Although large, why was the Holy Roman Empire so politically decentralized?
2006-10-22 15:46:59 · 6 answers · asked by Chris R 1 in Arts & Humanities ➔ History
I found a map:
http://home.comcast.net/~vienna1230/maps/holy_roman_empire_1138_1254.jpg
2006-10-22 15:51:29 · update #1
The precise term Holy Roman Empire dates from 1254; the final version Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation (German Heiliges Römisches Reich Deutscher Nation) appears in 1512, after several variations in the late 15th century.
The Holy Roman Empire was an institution which is unique in world history and therefore difficult to grasp.
Formally, the Reich comprised the King, to be crowned Emperor by the pope (until 1508), on the one side, and the Reichsstände (imperial estates) on the other side.
2006-10-23 06:07:17 · answer #1 · answered by speccially_produced 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Always a power struggle between the Churchs' monopoly on religion (Divine Right of Kings after all), and the Political reality of running a country. The Holy oman Empire was not a Theocracy, even though all states were devout Christians. Many a King had arguments with Popes over Taxes, Tithes etc.
2006-10-22 15:50:41 · answer #2 · answered by froggen616 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Power struggles. The leader of the Holy Roman Empire was only the leader so long as he answered to the Pope for any and all decisions surrounding policies while governing the area. Given that this is an era of power-hungry popes (seeing as how being the leader of the only christian religion recognized at the time in Western Eurpoe most definitely adds to one's criterion of being an unquestioned authority in all realms, political and religious) whose wisdom was sometimes subtely (and most of time the time outright) questioned by rulers of the HRE, there were definitely municipal groups whose loyalty was divided between papal authority and lay authority. Hope this helps out a little.
2006-10-22 15:53:28 · answer #3 · answered by jaded 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The Holy Roman Empire was not an empire. It was a confederation of independent countries who were not bound to follow the Holy Roman Emperor's laws.
2006-10-22 15:49:41 · answer #4 · answered by Sinned2471 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
what you also have to remember is how large the Roman Empire was becoming at this time. it was so large and with most of the population being conquered peoples at this time, with the area being so large, and without means of modern transportation and communication...
technically, the Roman Empire was a centralized government, but this is why it functioned more as a decentralized for of government as it expanded beyond its capabilities. it just got too big to be centralized, no matter how hard it tried to be centralized.
this reason is one of the main reasons why Rome fell, and why it fell slowly to invaders.
2006-10-22 15:59:16 · answer #5 · answered by christy 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Because it was not really an empire.
It wasn't Roman, either.
And it was definitely not holy.
2006-10-22 15:54:48 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