Which was stronger in the Middle Ages, England or the Holy Roman Empire?

In the heyday of the Middle Ages-the Holy Roman Empire

People usually took the Carolingian dynasty as their heir, and the year 911, when Conrad I, Duke of Franks, was elected king, was the beginning of the transition from Eastern Franks to Germany. Conrad I was regarded as the first German king, but the official title at that time was "King Frank" and later renamed "King of Rome". In the 11th century, it was called "Roman Empire", after the 13th century, it was called "Holy Roman Empire", and in the 15th century, it was added with "German Nation". However, it should be noted that the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire was not a real German emperor, but was regarded as the successor of the Western Roman Empire, that is, the emperor of Rome. It's just that most of its ruling areas are in today's Germany. The official language of the Holy Roman Empire is not German, but Latin.

The empire is an electoral monarchy, and the king is elected by senior nobles. At the same time, it pursues the "bloodline law", that is, the new king should be related to his predecessor. However, this principle was aborted; Repeated elections are not uncommon. In the middle ages, the empire did not have a capital, and the king ruled by cruising. The empire has no taxes, and the king's income mainly comes from the "imperial property" entrusted to him. Even his authority is not properly recognized: only by military strength and clever alliance policy can he gain the respect of powerful dukes in the tribe. Conrad's successor, Herzogtum Von Sachsen Henry I (919-936) did this, and his son Otto I (936-973) was even more shine on you. Otto made himself the actual ruler of the empire. The fact that he was crowned emperor in Rome in 962 showed his power. In 972, the Byzantine Emperor John I finally recognized Otto's title of Emperor of the Western Roman Empire.

From then on, the King of Germany has the qualification to ascend to the throne. The imperial power in the concept is all-encompassing, which gives the owner the power to rule the whole western world. However, this concept has never completely become a political reality. In order to accept the coronation of the Pope, the king had to go to Rome himself. This began the German King's Italian policy. Their rule in northern and central Italy has lasted for 3 years, so they can't be hands-on in Germany's grand plan of governing the country. Otto's successors suffered serious setbacks during their reign. In 124, with the death of Henry IV, the last monarch of the Saxon dynasty without a son, the Saxon dynasty died. In the same year, Conrad II, the son of Henry, Earl of Speyer, was elected king, which began the rule of Frankenia dynasty in Germany.

during Henry III (139-156), the Frankenian dynasty reached its peak, especially the imperial emperor's control over the Pope reached its peak. Henry III went to Italy in 146 and deposed Pope Gregory VI who opposed him. Clement II, a German, was elected as the new Pope and crowned Henry III. Since then, he has repeatedly abolished the Pope. Henry III has always mastered the appointment and removal of bishops in Germany.

However, Henry IV (156-116) was unable to maintain this situation. He insisted on controlling the appointment and dismissal of all bishops in Germany and northern Italy, and refused to let the Archbishop of Milan, who was supported by the Pope, take office, so he had a fierce conflict with Pope Gregory Ⅶ. Gregory Ⅶ, who has long been a central figure in the church reform, is determined to make the Pope's power above the secular rulers. Henry IV called a meeting of all German bishops in Vorms, declared Gregory Ⅶ a false monk and deposed him. However, few bishops responded to Henry IV, and ordinary people were even more uneasy about the emperor's behavior. In retaliation, Gregory Ⅶ punished Henry IV for death. The fatal blow to Henry IV came from German governors who seized the opportunity to launch a rebellion. At the Tribble Conference, most dukes said that if Henry IV could not be rehabilitated within one year, they would no longer recognize his legitimacy. The people also refused to help the emperor; Because he has been excommunicated. Henry IV did not have enough troops to subdue the rebellious princes. By 177, it was clear that unless Henry IV could regain his religious credentials, his throne would be overthrown. Gregory VII was having dinner in augsburg one day when he suddenly learned that Henry IV was approaching his residence, so he hurriedly fled to Canosha Castle, the territory of Matilda, a countess of Tuscany, a friend of his. However, Henry IV's real intention was to ask the Pope for forgiveness. Then the famous "Canossa repents" event happened: Henry IV stood in the ice and snow outside the castle (according to legend, barefoot) for three days; Begging the Pope to forgive all his sins. Gregory Ⅶ was in a dilemma, knowing that Henry IV could not keep his promise, but he finally cancelled the absolute punishment.

Henry IV did not swallow his humiliation. After he regained the support of the people and gave the governors no excuse to oppose him, he quickly crusaded against the rebels. The vassals have elected a new king: Rudolf, Duke of Svalbard. After several defeats, Henry IV captured Rudolph and cut off his hand. Gregory Ⅶ realized that the situation had changed, and in 18, he again imposed an absolute penalty on Henry IV. Henry also announced the deposing of the Pope again, and appointed a hostile Pope, Clemens III, and then led an army into Rome. Henry IV successfully occupied Rome, where he was crowned by the pseudo-Pope Clemens III. Gregory Ⅶ abandoned the city and turned to Norman leaders for help. As a result, the Normans did drive away Henry IV, but they also looted Rome. Gregory Ⅶ died in exile.

