Hello and welcome to the History of the Germans, Episode 148, Imperial Swan Song.

The consequences of Henry the 7's campaign in Italy, also episode 11 of season 8, the Holy Roman Empire from the Interregnum to the Golden Bull.

The year is 1312, and Henry the 7th is finally embarking on his journey to Rome,

that will bring about the first imperial coronation in almost a century and hence the formal

end to the Interregnum, the time without empress.

Becoming emperor is hard enough, but being emperor is even harder, as the first Luxembourg to

ascend the throne of Charlemagne will find out.

Hope for an end to the incessant civil wars in Italy lay buried under the rotting corpses

before Brescia. Henry the 7th is no longer a unifying

figure in Italy. He's just simply the leader of the Ghiboline faction. And as such, he had to tackle

the Galves, led by the commune of Florence and King Robert of Naples. And doing that triggered a domino effect that not only left him dead, but also reopened the

ancient struggle between the Pope and the Emperor, now with a new Jeune-secois mixed

in.

Sounds ominous?

Come along and find out.

But before we start, let me remind you that the History of the Germans podcast is advertising

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And with that, back to the show.

Last week, we left Henry V. 7th in Geneva, severely shaken by the death of his wife, the

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