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Holy Roman Empire Research Paper

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Joshua Curtis 6154815

The Holy Roman Empire

The Holy Roman Empire was a large political unit loosely modelled on the roman empire. The first emperor was Charlemagne, and the last was Francis II. the Empire was created in 800CE, when pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne in Rome, and was dissolved when Francis II abdicated, following his defeat at the hands of Napoleon. It included all or parts of modern day Germany, Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland and Switzerland, and was affiliated with multiple other countries as well .
The Empire lacked cohesion, as it was unable to develop a regional identity, due to its lack of a clear capital . The Holy Roman Empire had lost much of its authority …show more content…

These theses, also known as the “Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences,” were a direct attack against the selling of indulgences – a practice that absolved sins in their entirety or in part, shortening a stay in purgatory. Luther thought this an abuse of church power, and doctrinally unsound. In his theses, he argued that the pope did not have the power to remove guilt, and that the selling of indulgences endangered the souls of Christians, providing them with a false belief that they had been forgiven for their sins. He taught that the Bible was the highest authority, and that justification was through faith alone . The papacy did not take kindly to these attacks on their authority, excommunicating Luther in 1521. The theses have a great impact on the early modern period, not because they were an attack on the catholic church’s authority in all matters of faith, but because they were written in the same period as the printing press, which allowed them to be distributed quickly through Europe – leading to widespread discontent with the

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