2763: Holy (?) Roman (?) Empire (?) Jul 14, 2024

The name of the Holy Roman Empire, especially in its later forms, is often scrutinized for certainly not being Roman (or even including Rome much of its history), without the political structure of a traditional empire, and not being notably holy—however that might be measured in this case. While on the surface, these points might be addressed by the fact that its founder, Charlemagne, was crowned by the Pope, Leo III, when he controlled Rome along with most of the rest of Europe, but really the first use of the term Holy Roman Empire (Sacrum Romanum Imperium) was only in the mid-13th century, 4½ centuries after this coronation.  

Rather, this was an evolution, first with Charlemagne declared as Imperator Augustus (venerable emperor), then, with Rome secured, Conrad II was called the Roman Emperor officially, though it had been used earlier. While they were not the only ones to view themselves as the successors of the Roman Empire, along with the Byzantines, say, but the ‘Holy’ element of the name was not to distinguish between those, say, but rather against the notion of the papacy’s total religious authority. Thus, it was more of a progression over several centuries, and the criticisms may look only at the end or the beginning of this nearly 1000-year history when the terms were, in fairness, less germane.