The Holy Roman Empire: Every State, Every Year

The Holy Roman Empire: Every State, Every Year  

The Kingdom of East Francia was created in 843 as a partition of the Frankish Empire and result of the Treaty of Verdun. Through Crusades, conquests, and inheritance, it expanded significantly thought the next 200 years, becoming the Holy Roman Empire in 962 after the conquest of Rome.

After this point, the Empire began to divide to the point where it was more of the union than a state, allowing foreign powers to control large swaths of imperial territory. It shrank to the benefit of France during the Renaissance, whilst other states, such as the Netherlands and Switzerland, broke off in 1648 due to the Peace of Westphalia.

As Prussia and Austria became increasingly dominant through the 1700s, it finally came to an end when they were defeat at the hands of Napoleon in 1806. After Napoleon, a similar state was set up, the German Confederation, which would last almost until German Unification in 1871. Much obliged: Ollie Bye