Emperors of the Holy Roman Empire Quiz

Answer: Charlemagne

Born in what is now France in 748 CE, Charles I was crowned King of the Franks upon the death of his father, Pepin the Short, in 768. He ruled jointly with his brother Carloman I until Carloman died in 771. A very capable general and conqueror, Charles was crowned Emperor of the Romans by Pope Leo III on Christmas Day in the year 800.

He became known as Charlemagne (Charles the Great) after his death in 814.

Answer: Conrad II

Born as the Count of Speyer in Germany in either 989 or 990, Conrad was well-liked by his fellow nobles and was chosen as Emperor by an Imperial Council upon Henry II's death in 1024. Not officially crowned until 1027, Conrad was an admirer of Charlemagne and tried to rule as he had. One of his notable achievements was adding the Kingdom of Burgundy to the Empire in 1033.

Answer: Frederick II

Born near Ancona, Italy in 1194, Frederick was descended from the Norman conquerors of Sicily and was named King there in 1198. Frederick was crowned Emperor in 1220. He spoke six languages and promoted the sciences and literature in his realm. A leader of the Sixth Crusade from 1227-1229, he assumed the title "King of Jerusalem" after the city was recaptured in 1229.

Answer: Henry VII

The first Emperor of the House of Luxembourg, Henry VII came to power in 1312 after the sixty-year struggle for the crown after the death of Frederick II. Henry died before he could enact his intended reforms, and several noble German and Italian families fell to squabbling over the crown, leading to another 15 year interregnum.

Answer: Ferdinand II

Ferdinand II of the House of Habsburg ruled from 1619 until 1637. A devout Catholic, Ferdinand had persecuted Protestants while he was tasked with defending Croatia, Slavonia, and Hungary before he became Emperor. The Thirty Years War had begun the year before he was crowned Emperor, and Ferdinand was zealous in his attempts to destroy any Protestant influence in his lands.

He died in 1637.

Answer: Joseph II

Crowned in 1765, Joseph II was the eldest son of Maria Theresa, the first female ruler of the House of Habsburg. Joseph was a proponent of the Enlightenment, but resistance to his reforms meant that little changed in the Empire during his reign. He was also a great patron of the arts, especially composers such as Mozart. Joseph ruled until his death in 1790.

Answer: Louis I

Louis I, known as The Pious, was the only surviving son of Charlemagne and his first wife. As his health failed, Charlemagne made Louis Co-Emperor in 813 CE. Before his death in 840, Louis attempted to divide his empire fairly among his three sons, but a civil war followed, which was only ended by the 843 Treaty of Verdun, which split the Empire into three kingdoms and excluded France from the Empire from then on.

Answer: Henry IV

Henry IV was the second Emperor of the Salian line, and was a reformer before he became Emperor. As King of Germany, Italy, and Burgundy from 1054 CE, Henry angered the nobility by using educated commoners in his administration instead of aristocrats.

He was also at odds with the Church, as he insisted that he, as King and Emperor, had the power to appoint bishops and abbots. Henry reigned from 1084-1105.

Answer: Charles V

Charles was born in 1500, and was the grandson of both Maximilian, the Holy Roman Emperor, and Ferdinand II, King of Spain. Charles would eventually inherit and rule both realms, as well as the Netherlands and the Spanish colonies in the New World. Charles spent most of his reign at war with France and the Ottoman Empire. He reigned from 1519-1556.

Answer: Charles VII

Charles was born in 1697 into the Bavarian Wittelsbach family. He was the eldest son of the Elector of Bavaria. He married the daughter of the late Emperor Joseph I, Maria Amalia, in 1722. He was opposed to the succession of Maria Theresa to the throne of Austria in 1740, and, with French support, invaded Bohemia and captured Prague in 1741, becoming King of Bohemia.

He was elected Emperor in 1742, but Austrian troops soon overran most of his lands, and he was Emperor in name only. Charles VII died in 1745.

Answer: Otto I

Otto I was born in Germany in 812 and became Duke of Saxony upon his father's death in 936. Otto defeated the Magyars (Hungarians) in 955 and ended their threat to Western Europe. He then conquered Italy by 961. Seen as a staunch defender of the Church, Otto was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 962.

A talented military commander, Otto spent most of his reign fighting rather than governing. He died in 973 and was succeeded by his son, Otto II.

Answer: Frederick I

Frederick was born in 1122 to the Duke of Swabia, in Germany. He was a member of the Hohenstaufen family, and was also descended from the Salian and Ottonian emperors. Frederick participated in the Second Crusade and captured Damascus in 1148. Crowned Emperor in 1155, Frederick inherited an empire in turmoil, and he spent much of his time putting down rebellion. Frederick went on the Third Crusade, but drowned while crossing a river in 1190.

Answer: Frederick III

Born into the Austrian Habsburg nobility in 1415, he became King of Germany in 1440, but was not crowned as Holy Roman Emperor until 1452. Frederick concentrated on expanding the holdings of the Habsburg family, usually by dynastic marriage. He did not take an active interest in imperial affairs, and as a result faced several rebellions during his reign. Frederick died in 1493 and was succeeded by his son, Maximilian I.

Answer: Charles VI

Born in 1685 to Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I, and, younger brother of Leopold's successor Joseph I, Charles VI tried to claim the Spanish throne when King Charles II of Spain, a member of the Spanish Habsburgs, died without an heir in 1700. This started the War of the Spanish Succession, which ended in 1714 with a French Bourbon prince assuming the Spanish throne. Charles had no surviving male heirs for his Austrian possessions, so he enacted the Pragmatic Sanction in 1713 to ensure the succession of his daughter Maria Theresa. Charles reigned as Emperor from 1711-1740.

Answer: Francis II

Francis II was born in Italy in 1768, son of Emperor Leopold II. Leopold became Emperor in 1790, but died in 1792. Francis was at war with France almost continuously for the next twenty years, losing much land in the process. In 1804, after Napoleon declared himself Emperor of the French, Francis took the title of Emperor of Austria.

The Holy Roman Empire ceased to exist in 1806, when Napoleon created the Confederation of the Rhine out of mostly German states. Francis abdicated his title that same year.