Henry IV soon faced a new rebellion. Successive Pope united with German vassals; Henry IV invaded Italy again for this reason, but failed to win (19). Only after reconciliation with the Wilf family (the family of Rudolf, Duke of Svalbard) was he able to return to Germany from Italy. In 193, his eldest son Conrad once launched a rebellion. Egged on by the governors, his youngest son Henry was ready to move in an attempt to take his place. In 115, the plot was successful, and the Crown Prince overthrew his father and became the new King Henry V. Henry IV was imprisoned by his son, but later managed to escape and recruited an army loyal to him in Liè ge. But just as he was preparing to take back the throne, Henry IV died suddenly. The new Pope Pascal II ordered that no funeral should be held for Henry IV. But the people of Liè ge flouted the Pope's orders and gave their emperor a grand burial.

in p>1138, the hundred-year rule of Stauffen dynasty began. Frederick I (1152-119) revived the royal family in the struggle against the Pope, the northern Italian cities and his main German rival, Henrich, the lion of Herzogtum Von Sachsen. However, during his reign, the territory began to fall apart and finally weakened the central power. After reconciling with the Pope in 1189, Frederick I led the Third Crusade with Richard the Lionheart and Philip II Augustus. However, he failed to reach the holy land. He accidentally drowned in the Salefa River in Asia Minor. This development continued during the period of Henrich VI (119-1197) and Frederick II (1212-125), the heirs of Frederick I, despite the powerful royal power. Religious and secular princes became semi-sovereign "state kings".

with the decline of Stauffen dynasty (1268), the all-embracing imperial power in the west actually ended. The power of various disputes within Germany prevented it from becoming a nation-state, while this process was being carried out in other countries in Western Europe at that time. This is one of the root causes for Germans to become "a rising nation".

Later, the rising Habsburg family in Austria successfully seized the imperial throne.

England in the Middle Ages

:

Norman Dynasty to house of york

166-1485

England in the Middle Ages was full of endless civil wars,

wars with foreign enemies,

coups and struggles for power and profits between the royal family and nobles.

Henry I

(

is known as the king of elegance in history. He is knowledgeable because he received a formal education. At that time, his brother William was appointed as the Crown Prince and was trained to govern the country.

)

During his administration, he devoted himself to reform and stability, and at the same time resolved the contradiction between Anglo-Saxon and Anglo-Norman classes. However, due to the unfortunate death of his son

William

in

112

, the kingdom

had a crisis of no heir, so his great cause of reform stalled.

After a struggle for rights,

until Henry II succeeded to the throne,

the royal family in England regained its rights from the common nobles, and

part of the legislative power of the church was transferred from the church to the king.

During this period,

England's economy can be self-sufficient, and

grain, cattle, sheep and cattle are well supplied.

the country's main foreign trade

is wool export, and the wool produced in northern England is continuously exported to Flanders

city, where it is processed into

cloth. The foreign policy at that time was greatly influenced by the development of textile industry.

in the 15th century, the textile industry in England took shape

and laid a solid foundation for primitive accumulation of capital, England.

After Henry II, Richard I

(

Lionheart King

)

succeeded to the throne. He was fond of fighting and launched many wars during his administration, including the third Crusade and the territorial defense with Philip II of France.

and his younger brother, John

(a king after

,

was called the land king without land

)

was not so lucky. John was defeated in Normandy, and many subsequent wars against France ended in failure.

within the kingdom,

his indifference to the feudal aristocracy and the high-level church also aroused internal contradictions,

which finally led to the military coup in

1215

and the signing of Magna Carta

, which effectively restrained the royal power.

in the middle ages, Edward I of England

(1272-137)

was a successful king. He promulgated a series of laws to strengthen the power of government, and

called the first formal meeting of the English Parliament.

He also conquered Wales,

and tried to take advantage of an inheritance dispute to gain control of Scotland,

although this eventually led to a costly and

protracted war.

This battle

was fought all the way to Edward II, and finally it was defeated in

Bannockburn

, and then it ended intermittently until the Treaty of Northampton in

1328

was signed during the Edward III period.

In 1349

, the Black Death broke out in England, which killed nearly one third of the population. Civil wars in Britain,

such as the Irish war against Wales,

and the Hundred Years' War between Britain and France all took place at this stage.

The Hundred Years' War between Britain and France ended with the victory of Britain

, in which the power of Wales played an important role.

During the reign of King Richard III,

the nobles were given more land,

land also meant rights,

so

the nobles were also willing to be loyal to the king. Then, there was the incompetent Henry VI. Because of his weak personality and thinking problems,

civil war broke out during his tenure, that is,

wars of the roses.

Although the scale of the war was small,

it had a great impact on the king's rights

On the whole, Rome was stronger.