Aulic Council of the Holy Roman Empire

Charlemagne (2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian Empire from 800, holding these titles until his death in 814. He united most of Western and Central Europe, and was the first recognised Emperor to rule from the west after the fall of the Western Roman Empire approximately three centuries earlier. Charlemagne's reign was marked by political and social changes that had lasting influence on Europe throughout the Middle Ages.

The Imperial Coronation of the Holy Roman Emperor of the German Nation by the hands of the Imperial Prince Electors of the Empire, namely the Archbishop of Cologne, Archbishop of Mainz, Archbishop of Trier, Count Palatine, Duke of Saxony, Margrave of Brandenburg and King of Bohemia - The Imperial Crown of the Holy Roman Empire (German: Reichskrone), a hoop crown (Bügelkrone) with a characteristic octagonal shape, was the coronation crown of the Holy Roman Emperor, probably from the late 10th century until 1806. The crown was used in the coronation of the King of the Romans, the title assumed by the Emperor-elect immediately after his election. It is now kept in the Imperial Treasury (Kaiserliche Schatzkammer) at the Hofburg in Vienna, Austria. Video by the 3D Artist Henning Kleist: https://lnkd.in/efHz87Hj

The Imperial Crown of the Holy Roman Empire (German: Reichskrone), a hoop crown (Bügelkrone) with a characteristic octagonal shape, was the Coronation Crown of the Holy Roman Emperor, probably from the late 10th century until 1806. The Crown was used in the Coronation of the King of the Romans, the title assumed by the Emperor-elect immediately after his election. It is now kept in the Imperial Treasury (Kaiserliche Schatzkammer) at the Hofburg in Vienna, Austria. The Crown of eight hinged golden plates was probably made in Western Germany for the Imperial coronation of Otto I in 962, with what must be later additions which may have been made for Conrad II (since the arch is inscribed with the name CHVONRADUS). However, some medieval historians argue that the crown may have been commissioned at a later date. Whilst acknowledging that the crown is "dated most frequently as a work of the second half of the tenth century", John B. Freed states that "the inscriptions on the plaques have been dated for paleographical reasons as no earlier than the second half of the eleventh century", while the biblical verses that appear on three of the four plaques "were first cited in royal charters only in the late eleventh and twelfth centuries", and proposes that the crown was instead made in preparation for the imperial coronation of Conrad III in Rome (although Conrad was ultimately never crowned as emperor). Freed also cites as evidence the title that appears on the crown, which is identical to how Conrad was styled in a "letter he sent in 1142 to the Byzantine emperor" John II Komnenos, and claims that "the selection of the otherwise odd text from Isaiah 38:5 on the Hezekiah plaque makes the most sense if Conrad commissioned the crown", since he had become "seriously ill during the Second Crusade" and was suffering from tertian malaria, which "hindered him from carrying out his responsibilities from the end of August 1149 until April 1150." On the other hand, Reinhard Staats has "interpreted the Isaiah text as a reminder to every monarch that his days were numbered", while Denise A. Kaiser has "argued that Otto II commissioned the crown and that the Hezekiah plaque refers to Otto I's recovery from a serious illness." The first preserved mention of the crown is from the 12th century, assuming (as is probable) that it is the same crown. Video by the 3D Artist Henning Kleist: https://lnkd.in/efHz87Hj

The Seven Imperial Prince Electors of the Holy Roman Empire, Left to right: Archbishop of Cologne, Archbishop of Mainz, Archbishop of Trier, Count Palatine, Duke of Saxony, Margrave of Brandenburg and King of Bohemia (Codex Balduini Trevirorum, c. 1340). Video by the 3D Artist Henning Kleist: https://lnkd.in/efHz87Hj

The Imperial Coronation of the Emperor Maximillian I of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, April 9th in the year 1486. Video by the 3D Artist Henning Kleist: https://lnkd.in/efHz87Hj

Early depiction of the Imperial Crown of the Holy Roman Empire, Heiltumsbüchlein, 1487. Video by the 3D Artist Henning Kleist: https://lnkd.in/efHz87Hj

