Editing History of Germany (section)

===Foundation of the Holy Roman Empire===
{{See also|Charlemagne}}
[[File:Construction d Aix-la-Chapelle.jpg|thumb|right|Charlemagne surveying the works of the [[Palatine Chapel, Aachen]], by [[Jean Fouquet]], 1450s]]
After the death of Frankish king [[Pepin the Short]] in 768, his oldest son "[[Charlemagne]]" ("Charles the Great") consolidated his power over and expanded the [[Kingdom of the Franks|Kingdom]]. Charlemagne ended 200 years of Royal Lombard rule with the [[Siege of Pavia (773–774)|Siege of Pavia]], and in 774 he installed himself as [[King of the Lombards]]. Loyal Frankish nobles replaced the old Lombard aristocracy following a rebellion in 776.{{Sfn|Wilson|2016|p=26}} The next 30 years of his reign were spent ruthlessly strengthening his power in Francia and on the conquest of the Slavs and [[Pannonian Avars]] in the east and all [[Germanic peoples|tribes]], such as the [[Saxons]] and the [[Baiuvarii|Bavarians]].{{Sfn|Wilson|2016|pp=26–27}}<ref name="Nelson1998">{{Citation |last=Nelson |first=Janet L. |title=Charlemagne's church at Aachen |url=http://www.historytoday.com/janet-l-nelson/charlemagnes-church-aachen |volume=48 |issue=1 |pages=62–64 |date=1998 |publisher=History Today}}</ref> On [[Christmas Day]], 800 AD, Charlemagne was crowned ''Imperator Romanorum'' (Emperor of the Romans) in Rome by [[Pope Leo III]].<ref name=Nelson1998/>

Fighting among Charlemagne's three grandsons over the continuation of the custom of [[partible inheritance]] or the introduction of [[primogeniture]] caused the Carolingian empire to be partitioned into three parts by the [[Treaty of Verdun]] of 843.<ref>{{cite book |doi=10.1002/9781118885154.dipl0494 |chapter=Treaty of Verdun (843) |title=The Encyclopedia of Diplomacy |date=2018 |last1=Benham |first1=Jenny |pages=1–5 |isbn=978-1-118-88791-2 }}</ref> [[Louis the German]] received the Eastern portion of the kingdom, [[East Francia]], all lands east of the Rhine river and to the north of Italy. This encompassed the territories of the German [[stem duchies]] – Franks, Saxons, [[Swabians]], and Bavarians – that were united in a federation under the first non-Frankish king [[Henry the Fowler]], who ruled from 919 to 936.{{Sfn|Schulman|2002|pp=325–327}} The royal court permanently moved in between a series of strongholds, called ''Kaiserpfalzen'', that developed into economic and cultural centers. [[Palace of Aachen|Aachen Palace]] played a central role, as the local [[Palatine Chapel, Aachen|Palatine Chapel]] served as the official site for all royal coronation ceremonies during the entire medieval period until 1531.<ref name=Nelson1998/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Aachen Cathedral |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/3 |access-date=18 March 2019 |publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Outstanding Universal Value}}</ref>
{{Gallery
|title= The Holy Roman Empire, maps
|align=center
|width=150
|height=120
|File:843-870 Europe.jpg|The division of the [[Carolingian Empire]] by the [[Treaty of Verdun]] in 843
|File:HRR.gif|Territorial evolution of the [[Holy Roman Empire]] from 962 to 1806
|File:HRE-at-its-peak-cropped.png|The [[Holy Roman Empire]] at its greatest territorial extent under [[Hohenstaufen dynasty|Hohenstaufen]] emperor [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II]], 13th century
|File:HRR 10Jh.jpg|The [[Holy Roman Empire]] under [[Ottonian dynasty|Ottonian]] and [[Salian dynasty|Salian]] rule, 10th and 11th centuries
|File:Holy Roman Empire c. 1700.png|The [[Holy Roman Empire]] around the year 1700
}}