German History

14th Century

Henry VII crossed the Alps in 1310 to be crowned by the Romans and eventually died fighting the French for Naples. Civil war followed, and in the Battle of Mühldorf in 1322, Louis the Bavarian of Wittelberg defeated his rival, from the Habsburg line, and was crowned by the Pope.

In 1338 the electors made an important decision, declaring that as from that moment the King of Germany would automatically acquire the title of Holy Roman Empire of the Germanic Nation, without undergoing coronation by the Pope.

Emperor Charles IV, from the Luxembourg line, who reigned from 1355 to 1378, promulgated an edict named The Golden Bull in 1356, which served as the constitution of the Holy Roman Empire. In accordance with this edict, seven electors would share power in electing kings. These included the rulers of the Palatinate, Saxony, Brandenburg, and Bohemia and the archbishops of the cities of Trier, Cologne, and Mainz.

The Golden Bull granted great power to these princes and forever ended the attempt to unite Germany under a hereditary monarchy. The princes' support and cooperation were essential to the king and his control of power was only nominal, being uncertain and weak. Thus local authorities were still in charge of maintaining order and Germany continued to be politically fragmented.