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.

When did the fall of the Roman Empire begin?

The Roman Empire was one of the greatest that existed. But by the end of the 4th century A D, the Romans began to experience practical difficulties in managing the large empire. Gradually the empire began to disintegrate, falling prey to attacks from tribes such as the Goths, Visigoths, the Vandals and the Franks from Northern Europe.


Early in the 4th century Emperor Constantine concluded that Rome was not safe, and shifted his capital to the city of Byzantium (modern Istanbul), renaming it Constantinople. After his death, his sons squabbled over the empire, resulting in a division into the Eastern Roman Empire based on Constantinople and w Western Roman Empire based in Rome. The Western Roman Empire crumbled under its own weight and was victim to a series of conquests from Alaric, king of the Visigoths in 410 AD and Attila the Hun in 433 AD. When the last Roman Emperor, Romulus Augustulus ascended the throne in 475 AD, he had only a mere shadow of what was once the glorious Roman Empire. When he was taken prisoner by German King Odovacar in 476 AD, the curtains came down on the empire begun by Caesar Augustus, nearly 500 years ago.

When was the burning of Rome started?

When was the burning of Rome started?

The burning of Rome took place in the year 64 AD. This happened during the reign of Nero (37-67 AD) who was a tyrant, weak and completely mad. It is possible that the great fire that burned and destroyed Rome was started under his orders. Even if he had not, Nero is supposed to have stood watching the destruction, while playing the fiddle. The fire raged for six days continuously and at the end of it only less than one third of the city remained. Seizing this opportunity, Nero ordered the building of a new city which turned out to be more beautiful and magnificent than the earlier one. However, he did not live long to enjoy it, as he committed suicide during a revolt that followed.

Who was Julius Caesar?

Who was Julius Caesar?

Julius Caesar was the son of a noble family who entered the Roman Army. He served with distinction, earning the Civic Crown, the highest medal of valour. Upon his return to Rome, he entered politics and became a Consul. He led a successful military expedition to expand the Empire. He pushed the frontiers of the Roman Empire farther than any Roman emperor. He took command of an Army and the next two years, he invaded and laid claim to most of Britain, and crossed the Rhine to fight the Germans.


He returned to Rome as a powerful hero, and came into political conflict with Pompey, another Roman General who held the post of Chief Consul. By law, generals were not allowed to bring their armies into the city of Rome but rather were required to keep them north of the Rubicon River. In 50 BC, Caesar flouted the law, crossed the Rubicon and entered Rome to stage a coup. He deposed Pompey and eliminated the Republic making himself an absolute ruler, in 48 BC. He continued to rule until disgruntled colleagues assassinated him on March 15, 44 BC. By the time of his death, Rome had also become Europe’s –and possibly the world’s-first superpower.

How did the Romans come to super power?

How did the Romans come to super power?

While Rome was founded in 753 BC, it took more than 500 years before the Romans rose to their supremacy. Then they asserted power and influence beyond the Italian peninsula. However, during these 500 years, Rome, the city of the river Tiber, had become a dominant political force in Italy. As it sphere of influence spread outside Italy, Rome would face new and more serious competition than it had, closer to home.


While Greece looked East towards the cradle of civilization and the Persian Empire beyond, the Romans looked West. The major power in the Western Mediterranean was Carthage, a city founded in 814 BC by the Phoenicians. As Rome began to broaden its power it put itself on a collision course with Carthage. The victor in this power struggle would win dominance over the Western Europe, and ultimately, the entire Mediterranean area. This was finally decided over three epic wars known as the Punic wars. It was the Roman victory over the Carthaginian general Hannibal at the battle of Zama in 202 BC, which marked the beginning of the rise of power of the Roman Empire.

Why was the Great Wall of China built?

Why was the Great Wall of China built?

The Great Wall of China built at the command of Emperor Shih Huang Ti, is the greatest example of human effort. Known in China as Wan-Lichang Chen, it was built to form the northern boundary of the Chinese empire. It was about 2400 kms (6400 Kms with all its branches) long, and was four and a half to 12 metres in height. To build it over high mountains and very difficult terrain, the emperor pressed every third man in the kingdom into service. But compared to the amount of human suffering it involved, it was a futile effort.

Who is known as the First Emperor? Why?

Who is known as the First Emperor? Why?

China, in the very early days, was made up of many warring feudal states. By about 221 BC, this period ended with the rise of Chin Dynasty. During this time, the powerful Shi Huang Di, known as the First Emperor, succeeded in uniting China for the first time in history. Although, he is remembered as a despot, Shi Huang Di brought about several reforms that changed the face of China. He introduced a centralized government, conducted a census and standardized the weights and measures and coinage of the country. He is also credited with having begun work on the Great Wall of China. Shi Huang Di’s rule ended with the advent of the Han Dynasty

What is the Archimedes’ principle?

Archimedes was a Greek scientist who studied at the Museum of Alexandria. He had done a lot of research in geometry, hydrostatics and mechanics. His studies and theories were pathbreaking ones because they laid the base for great discoveries for scientists of the future. In fact, they proved to be of great help to Galileo, Newton and others, who made revolutionary discoveries.


Archimedes is renowned for his principle which says that the weight of a solid is equal to the weight of water displaced by it, when immersed in water.


Eureka!


There is an interesting story about how Archimedes discovered his famous principle. It is said that the King of Syracuse in Greece suspected that a jeweler had cheated him. The King asked Archimedes if he could determine if the object was made of pure gold. Archimedes went over the problem in his mind and the answer came suddenly to him one day, while he was in his bath. Excited by his discovery, he is said to have run home without putting on his clothes, shouting ‘Eureka!’ (I have found it!)