The Fourth Holy Roman Empire

The Golden Bull of 1356 brought significant changes to the Holy Roman Empire, particularly regarding the election of the Holy Roman Emperor. The Holy Roman Empire entered a new phase in its history, often referred to as The fourth empire.

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## The Fourth Holy Roman Empire

### Succeded by

* Vatican States
* The Kingdom of France
* German Confederation
* Austrian Empire
* Kingdom of Bavaria
* The Kingdom of Wurttemberg
* Confederation of the Rhine
* Kingdom of Prussia
* Grand Duchy of Baden
* Grand Duchy of Hesse
* Old Swiss Confederacy
* Kingdom of Sardinia
* Duchy of Savoy
* Dutch Republic
* Duchy of Schleswig
* Duchy of Warsaw

In 1356, the Empire was a vast and diverse political entity that encompassed a significant portion of Central Europe. The lands of the empire were continually changing due to political developments, territorial disputes, and the influence of various ruling houses.

The core of the Holy Roman Empire was the German Kingdom, which covered modern-day Germany and parts of Austria and Switzerland. It was the heartland of the empire and the primary power base of the Holy Roman Emperor.

# History

As the empire entered the late 14th century, a religious and political crisis began to unfold. In 1378, the Catholic Church experienced a schism known as the Western Schism. It all started when Pope Gregory XI moved the papacy back to Rome from Avignon, This division caused deep divisions within the Catholic Church and had political ramifications in the Holy Roman Empire.

Following the resolution of the Western Schism, the attention of the empire turned to other matters, including the Council of Basel. In 1431. As the Council of Basel came to a close in 1439, the Holy Roman Empire was left with a legacy of religious and political changes.

In the year 1517, Martin Luther published his Ninety-Five Theses in Wittenberg, Saxony. This event marked the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, a religious and social movement that would significantly impact the Holy Roman Empire and beyond.

The spread of Lutheranism and other Protestant denominations across the Holy Roman Empire and beyond led to religious divisions and conflicts. The Holy Roman Emperor Charles V sought to suppress the spread of Protestantism through imperial edicts and military interventions, resulting in the Schmalkaldic War (1546-1547) and other conflicts.
One significant event during this period was the German Peasants' War, which erupted in 1524. The peasants, inspired by ideas of social justice and religious reform, rose against their feudal lords, demanding an end to oppressive practices and serfdom. However, the rebellion was brutally suppressed by the ruling classes, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of peasants.

One significant event during this period was the German Peasants' War, which erupted in 1524. The peasants, inspired by ideas of social justice and religious reform, rose against their feudal lords, demanding an end to oppressive practices and serfdom. However, the rebellion was brutally suppressed by the ruling classes, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of peasants.

In the aftermath of the peasants war and the Schmalkaldic War, masonism began to emerge across Europe. These groups were inspired by Lutheranism, and a desire for intellectual and social progress. The Protestant Reformation continued to shape the religious landscape of Europe. The Holy Roman Empire remained divided between Catholic and Protestant territories, with tensions persisting for centuries.

The period following the Schmalkaldic War (1546-1547) and the intensification of religious divisions in the Holy Roman Empire saw an increase in witch hunts. Both Catholic and Protestant authorities were determined to root out heresy and perceived threats to their religious orthodoxy. Witchcraft was often associated with heresy and the devil, and this led to a widespread belief that witches were agents of evil who needed to be eliminated.

In 1484, Pope Innocent VIII issued a papal bull, "Summis desiderantes affectibus," which recognized the existence of witches and authorized the inquisition to investigate and prosecute those suspected of witchcraft. This papal endorsement, along with the religious turmoil of the Reformation, contributed to the escalation of witch hunts.

In 1555, the religious tensions that had been brewing in the Holy Roman Empire since the Protestant Reformation came to a head with the Peace of Augsburg. The Peace of Augsburg was a significant milestone in the empire's history, as it sought to address the religious divisions between Catholics and Protestants and provide a legal framework for coexistence.

