The Holy Roman Empire

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Within the book's chronological framework, the author follows up certain themes: the status of the Emperor and meaning of kingship and leadership; the structure of the Empire, which was a federation, never an absolutist state; the internal struggles within the imperial system, and the constant struggle with rival empires in the west and east; the ever-shifting centres of gravity of the Empire, Aachen and the Rhineland, Rome, Nuremberg, Sicily, Madrid, Prague and Vienna; the large measure of political and religious toleration and the unending struggles between Empire and Church; and the ever-present ideal of a united Europe.