The Structure of the Holy Roman Empire. ... A feudal territory was held from the Emperor as a fief, that is, by virtue of a certain type of contract. .... sq mi), Moravia (Mähren; pop: 1.2m, 468 sq mi), Lusatia (0.45m, 180 sq mi) and a number of others totalling 0.25m and 200 sq mi. B. read more
The Holy Roman Empire was formally headed by an emperor (the Holy Roman Emperor) who was elected by a group of powerful nobles. Although elections still took place after the death of every emperor until Napoleon dismantled the HRE in the early 1800s, the empire was ruled by the Hapsburg dynasty after 1452. read more
The form "Holy Roman Empire" is attested from 1254 onward. In a decree following the 1512 Diet of Cologne, the name was changed to the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation (German: Heiliges Römisches Reich der Deutscher Nation, Latin: Imperium Romanum Sacrum Nationis Germanicæ), a form first used in a document in 1474. read more