The Peace of Augsburg recognized the principle of "cuius regio, eius religio," meaning "whose realm, his religion." According to this principle, the religion of a ruler would determine the religion of his territory. In other words, each prince or ruler in the empire was granted the right to determine whether their lands would be Catholic or Lutheran.

The agreement essentially allowed Protestantism to be legally recognized alongside Catholicism, providing a measure of religious tolerance within the empire. It aimed to bring an end to the religious conflicts and persecutions that had plagued the empire for decades.

However, the Peace of Augsburg was not without its limitations and challenges. It did not recognize the religious rights of other Protestant denominations besides Lutheranism and did not extend religious freedom to individual subjects within a ruler's territory. As a result, religious minorities, such as Anabaptists, Masons, and other non-Lutheran Protestants, continued to face discrimination and persecution in some regions.

Despite the Peace of Augsburg's intentions to promote religious peace, the empire would soon find itself embroiled in another devastating conflict - the Thirty Years' War. The war, which lasted from 1618 to 1648, began as a religious conflict but soon evolved into a broader European war with political, territorial, and economic dimensions.

The Thirty Years' War was triggered by the religious tensions between Catholics and Protestants in the empire, particularly in the Bohemian lands. The Protestant Bohemian nobles rebelled against the Catholic Habsburg rule, leading to a series of conflicts that drew in other European powers, each with their own vested interests.

The war consisted of four main phases: the Bohemian Phase (1618-1625), the Danish Phase (1625-1629), the Swedish Phase (1630-1635), and the French Phase (1635-1648). It ravaged much of Central Europe, causing widespread destruction, famine, and population loss.

The conflict finally came to an end with the signing of the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. The Peace of Westphalia consisted of two separate treaties - the Treaty of Münster, which dealt with the Dutch Republic and Spain, and the Treaty of Osnabrück, which addressed the Holy Roman Empire and other parties involved.

The Peace of Westphalia reaffirmed the principle of cuius regio, eius religio, and extended religious toleration to other Protestant denominations besides Lutheranism. Calvinism was formally recognized as a legitimate religion within the empire.

Furthermore, the treaties recognized the de facto sovereignty of individual German states, effectively granting them the right to conduct their foreign policy and maintain their standing armies. This led to a further decentralization of the empire and marked the beginning of its transition from a unified political entity to a loose confederation of independent states.

After the conclusion of the Thirty Years' War with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, the Elector of Brandenburg, Frederick III, crowned himself as Frederick I, King in Kingdom of Prussia in 1701. This event marked the establishment of the Kingdom of Prussia within the Holy Roman Empire. Prussia's elevation to a kingdom added a new layer of complexity to the empire's political landscape and further decentralized its authority.

The War of the Austrian Succession was triggered in 1740 by the disputed succession to the Austrian Habsburg lands after the death of Emperor Charles VI.

The War of the Austrian Succession, was a major conflict that involved various European powers, including the Holy Roman Empire. The war had significant consequences for the empire and further weakened its cohesion and central authority. Prussia, under the leadership of King Frederick II, played a prominent role in the conflict and emerged as a powerful player in Central European politics.

The Treaty of Hubertusburg, signed in 1763, brought an end to the War of the Austrian Succession and another concurrent conflict, the Seven Years' War. The treaty reaffirmed the status quo, preserving the territorial boundaries that existed before the wars.

The treaty further solidified the position of Prussia as a major European power and recognized its territorial gains during the conflicts. It also highlighted the continued fragmentation and decentralization of the Holy Roman Empire, as various German states pursued their own interests and alliances.

The empire had become a patchwork of independent and semi-autonomous states, each governed by its own ruler and pursuing its own interests. The concept of a unified Holy Roman Empire began to lose practical meaning, and the empire was increasingly perceived as a loose confederation of states rather than a cohesive political entity.

The empire's decentralized structure and the rise of powerful states like Prussia and Austria effectively ended the notion of a unified empire. In 1806, Emperor Francis II formally dissolved the Holy Roman Empire, bringing an official end to its existence.