Home > List of German Kings and Emperors

1 Notes

The relationship between the title of "king" and "emperor" in the area that is today called Germany is just as irritating and complicated as the history and the structure of the Holy Roman Empire itself. The following remarks may or may not clarify things a little (for details, refer to the Holy Roman Empire article):

1. The Holy Roman Empire (although only titled as such much later) started out as the eastern section of the Frankish kingdom, which was split by the Treaty of Verdun in 843 (while the western section eventually became France). The first rulers of the eastern area thus called themselves reges Francorum, kings of the Franks. A reference to the "Germans", indicating the emergence of a German nation of some sort, did not appear until the 11th century.
2. For most of the time, at least until 1508, becoming king was a prerequisite for becoming emperor. The kingdom was never entirely hereditary; instead, ancestry was only one of the factors that determined the succession of kings. The king was formally elected by the leading nobilty in the realm, continuing the Frankish tradition. With the Golden Bull of 1356, a collegiate of Electors was formally established which elected the king. Following an election, a King did not assume the title "Holy Roman Emperor" until crowned by the Pope.
3. In 1508 Maximilian I, who had not yet been crowned by the Pope, announced that henceforth he would use the title of "Emperor-Elect", which was used by all succeeding emperors. His successor, Charles V, was the last emperor to be crowned by the Pope - henceforth, all Holy Roman Emperors were merely "Emperors-Elect". At the same time, the chosen successors of the Habsburg emperors began to be elected as "King of the Romans" during their father's lifetime.

2 Conrad I

With the death of the last Carolingian king of East Francia, Louis the Child, the East Frankish nobles elected a replacement. Conrad came from a family as old as the Carolingians, and which had established substantial connections in East Francia.

• Conrad I, king 911-918

3 Ottonian Saxon Dynasty

• Henry I the FowlerHenry I, the Fowler (German, Heinrich der Vogler ( 876 July 2, 936), was duke of Saxony from 912 and king of the Germans from 919 until his death in 936. Henry was the son of Otto the Illustrious and Hedwiga, a great-grandaughter of Charlemagne. He became, king 919-936
• Otto I the GreatMagdeburg Otto I the Great ( 912 May 7, 973), son of Henry I the Fowler, king of the Germans, and Matilda of Ringelheim, was Duke of Saxony, King of Germany and arguably the first Holy Roman Emperor. While Charlemagne had been crowned emperor in 800, his, king 936, emperor 962-973
• Otto IIOtto II ( 955 December 7, 983, Rome), was the third German ruler of the Saxon or Ottonian dynasty. Otto was named co-regent king of Italy and Germany with his father Otto I in 961 and became co-emperor in 967. He married Theophanu, daughter of the Eastern, emperor 973-983
• Otto IIIOtto III ( 980 January 23, 1002) was the fourth ruler of the Saxon or Ottonian dynasty. He was elected king of Germany in 983 on the death of his father ( Holy Roman Emperor Otto II) Shortly after his coronation, Henry II, deposed Duke of Bavaria, seized, king 983, emperor 996-1002
• Henry IIHenry II of Germany ( 972 13 July 1024), was the fifth and last Holy Roman Emperor of the Saxon or Ottonian dynasty. Some sources give Henry's date of birth as 6 May 973. He was the son of Henry the Quarrelsome of Bavaria. As his father had rebelled again, king 1002, emperor 1014-1024