believes that one way to combat this ignorance is to promote a better understanding of our diverse world. Anne likes to think that by offering lectures and writing short, accessible books, she is playing her part in a small way.

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    Reviews for Holy Roman Empire Power Politics Papacy

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    • 4/5
      I picked this book up because I know nothing about the Holy Roman Empire. It keeps coming up in European history, but it wasn't like other empires. As Voltaire said, it was not an empire, not holy and not Roman, so I really didn't understand how it fit into European power politics. This book, which is barely 50 pages, gave the bare bones answer to that.Voltaire was right. It wasn't an empire. It was basically a defense agreement among German princes. The Holy Roman Emperor only had substantial power when there was an external threat. He was technically elected by around seven electors, who were powerful nobility and members of the clergy, but it usually was transferred from father to son, with the Habsburgs being the longest lasting. It was called the Holy Roman Empire because the emperor was supposed to be the defender of the Catholic faith, meaning he was emperor of all "Romans" who accepted the Pope's authority across Europe. In the early centuries of the empire, which can be dated either to Charlemagne or Otto the Great, there was conflict for power between the emperor and the Pope. The Papacy eventually consolidated control at the expense of the Empire, but the conflict continued until the Reformation. The Reformation severely undermined the Empire at a time when it had perhaps its greatest emperor, Charles V. Northern princes supported Martin Luthor while southern princes, including the emperors, stayed with the Vatican. From that point, the empire declined. Internal divisions caused by religion, the devastation of the 30 Years War and external threats from France, Russia and the Ottomans eroded its power. It was eventually destroyed after the Battle of Austerlitz in 1805 against Napoleon, but was replaced by the Austrian Empire in the south while the northern Germans eventually unified into the German empire in 1870.The direct line from the Holy Roman Empire to the Austrian Empire is through the Habsburg family, which ruled the Empire for almost four centuries. The Habsburgs used marriange and conquest to extend their territory, which was a patchwork of lands all over the continent. After the death of Charles V, the Spanish side of the family and the German side drifted apart, with the Spanish side dying out at the end of 17th century. The German side continued and, after Austerlitz, the Holy Roman Emperor Frances II became the Austrian Emperor Frances I, making Austria a clear continuation of the Holy Roman Empire. The book finishes by showing how the Habsburgs lost the empire and Austria in WWI but the family continues to this day in Austrian politics.This book is short and very broad, but is excellent at what it does. I wanted to get a basic grip on what the Holy Roman Empire was and how it worked and in less than 50 pages, this book did it. It won't make you an expert but it is a great starting point.
    • 3/5
      A book this short can only give a quick overview of its subject, which Anne Davison succeeds in doing on a basic level. I would personally have made some different choices in writing it, like leaving out the section on the Hapsburgs in the 19th and early 20th centuries (including things like the tabloid comparison of Sissi to Princess Diana!) as not relevant to history of the Holy Roman Empire, and maybe approaching the subject more thematically. Still, this slender book is useful, at least in helping you decide whether you want to spend time on a more in-depth treatment of the subject.

    Book preview

    Holy Roman Empire Power Politics Papacy - Anne Davison

    THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE

    Power Politics and the Papacy

    Part of the ‘In Brief’ Series: Books for Busy People

    by Anne Davison

    Smashwords Edition

    This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy.

    Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author

    Copyright©2013 Anne Davison

    Cover designed by Karen Turner

    TABLE OF CONTENTS

    PREFACE

    INTRODUCTION

    CHAPTER ONE: The Carolingians

    CHAPTER TWO: The Ottonian Empire

    CHAPTER THREE: The Salians and the Investiture Controversy

    CHAPTER FOUR: The Prince Electors

    CHAPTER FIVE: The Habsburgs

    CHAPTER SIX: End of Empire

    EPILOGUE

    CHRONOLOGY

    OTHER BOOKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR

    Map Germanic Migration

    Map Carolingian Empire

    Map Treaty of Verdun

    Map Holy Roman Empire c AD 1175

    Map Ottonian, Salian and Hohenstaufen Dynasties

    Map Prince Electors

    Map Habsburg Family Tree c AD 1459

    Map Empress Maria Theresa Family Tree c AD 1745

    Map Emperor Franz Joseph I Family Tree c AD 1848

    Map Austria-Hungarian Empire c AD 1914

    PREFACE

    This is the third book in the ‘In Brief’ Series: Books for Busy People, the others being From the Medes to the Mullahs; a History of Iran and Paul of Tarsus; a First Century Radical. As with the previous books, the content of this book began as a series of lectures. They are aimed at the general reader who wants to understand a particular historical topic but doesn’t have the time or inclination to read a heavy academic tome.

    This book traces the history of the Holy Roman Empire, which lasted for over a thousand years, from the reign of Charlemagne in AD 800 until AD 1806 when it was dissolved following defeat by Napoleon. It is an Empire that had no fixed boundaries and until the 16th century, when the Habsburgs settled in Vienna, it had no permanent imperial city. At different periods its territories stretched from the North Sea to the Balkans and for a time in the 16th century included the South Americas.

    The first chapter covers the rise of the Carolingian Empire in the 9th century and then its subsequent division into regions that roughly equate to modern France and Germany. Chapter Two looks at the period of the Ottonian dynasty, a time when many of the structures of the Imperial Church were put in place. The third chapter covers the Salian dynasty and conflict with the Papacy over the issue of Lay Investiture.

    Chapter Four covers the role of the Prince Electors and the process for the election of the Emperor. The last two chapters are devoted to the Habsburgs, a dynasty that lasted from the 12th century until modern times and includes the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, the foundation of the Austrian Empire and finally the fall of the Austria-Hungarian Empire after World War I.

    INTRODUCTION

    Francois-Marie Arouet, better known as Voltaire, famously said that ‘the Holy Roman Empire was neither Holy, nor Roman nor an Empire’. Taken at face value this is probably right. If we dig a little deeper, however, we may discover how and why, this entity came to be so named.

    The foundation of the Holy Roman Empire is traditionally dated from the coronation of Otto the Great in AD 962. However, the reign

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