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Article: Holy Roman Empire
- Article from:
- The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition
CopyrightThe Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2008 Columbia University Press. (Hide copyright information)
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Holy Roman Empire 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
.
Origins
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, ...