The History of the Holy Roman Empire: 1st Century A.D. - 19th Century

The main goal of this edition is to present the Holy Roman Empire as an institution or system, the wonderful offspring of a body of beliefs and traditions which have 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 medieval Italy.The Roman Empire Before the Invasion of the BarbariansThe Barbarian InvasionsRestoration of the Empire in the WestEmpire and Policy of CharlesCarolingian and Italian EmperorsTheory of the Mediæval EmpireThe Roman Empire and the German KingdomSaxon and Franconian EmperorsStruggle of the Empire and the PapacyThe Emperors in Italy: Frederick BarbarossaImperial Titles and PretensionsFall of the HohenstaufenThe Germanic Constitution—the Seven ElectorsThe Empire as an International PowerThe City of Rome in the Middle AgesThe Renaissance: Change in the Character of the EmpireThe Reformation and Its Effects Upon the EmpireThe Peace of Westphalia: Last Stage in the Decline of the EmpireFall of the Empire