Holy Roman Empire

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noun

a Germanic empire located chiefly in central Europe that began with the coronation of Charlemagne as Roman emperor in a.d. 800 (or, according to some historians, with the coronation of Otto the Great, king of Germany, in a.d. 962) and ended with the renunciation of the Roman imperial title by Francis II in 1806, and was regarded theoretically as the continuation of the Western Empire and as the temporal form of a universal dominion whose spiritual head was the pope.

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Words nearby Holy Roman Empire

Holyoke, Holy One, holy orders, holy place, Holy Roller, Holy Roman Empire, Holy Rood, Holyroodhouse, Holy Saturday, Holy Scripture, Holy See

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Holy Roman Empire in a sentence

Still, subreddit moderators are free to block and unblock whatever they wish (remember, Holy Roman Empire).
Why Gawker Should Lose Its War With Reddit|Alex Klein|October 18, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The Holy Roman Empire possessed only the trappings and the shadow of power; the reality belonged to the burghers of the towns.
German Problems and Personalities|Charles Sarolea
And these were feebly combined into the phantasm known as the Holy Roman Empire.
Famous Men and Great Events of the Nineteenth Century|Charles Morris
The town clerk was perfectly aware that the Holy Roman Empire had come to an end, pro tem.
Strange Stories|Grant Allen

In the Holy Roman Empire, the son of the emperor did not necessarily succeed his father as ruler.
The World War and What was Behind It|Louis P. Benezet
Its barrenness was formerly much exaggerated, when it was popularly described as the “sandbox of the Holy Roman Empire.”
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Slice 4|Various

British Dictionary definitions for Holy Roman Empire

Holy Roman Empire

noun

the complex of European territories under the rule of the Frankish or German king who bore the title of Roman emperor, beginning with the coronation of Charlemagne in 800 ad . The last emperor, Francis II, relinquished his crown in 1806

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for Holy Roman Empire

Holy Roman Empire

A major political institution in Europe that lasted from the ninth to the nineteenth centuries. It was loosely organized and modeled somewhat on the ancient Roman Empire. It included great amounts of territory in the central and western parts of Europe. Charlemagne was its first emperor. In later years, the emperors were Germans and Austrians. The empire declined greatly in power after the sixteenth century.

notes for Holy Roman Empire

The eighteenth-century French author Voltaire once wrote that the Holy Roman Empire was “neither holy, Roman, nor an empire.”