Editing Holy Roman Empire (section)

==== Rise of the territories after the Hohenstaufens ====
[[File:Karl IV HRR.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Holy Roman Emperor]] [[Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles IV]]]]
[[File:Holy Roman Empire at the Golden Bull of 1356.png|thumb|upright=1.35|The Holy Roman Empire when the Golden Bull of 1356 was signed]]

The difficulties in electing the king eventually led to the emergence of a fixed college of [[prince-elector]]s (''Kurfürsten''), whose composition and procedures were set forth in the [[Golden Bull of 1356]], issued by [[Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles IV]] (reigned 1355–1378, King of the Romans since 1346), which remained valid until 1806. This development probably best symbolizes the emerging duality between emperor and realm (''Kaiser und Reich''), which were no longer considered identical. The Golden Bull also set forth the system for election of the Holy Roman Emperor. The emperor now was to be elected by a majority rather than by consent of all seven electors. For electors the title became hereditary, and they were given the right to mint coins and to exercise jurisdiction. Also it was recommended that their sons learn the imperial languages – [[German language|German]], [[Latin]], [[Italian language|Italian]], and [[Czech language|Czech]].{{Efn|name=GoldenBull}}{{Sfn|Žůrek|2014}} The decision by Charles IV is the subject of debates: on one hand, it helped to restore peace in the lands of the Empire, that had been engulfed in civil conflicts after the end of the Hohenstaufen era; on the other hand, the "blow to central authority was unmistakable".<ref>{{Cite book|last=Schwartzwald|first=Jack L.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bqgHCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA116|title=The Collapse and Recovery of Europe, AD 476–1648|date= 2015|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-1-4766-6230-5|page=116|language=en|access-date=5 February 2022}}</ref> Thomas Brady Jr. opines that Charles IV's intention was to end contested royal elections (from the Luxembourghs' perspective, they also had the advantage that the King of Bohemia had a permanent and preeminent status as one of the Electors himself).{{Sfn|Brady|2009|p=73}}<ref>{{Cite book|last=Mahoney|first=William|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5qgHE29pikMC&pg=PA51|title=The History of the Czech Republic and Slovakia|date= 2011|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0-3133-6306-1|page=51|language=en|access-date=6 February 2022}}</ref> At the same time, he built up Bohemia as the Luxembourghs' core land of the Empire and their dynastic base. His reign in Bohemia is often considered the land's Golden Age. According to Brady Jr. though, under all the glitter, one problem arose: the government showed an inability to deal with the German immigrant waves into Bohemia, thus leading to religious tensions and persecutions. The imperial project of the Luxembourgh halted under Charles's son [[Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia|Wenceslaus]] (reigned 1378–1419 as King of Bohemia, 1376–1400 as King of the Romans), who also faced opposition from 150 local baronial families.{{Sfn|Brady|2009|pp=73, 74}}

The shift in power away from the emperor is also revealed in the way the post-Hohenstaufen kings attempted to sustain their power. Earlier, the Empire's strength (and finances) greatly relied on the Empire's own lands, the so-called ''[[Reichsgut]]'', which always belonged to the king of the day and included many Imperial Cities. After the 13th century, the relevance of the ''Reichsgut'' faded, even though some parts of it did remain until the Empire's end in 1806. Instead, the ''Reichsgut'' was increasingly pawned to local dukes, sometimes to raise money for the Empire, but more frequently to reward faithful duty or as an attempt to establish control over the dukes. The direct governance of the ''Reichsgut'' no longer matched the needs of either the king or the dukes.

The kings beginning with [[Rudolf I of Germany]] increasingly relied on the lands of their respective dynasties to support their power. In contrast with the ''Reichsgut'', which was mostly scattered and difficult to administer, these territories were relatively compact and thus easier to control. In 1282, Rudolf I thus lent Austria and [[Styria (duchy)|Styria]] to his own sons. In 1312, [[Henry VII, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry VII]] of the [[House of Luxembourg]] was crowned as the first Holy Roman Emperor since Frederick II. After him all kings and emperors relied on the lands of their own family (''Hausmacht''): [[Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor|Louis IV]] of [[Wittelsbach]] (king 1314, emperor 1328–1347) relied on his lands in Bavaria; [[Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles IV]] of Luxembourg, the grandson of Henry VII, drew strength from his own lands in Bohemia. It was thus increasingly in the king's own interest to strengthen the power of the territories, since the king profited from such a benefit in his own lands as well.