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The Holy Roman Empire

In medieval times Lorraine, Trier and Luxembourg were three semi-independent states and members of the mainly Germanic Holy Roman Empire (HRE), along with a plethora of other small independent states across what is now Germany. These states each had their own government structures led by a ruler with a title such as prince, duke, margrave (‘marquis’) or, in some places – like Trier – bishop. The titular leader of the HRE was the Holy Roman Emperor. When it became necessary to appoint a new emperor, these various rulers would gather together in conclave and elect one of their number as emperor. As a result they became known jointly as Electors, an early, although very limited, form of democracy. Over time the larger, stronger states came to dominate these arrangements and the Habsburg rulers of Austria more or less assumed the title of Holy Roman Emperor, while at the same time the central unifying influence and power of the HRE declined.

Trier’s Porta Nigra Roman gate (Stage 9)