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Definition:
The development of the "Holy Roman Empire" was an attempt by medieval political and
religious leaders to connect their own rule with that of the Roman Empire, a system which
still captured people's imaginations.
The Holy Roman Empire was first established under Charlemagne, but it declined after his rule because most of his successors were relatively weak and ineffective. The rule of Henry I (d. 936) represented an improvement in matters because he forced dukes in the old eastern areas which were once under Carolingian rule to submit to his authority. After he died, his son Otto I (936 - 973) ruled a vast region.
Otto was a much better ruler than his predecessors, and he sought to expand his authority by assuming the power of lay investiture. The act of placing someone in the office of clergy was called "investing" them, which also included at the time granting them land which would help support them. These lands were royal fiefs, making these clergy members vassals of the ruler and beholden to him. This had a profound effect on the Otto's power, but mostly at the expense of the power of the popes - resulting a conflict later on called the Investiture Conflict
In 962 Otto moved into Italy and took over Rome, forcing Pope John XII (955 - 964) to crown him Emperor. This move upset the Byzantine Empire because they regarded themselves as the true inheritors of Roman rule. They also did not believe that the Western pope had any authority to declare someone emperor. Eventually, however, they accepted this development.
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