König Ferdinand I - The preparatory work for this portrait was carried out in Munich in 1530, when Ferdinand I was on his way to the Reichstag in Augsburg accompanied by his brother Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, Ferdinand is 28 years old. Like his brother Charles V, he wears the Order of the Golden Fleece around his neck, Ferdinand I was the younger brother of Emperor Charles V and grandson of the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I. He was born in Spain in 1503 and received the Austrian hereditary lands as regent in the 1521-1522 succession. In 1526 he was elected King of Bohemia and Hungary and in 1531, after the "Sacco di Roma" of 1527, he was elected King of Rome. He acted as his brother's deputy in the Habsburg dominions and in the Holy Roman Empire and sought a compromise with the protestants following the successful reformation movement in Germany and numerous religious wars. In the Treaty of Passau of 1552 and at the Reichstag in Augsburg in 1555, he agreed to the religious peace. After his brother's abdication in 1556, he became Holy Roman Emperor from 1556 to 1564.

Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II (German: Josef Benedikt Anton Michael Adam; English: Joseph Benedict Anthony Michael Adam; 13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from 18 August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 29 November 1780 until his death. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Emperor Francis I, and the brother of Marie Antoinette, Leopold II, Maria Carolina of Austria and Maria Amalia, Duchess of Parma. He was thus the first ruler in the Austrian dominions of the union of the Houses of Habsburg and Lorraine, styled Habsburg-Lorraine.

Armorial Bearings of the Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans (Latin: Imperator Romanorum, German: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period (Latin: Imperator Germanorum, German: Römisch-deutscher Kaiser, lit. 'Roman-German Emperor'), was the ruler and head of state of the Holy Roman Empire. The title was held in conjunction with the title of King of Italy (Rex Italiae) from the 8th to the 16th century, and, almost without interruption, with the title of King of Germany (Rex Teutonicorum, lit. "King of the Teutons") throughout the 12th to 18th centuries. The Holy Roman Emperor title provided the highest prestige among medieval Catholic monarchs, because the Empire was considered by the Catholic Church to be the only successor of the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. Thus, in theory and diplomacy, the Emperors were considered primus inter pares, regarded as first among equals among other Catholic monarchs across Europe. From an autocracy in Carolingian times (AD 800–924), the title by the 13th century evolved into an elective monarchy, with the emperor chosen by the prince-electors. Various royal houses of Europe, at different times, became de facto hereditary holders of the title, notably the Ottonians (962–1024) and the Salians (1027–1125). Following the late medieval crisis of government, the Habsburgs kept possession of the title with only one interruption from 1740 to 1745. The final Emperors were from the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, from 1765 to 1806. The Emperor was widely perceived to rule by divine right, though he often contradicted or rivaled the Pope, most notably during the Investiture controversy. The Holy Roman Empire never had an Empress regnant, though women such as Theophanu and Maria Theresa exerted strong influence. Throughout its history, the position was viewed as a defender of the Catholic faith. Until Maximilian I in 1508, the Emperor-elect (Imperator electus) was required to be crowned by the pope before assuming the Imperial Title. Charles V was the last to be crowned by the pope in 1530. Even after the Reformation, the elected emperor was always a Catholic. There were short periods in history when the electoral college was dominated by Protestants, and the electors usually voted in their own political interest.

Armorial Bearings of the King of the Romans (Latin: Rex Romanorum; German: König der Römer) was the title used by the King of East Francia following his election by the princes from the reign of Henry II (1002–1024) onward. The title originally referred to any German king between his election and royal coronation until he was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by the Pope. The title was also used to designate the successor to the throne elected during the lifetime of a sitting Emperor. From the 16th century onwards, as German kings adopted the title of Emperor-elect and ceased to be crowned by the Pope, the title continued to be used solely for an elected successor to the throne during his predecessor's lifetime. The actual title varied over time. During the Ottonian period, it was King of the Franks (German: König der Franken, Latin: Rex Francorum), from the late Salian period it was King of the Romans (German: König der Römer, Lat.: Rex Romanorum). In the Modern Period, the title King in Germania (German: König in Germanien, Lat.: Germaniae Rex) came into use. Finally, modern German historiography established the term Roman-German King (Römisch-deutscher König) to differentiate it both from the classical Roman Emperor as well as from the modern German Emperor.