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THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE.
Lecture 1. How the empire started in 800 AD.
This was a multi-ethnic complex of territories in central Europe that evolved from the
downfall of the Ancient Roman Empire. It encompassed present-day Germany, the
Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Austria, the Czech and Slovak
republics as well as parts of eastern France, northern Italy, Slovenia and western Poland.
MODERN EUROPE
The term "Holy Roman Empire" was not used until the 13th. century. Earlier it was
generally known as "The Empire".
In earlier times the areas were occupied by a range of people.
EUROPE 500BC
The coming of the Iron Age to Europe led to a large growth in populations throughout
the continent, as well as great advances in culture. On the coasts and islands of the
Mediterranean Sea - of Greece and the Aegean, southern Italy and Sicily, the southern
coasts of France and Spain, and north Africa - hundreds of city-states now flourish.
The emergence of the Classical city-state in the Mediterranean world has allowed one of
the most brilliant civilizations in all human history to develop, that of ancient Greece.
Their small, fiercely competitive republics provide a fruitful environment for advances in
many branches of endeavour, artistic, intellectual and political.
To the north, the Celts now cover western Europe from Spain in the west to Britain in
the north. Peoples closely related to them, both ethnically and culturally, dominate
central Europe.
EUROPE 200BC
In the Mediterranean world, the city-states of Greece, where immense cultural
achievements had been registered over the past three centuries, are now overshadowed
by powerful new kingdoms to the north and east, carved out of the conquests of
Alexander the Great. These kingdoms are home to a new cosmopolitan civilization,
which modern scholars label "Hellenistic".
To the west, a new power has made its appearance in history, Rome. She has risen to
control Italy and, having defeated Carthage, that ancient and wealthy city on the north
coast of Africa, now dominates the western Mediterranean and eastern Spain.
In northern Europe, Celtic tribes have continued to spread out from Gaul to cover
much of the continent, and have thrown out offshoots into northern Italy, the Balkans
and even Asia Minor
EUROPE 30BC
The past two centuries have seen Rome come to dominate western Europe and the
Mediterranean; its empire now covers Italy, Spain, Gaul, parts of North Africa, Greece
and other parts of the Balkans, as well as large parts of the Middle East.
After a long period of civil war and conquests, under such famous generals as Pompey
the Great and Julius Caesar (who briefly invaded the island of Britain), peace now
prevails across its empire.
Graeco-Roman civilization is rapidly spreading throughout the Roman world. Along its
northern frontiers the legions confront hostile German tribes, who will soon (AD 6)
inflict on them a crushing defeat. Nevertheless the Roman state is now amongst the most
populous, prosperous and stable empires of ancient history.
EUROPE 120AD
The Roman empire expanded considerably over the past couple of hundred years. As
well as covering Italy, Spain and Portugal, Gaul, and Greece, it now takes in Britain, all
the Balkans, all of North Africa, and reaches far into central Europe.
The empire has brought long-lasting peace to this vast region and its fifty-million or so
inhabitants. With peace and commerce, cities have prospered.
Beyond the imperial frontiers, the German peoples have been revolting. This affects the
Romans through an increased pressure on their frontiers. Roman emperors are having to
spend more and more of their time on campaign. Shortly the empire – and with it the
Graeco-Roman civilization it shelters - will enter its long period of decline.
The Empire was simply too large for good governance.
In 285 AD the emperor Diocletion divided the empire into two halves. These came to be
known as The Western Roman Empire, which spoke Latin and practised Roman
Catholicism, and The Eastern Roman Empire, which spoke Greek and separated into the
Eastern Orthodox church. At no point did the Romans consider the Empire split into
two, but rather considered it as a single state governed by two separate imperial courts
out of administrative expediency.
285 AD
Over time wave after wave of Germanic barbarian tribes swept through the Roman
Empire. Groups such as Visigoths, Vandals, Angles, Saxons, Franks, Ostrogoths and
Lombards. In 476 AD the last of the West Roman emperors was overthrown by a
Germanic tribe. The order that the Roman Empire had brought to Europe for 1,000
years was no more.
However the modern use of “Late Antiquity” emphasises the cultural continuities
throughout and beyond the political collapse.
EUROPE 500AD
Since the start of the 5th century the empire's western provinces have been overrun by
German tribes, who have established a number of kingdoms here: the Visigoths,
Burgundians, Suebi and Franks divide Gaul and the Iberian Peninsula between
them, North Africa has been occupied by the Vandals, and southern Britain is being
settled by north German peoples, the Angles and Saxons. Even Italy, the heartland of the
old Roman empire, is now under barbarian rule. In these regions the literate, urban
civilization of the Classical world has taken a major hit, and society is experiencing huge
changes. The city-based way of life enjoyed by the Romans is severely diminished, longdistance trade has been gravely disrupted, and society has become simpler, more rural,
and more local in its horizons.
The major continuity from Roman times was the spread of Christianity.
