What was the Holy Roman Empire? How was it born?

What was the Holy Roman Empire? How was it born?

Europe had fallen into disunity in the years after Charlemagne’s rule. But Otto I (912 – 973 AD) of Germany emerging as a strong power base, tried to bring unity in the lands that was once part of the vast empire of Charlemagne. Otto’s authority was backed by the Pope’s desire for a strong Northern Europe that would assure peace and order in Italy.


When Pope John XII was at war with the Italian king Berengar, he offered Otto the crown and the title of Holy Roman Emperor, if he could defeat Berengar and unite Italy.


Otto accomplished this, and was crowned on 2 February 962 AD. Thus the idea of a Holy Roman Empire that was born with Charlemagne was reborn with Otto I.


The Holy Roman Empire survived nearly 8 centuries after Otto I. it comprised the present Germany, Austria, Italy, Czech Republic and other nearby territories.


The Empire wielded strength and power until the 15th century and survived at least in name till 1806. As was its intention, the Holy Roman Empire succeeded in bringing political as well as spiritual unity to Europe.

Who was Charlemagne?

Who was Charlemagne?

Charles the Great or Charlemagne, was the son of Pepin the Short, who seized the Frankish kingdom from Childeric, the last of the Merovingian kings. On his death, his kingdom got divided between his two sons, Charles and Carloman. With the death of the latter, Charles became king of all of France. On Christmas day 800 AD, he was crowned as King of Franks and the Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Leo III. This date is often looked upon as the beginning of the Middle Ages.


Charlemagne began his work as an emperor in right earnest with a cross in one hand and a sword in the other. He set right the situation in Europe that was torn by conflict, greed and superstition. He conquered Saxons, Lombards, Magyars and Avars and fought the Moslems in Spain.


At the end of his reign Charlemagne was presiding over an empire that stretched from the Baltic to Spain, and from Britanny to the Lower Danube. This great king was not just a conqueror, but the patron of the arts and letters who encouraged arts and architecture. With his death, the empire passed on to his son, Louis the ‘Pious’, who later divided it between his two sons. In their hands, the empire broke up into pieces, following quarrels

Who invented the concept of zero?

Who invented the concept of zero?

It is interesting that the concept of zero or nothing has had such a great impact on the progress of mankind! Although there is no proof of the identity of genius who discovered this concept, it is accepted that zero was invented in India around the 5th century AD, by Aryabhata, the first great astronomer of India.


From the earliest times, man has tried many different methods to write numbers and count. The Greeks used letters of their alphabet and Egyptians drew appropriate pictures to denote quantities. The Romans devised a complicated system. They used X to represent 10, ‘C’ to mark 100 and M for 1000. The Indian had invented a far better number system but without zero, long before the birth of Christ.


Later, after zero was invented, Arab traders carried to Europe about the year 900 AD. The invention of zero became the turning point in the development of culture and civilization. It made higher Mathematics and elaborate calculations possible.