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King Of The Romans




King of the Romans ( of the Holy Roman Empire before their Coronation by the Pope , and later also by the heir designate of the Empire.


ORIGIN


The Holy Roman Empire was based on the kingdom of Germany and the King had to go to Rome to be crowned Emperor by the Pope. Before that he did not use the title of Emperor but that of a King. The wording of this title was not fixed, as the King was sometimes called ''Rex Francorum'' (King of the Franks), ''Rex Teutonicorum'' (King of the Germans) or merely ''Rex'' (King).

The title ''Rex Romanorum'' was used occasionally by the Ottonian rulers and especially by Emperor Henry II to highlight the Roman nature of their Empire, which was contested by the Byzantine Emperors .

''Rex Romanorum'' became the standard title under the Salian King Henry IV during the Investiture Controversy . Pope Gregory VII insisted on using the title ''Rex Teutonicorum'' to counter Henry's imperial claims. As King, Henry was the ''Imperator futurus'' but at that point he had not been crowned Emperor. In reaction to Gregory's usage, Henry made ''Rex Romanorum'' his standard title until he was crowned Emperor in 1184 .

Henry's successors imitated this practice, being called ''Rex Romanorum'' before and ''Imperator Romanorum'' after their Roman coronation.


TITLE OF THE HEIR DESIGNATE


Royal succession in the Holy Roman Empire always was a difficult issue, since the Empire was a Elective Monarchy . However, once a ruler had been crowned Emperor, he could pursue the election of his heir as King, who would then succeed him after his death. This junior King, who usually did not participate in the rule, bore the title of a "King of the Romans".

This practice was continued even after 1556 , when the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire did no longer seek a coronation by the Pope and instead dubbed themselves ''Emperor-elects''. Despite this lack of a coronation, the respective Emperor-elects' sons were elected during their fathers' lifetime in 1653 , and in 1764 .


TRIVIA

"Hablando del rey de Roma" (literally "speaking of the king of Rome") is a colloquial expression in Spanish equivalent to the English-language saying "Speak of the devil", referring to someone who has entered a room or conversation in which said person was already the topic.


OTHER USAGES


This or similar titles were also used by:


REFERENCES

This article uses material translated from the 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