New religious cults had been spreading throughout the Roman empire - Mithraism,
Manichaeism and above all Christianity. The latter's spread, beginning in the Jewish
homeland of Judaea, has been helped by the presence of many Jewish communities in the
cities of the empire, and indeed it starts life as a sect within Judaism. However, it clearly
becomes a religion in its own right, winning converts right around the empire from Jews
and non-Jews alike.
Dark Blue: Spread of Christianity to 325 AD
Light Blue: Spread of Christianity to 600 AD
The earliest followers of Jesus comprised an apocalyptic Jewish sect – Jewish Christianity.
Early Christians gradually drew apart from Judaism during the first two centuries of the
Christian Era: it established itself as predominately gentile religion in the Roman Empire.
To ensure a greater consistency in their teachings, by the end of the 1st century many
Christian communities evolved a more structured hierarchy, with a central bishop, whose
opinion held more weight in that city. The bishops of Rome and Byzantium were of
prime importance. The first bishop of Rome to be contemporaneously referred to as
“Pope” was Damascus I (Pope 366-84).
Costantine the Great (272-337) was largely responsible for the rapid spread of
Christianity during the period 300 to 600. His father, Flavius Constantius, was deputy
emperor of the western Roman Empire. In 306 he and his son were engaged in military
campaigns in Britain at what is now York when Flavius died. Constantine’s troops
immediately acclaimed him as emperor but it was not until 17 years later, after long civil
wars, that he became sole emperor of the east and west Roman Empire. Emperor
Constantine was the first Roman emperor to claim conversion to Christianity. He
decreed tolerance for Christianity and the religion was legalised in 313. These actions
helped to spread Christianity through Europe.
Constantine built a new imperial residence at Byzantine and renamed it Constantinople.
From the late 5th. Century the Franks gradually extended their territories
Major moves were first made by Clovis I who united all of Gaul under Merovingian rule.
Other conquests were made leading to Charles Martel (686-741) and his successful
campaigns that established the Franks as the undisputed masters of all Gaul. This was the
start of the Carolingian rule.
The Carolingian dynasty continued in 754 under Pepin the Short.
Pepin’s eldest son was Charlemagne (745-814) and he and his brother were co-rulers
following the death of Pepin. The death of Charlemagne’s brother, in unexplained
circumstances, left Charlemagne as the undisputed ruler of the Frankish Kingdom. He
continued his father’s policy towards the papacy and became its protector, removing the
Lombards from power in northern Italy and leading an incursion into Muslim Spain. He
campaigned against the Saxons to his east, Christianising them upon penalty of death.
His rule spurred a period of cultural and intellectual activity.
The Roman empire itself had become restricted to its eastern provinces, centred on its
capital, Constantinople. In this empire urban civilization remains very much alive, and
the economy is enjoying something of a revival. Here too Christianity is the official
religion, with the pagan culture of the Graeco-Roman world in steep decline.
EUROPE 750AD
The past two and a half centuries have seen the continued decline of literacy and urban
life in western Europe, with the further dislocation of long-distance trade. Society is
based firmly on self-sufficient country estates supporting an illiterate warrior aristocracy.
The shrunken towns are dominated by bishops and their clergy (the only literate group in
society).
The Franks, one of the original German invaders of Roman territory, have conquered
other Germanic kingdoms and tribes to rule most of modern-day France and much of
Germany. Their kings are active supporters of the Catholic church and its leaders, the
popes (based in Rome).
Pagan tribes still inhabit central, eastern and northern Europe. England is now divided
amongst a group of Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, with Celtic kingdoms to their north and
west: both Anglo-Saxons and Celts have converted to Christianity. Most of Spain has
been conquered by the vast Muslim Caliphate.
The Roman empire (or Byzantine empire, as we should now call it) has also been
battered by Muslim armies, who have taken its wealthiest provinces, Egypt and Syria,
from it. Other enemies, pagan Slav tribes from central Europe, have occupied most of
the Balkans. In both the Balkans and Asia Minor urban life has been badly affected, with
many famous cities reduced to mere villages. In the core of the Byzantine empire itself,
the capital, Constantinople, and a handful of other cities remain sizeable urban
settlements. They house a civilization that is sophisticated and vigorous, but no longer
recognizable as Classical in the Graeco-Roman tradition: Christian from top to toe, it is
far removed from the old pagan culture of Greece and Rome. The people speak Greek
rather than Latin.
In 799 Pope Leo III was in need of help from the Frankish king Charlemagne. He had
been physically attacked by his enemies in the streets of Rome (they wanted to blind him
and cut off his tongue). Leo made his way through the Alps to visit Charlemagne at
Paderborn. Paderborn is between Cologne and Hamburg and Charlemagne had built a
castle there. Leo stayed three months and there was probably an agreement that if
Charlemagne would provide him with protection then Leo would crown him emperor. In
800 Charlemagne travelled to Rome and on Christmas day Leo crowned him emperor
with the title “Charles, most serene Augustus, crowned by God, great and pacific
emperor, governing the Roman empire”.
This coronation marked the beginning of The Holy Roman Empire – but who was in
charge, the emperor or the Pope?