How The Holy Roman Empire Became Both Holy and Roman

Because, for a time, it was both

(By Original: Hans Burgkmair. Vectorization: Ssolbergj — This vector image includes elements that have been taken or adapted from this file:, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5736064)

One of the most common quotes about the Holy Roman Empire states that it was neither holy nor Roman nor an empire. Voltaire supposedly uttered these words, but they are not exactly true. There was a time when the Holy Roman Empire was indeed both Holy and Roman and a budding empire in its own right. Directly after its founding, the Holy Roman Empire (HRE) was indeed holy, Roman, and an empire.

Voltaire lived in the 18th century and experienced a Holy Roman Empire that was much different than the one that was founded centuries earlier. The Holy Roman Empire of Voltaire’s day indeed resembled nothing imperial, holy, or Roman.

In the later stages of the Holy Roman Empire, it was a collection of tiny German principalities, states, and free cities. Each cluster had a vote in which they would cast for the emperor. The leadership was not hereditary. Instead, the Holy Roman Emperor would be elected by the German princes and merchants. The emperor was often taken from Austrian, Hungarian, or German stock, and it was fought over for influence by the larger states that surrounded it. The Holy Roman Empire was highly decentralized, and for many centuries, it had a hard time fielding regular armies and administering a consistent state across its territories. It…