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The Influence of the Holy Roman Empire: How to Evaluate the Holy Roman Empire
The rule of the Holy Roman Empire was completely medieval. The emperor had no real power, but the actual power was in the hands of more than 300 lords (Voltaire, a famous French philosopher of enlightenment thought, once commented: "The Holy Roman Empire is neither sacred nor Roman, nor an empire." ) So its rule is very divided. Local lords are completely autonomous, have their own troops, courts and even have the power to collect taxes. A businessman who walks 200 kilometers has to pay 13 tax! This system seriously hindered the industrial and commercial development of the empire. Moreover, the Pope has great power here, and the famous "tithe" is the invention of the Pope. Because the Holy Roman Empire used the church to publicize its sacredness and had obligations to the church, it was somewhat restricted by the church. Although some emperors forced the church to submit by virtue of their own ability and charm, it was superficial and temporary. In a word, the national strength of this empire is very poor.

In addition, after the Thirty Years' War, the empire was divided into more than 300 small countries by other countries and became a second-rate country.

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The French writer Voltaire once commented on it: "It is neither sacred nor Roman, nor imperial." This also reflects from the side that the Holy Roman Empire has no orthodox roots and names in history and has little to do with the former Roman Empire.

Pope Leo III believed that the coronation of Charlemagne in 800 AD marked the beginning of the Holy Roman Empire. However, as a historical study, Charlemagne and Otto I are completely different in their core fields and ruling modes, and the Charlemagne Empire and Otto I Empire are still regarded as two empires in general historical research.

However, according to the traditional European crown inheritance theory, no matter who established the country in which region, as long as the crown is still the original crown, even if it is ruled by the same country, Otto I is only the pioneer of a dynasty of the Holy Roman Empire, not the pioneer of the empire.

This is the same as the Roman Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire, which are often considered as two empires in historical research. However, in terms of crown inheritance, the crown of the Eastern Roman Empire was separated from Wang Guanzhong of the Roman Empire and naturally belonged to the same empire, especially after the demise of the Western Roman Empire.

This phenomenon has a similar situation in the kingdom. For example, the Visigoth Kingdom was established in Toulouse, and its main control area is now southern France. Later, it moved to Toledo, and its main control area became Spain today. The Kingdom of Vandal was founded in present-day Spain and later moved to North Africa.

Therefore, it is normal for historians to hold different opinions on whether Charlemagne Empire is regarded as the universal holy Roman Empire because of different division standards. Charlemagne is regarded as the monarch of the Holy Roman Empire in Cidemar's Civilization Ⅳ.