The Holy Roman Empire

The object of this treatise is not so much to give a narrative history of the countries included in the Romano-Germanic Empire--Italy during the middle ages, Germany from the ninth century to the nineteenth--as to describe the Holy Empire itself as an institution or system, the wonderful offspring of a body of beliefs and traditions which have almost wholly passed away from the world. Such a description, however, would not be intelligible without some account of the great events which accompanied the growth and decay of imperial power; and it has therefore appeared best to give the book the form rather of a narrative than of a dissertation; and to combine with an exposition of what may be called the theory of the Empire an outline of the political history of Germany, as well as some notices of the affairs of mediæval Italy. To make the succession of events clearer, a Chronological List of Emperors and Popes has been prefixed[1].

The present edition has been carefully revised and corrected throughout; and a good many additions have been made to both text and notes.

LINCOLN'S INN, August 11, 1870.

FOOTNOTE:

[1] The author has in preparation, and hopes before long to complete and publish, a set of chronological tables which may be made to serve as a sort of skeleton history of mediæval Germany and Italy.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I. Introductory.

CHAPTER II. The Roman Empire before the Invasion of the Barbarians.

The Empire in the Second Century 5 Obliteration of National distinctions 6 Rise of Christianity 10 Its Alliance with the State 10 Its Influence on the Idea of an Imperial Nationality 13

CHAPTER III. The Barbarian Invasions.

Relations between the Primitive Germans and the Romans 15 Their Feelings towards Rome and her Empire 16 Belief in its Eternity 20 Extinction by Odoacer of the Western branch of the Empire 26 Theodoric the Ostrogothic King 27 Gradual Dissolution of the Empire 30 Permanence of the Roman Religion and the Roman Law 31

CHAPTER IV. Restoration of the Empire in the West.

The Franks 34 Italy under Greeks and Lombards 37 The Iconoclastic Schism 38 Alliance of the Popes with the Frankish Kings 39 The Frankish Conquest of Italy 41 Adventures and Plans of Pope Leo III 43 Coronation of Charles the Great 48

CHAPTER V. Empire and Policy of Charles.

Import of the Coronation at Rome 52 Accounts given in the Annals of the time 53 Question as to the Intentions of Charles 58 Legal Effect of the Coronation 62 Position of Charles towards the Church 64 Towards his German Subjects 67 Towards the other Races of Europe 70 General View of his Character and Policy 72

CHAPTER VI. Carolingian and Italian Emperors.

Reign of Lewis I 76 Dissolution of the Carolingian Empire 78 Beginnings of the German Kingdom 79 Italian Emperors 80 Otto the Saxon King 84 Coronation of Otto at Rome 87

CHAPTER VII. Theory of the Mediæval Empire.

The World Monarchy and the World Religion 91 Unity of the Christian Church 94 Influence of the Doctrine of Realism 97 The Popes as heirs to the Roman Monarchy 99 Character of the revived Roman Empire 102 Respective Functions of the Pope and the Emperor 104 Proofs and Illustrations 109 Interpretations of Prophecy 112 Two remarkable Pictures 116

CHAPTER VIII. The Roman Empire and the German Kingdom.

The German or East Frankish Monarchy 122 Feudality in Germany 123 Reciprocal Influence of the Roman and Teutonic Elements on the Character of the Empire 127

CHAPTER IX. Saxon and Franconian Emperors.