The Investiture Controversy: The History of the Medieval Conflict Between the Church and Holy Roman Empire that Led to Civil War in Germany Audiobook Libro.fm

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It has been famously pointed out that the Holy Roman Empire was neither holy nor Roman but it was also not an empire in the sense people expect when hearing the term In theory the emperor was the highest prince in Christendom and his dominion extended the length and breadth of Western Europe The empire had been created by the papacy in 801 when Pope Leo III famously crowned the supposedly unwitting Charlemagne in Saint Peters Basilica intending to recreate the Western Roman Empire In truth the imperial power did not extend beyond central Europe which by the beginning of the 16th century included Germany northern Italy and the Netherlands Even in these lands however the emperor struggled to command obedience His dominion over northern Italy was theoretical only the cities of the Netherlands were deeply conscious of their ancient rights and privileges and Germany had long ceased to be compliant The latter had become a collection of principalities dukedoms and bishoprics which vied with each other and pursued their own agendas They were however united in only one sense denying the emperor power and resisting attempts to centralize the government