King of the Romans

King of the Romans (Latin: Romanorum Rex) was the title used by the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire following his election to the office by the princes of the Kingdom of Germany. The title was a claim by the German kings to become emperor, a title, which in contemporary views of the Middle Ages, had also a religious aspect and was dependent on the coronation by the pope.

The title originally referred to any ruler of the Empire who had not yet been granted the crown and title of "Emperor" by the Pope; later it came to be used solely of the heir apparent to the Imperial throne between his election (during the lifetime of a sitting Emperor) and his succession on the Emperor's death.

Ruling kings

History and usage

From the coronation of Charlemagne as Emperor by Pope Leo III in Rome on 25 December, 800, there existed, at least potentially, an office of Holy Roman Emperor (Romanorum Imperator) with precedence over all other rulers of western Europe. From 961 on, this office was held by the Kings who had annexed the lands of the Kingdom of Italy and (in 1032) the Kingdom of Arles.

Following the precedent of Charlemagne, it was generally accepted that this office could only be properly bestowed in Rome by the Pope, or some official exercising the Pope's powers. However, it was rarely possible for the elected King to proceed immediately to Rome for his crowning. Several years might elapse between election and coronation; and some Kings never achieved the journey to Rome at all.

Some suitable title was therefore required for the King between his election and his coronation as Emperor, one which would stress the plenitude of his authority over the Empire and his warrant to be future Emperor (Imperator futurus) while not infringing upon the Papal privilege.

The title Romanorum Rex ("King of the Romans") was used occasionally by the Ottonian rulers and especially by King Henry II to emphasize the Roman (and hence, implicitly, universal) heritage of their Empire, which was contested by the Byzantine Emperors.

Romanorum Rex became a standard title during the period 1056-1084, when King Henry IV, had been elected to rule the Empire but had not yet been crowned Emperor by the Pope. During this time, Pope Gregory VII insisted on using the title Teutonicorum Rex ("King of the Germans") in order to imply that Henry's authority was merely local and did not extend over the whole Empire. In reaction to Gregory's usage, Henry began to regularly use the title Romanorum Rex until he was crowned Emperor in 1084. Henry's successors imitated this practice, and were called Romanorum Rex before and Imperator Romanorum after their Roman coronation.

Medieval practice

Candidates for the kingship were at first the heads of the great stem duchies of Germany; as these units broke up over time, rulers of smaller principalities and even foreign rulers came to be considered for the position. The only requirements generally observed were that the candidate be an adult male, a Catholic Christian, and not in holy orders.

Kings of Germany were elected by the German nobility (including the prince-bishops), commonly in the city of Frankfurt. Originally all German noblemen present could vote, but later the franchise was narrowed to the most eminent bishops and noblemen, and from 1356 on only seven Prince-electors had the right to vote.

After his election, the new king would be crowned as King of the Germans (Teutonicorum Rex) or later King of the Romans (Romanorum Rex), usually in Aachen. At some time after the coronation, the King would, if possible, cross the Alps, and might receive coronation (in Pavia or Milan) with the Iron Crown of Lombardy as King of Italy. Finally he would travel to Rome and be crowned Emperor by the Pope.

Not all Kings of the Romans made this step, sometimes because of hostile relations to the current Pope, at other times because the pressure of business at home, or warfare in Germany or Italy, made it impossible for the King to make the journey. In such cases, the king might retain the title "King of the Romans" for his entire reign.

Later developments

The title Romanorum Rex ceased to refer the ruler of the Empire after 1508, when after a failed attempt to journey to Rome, the Pope granted King Maximilian I the title of Electus Romanorum Imperator ("elected Emperor of the Romans"). Maximilian also at this time took the new title "King in Germany" (Germaniae Rex, König in Germanien), but it was never used as a primary title.

The rulers of the Empire thereafter called themselves "Emperors" without going to Rome or soliciting Papal approval, taking the title as soon as they were crowned in Germany or, (if elected as heir to the throne), upon the death of a sitting Emperor. Only one, Charles V, was crowned by the Pope.

List

The following were ruling Kings of the Romans; that, is men ruled the Empire without subordination to another ruler, but who had not yet been crowned Emperor.

Heirs designate

The Holy Roman Empire was an elective monarchy. No person had a legal right to the succession simply because he was related to the current Emperor. However, the Emperor could, and often did, have a relative (usually a son) elected to succeed him after his death. This elected heir apparent bore the title "King of the Romans".^[1] The election was in the same form as that of the senior ruler, and theoretically meant that both men were equal co-rulers of the Empire; in practice, however, the actual administration of the Empire was always managed by the senior Emperor, with at most certain duties delegated to the heir.

List

The following were subordinate kings to another Holy Roman Emperor (usually, but not always, their father) for the dates specified.

First French Empire

When Napoleon I of France had a son and heir, Napoleon II, he revived the title as King of Rome, styling his son as such. The boy was often known colloquially by the title throughout his short life, although after 1815 he was more commonly referred to as the Duke of Reichstadt.

Notes

1. ^ A junior King of the Romans was normally chosen only when the senior ruler bore the title of Emperor. Only on one occasion (1147-1150) was there both a ruling King of the Romans (King Conrad III) and a King of the Romans as heir (Henry Berengar). From the 16th century on, the senior ruler took the title of 'Emperor' from the time of his accession or succession; King of the Romans accordingly came to refer solely to the heir apparent.

References

This article uses material translated from the corresponding article in the German-language wikipedia, which, in turn, cites a source that contains further references:

• H. Beumann: Rex Romanorum, in: Lexikon des Mittelalters (Dictionary of the Middle Ages, 9 vols., Munich-Zurich 1980-98), vol. 7, col. 777 f.

See also

• Syagrius, a Gallo-Roman leader called "king of the Romans" by Gregory of Tours
• List of German monarchs, rulers of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation and Germany including those using titles other than "King of the Romans"