Holy Roman Empire Association

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.

Franz II, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire (1768 - 1835) - Imperial Patent of Nobility to Andreas Freiherr von Steigentesch, Dated 1797.

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 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

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

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

Emperor Charles VI (1 October 1685 – 20 October 1740) was Holy Roman Emperor and ruler of the Austrian Habsburg Monarchy from 1711 until his death, succeeding his elder brother, Joseph I. He unsuccessfully claimed the throne of Spain following the death of his relative, Charles II. In 1708, he married Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, by whom he had his four children: Leopold Johann (who died in infancy), Maria Theresa (the last direct Habsburg sovereign), Maria Anna (Governess of the Austrian Netherlands), and Maria Amalia (who also died in infancy). Four years before the birth of Maria Theresa, faced with his lack of male heirs, Charles provided for a male-line succession failure with the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713. The Emperor favoured his own daughters over those of his elder brother and predecessor, Joseph I, in the succession, ignoring the Mutual Pact of Succession he had signed during the reign of his father, Leopold I. Charles sought the other European powers' approval. They demanded significant terms, among which were that Austria close the Ostend Company. In total, Great Britain, France, Saxony-Poland, the Dutch Republic, Spain, Venice, States of the Church, Prussia, Russia, Denmark, Savoy-Sardinia, Bavaria, and the Diet of the Holy Roman Empire recognised the sanction. France, Spain, Saxony-Poland, Bavaria and Prussia later reneged. Charles died in 1740, sparking the War of the Austrian Succession, which plagued his successor, Maria Theresa, for eight years.

The Holy Roman Emperor Charles V as a Child by Jan van Beers.

The Funeral procession in Honor of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.