The 18th century French writer and philosopher Voltaire said,

This body which was called and which still calls itself the Holy Roman Empire was in no way holy nor Roman nor an empire.

Since then some variation of this quote has found its way nor an empire.

Since then some variation of this quote

has found its way into history classes around the world.

So what exactly was the Holy Roman Empire

and was Voltaire right?

Learn more about the Holy Roman Empire and find out if it was Holy, was Roman,

and if it was an Empire on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Oh, that's After the fall of the Western Roman Empire there was a period of

chaos in Europe for several centuries. Without the Empire stability

Germanic tribes were running around all over Europe.

Many groups and leaders tried to claim the mantle that the Roman Empire had left.

However, no one had really been able to make such a claim seriously. A dramatic group known as the Franks

began to consolidate a kingdom. One particular noble family the Carolingians began to

expand and to consolidate this Frankish kingdom. The Carolingian dynasty started with Pippin the First in 613.

However, the first noteworthy Carolingian, at least as far as the story of this episode is concerned, was Charles Martel.

He was the first European leader

to stop the Islamic Moorish invasion at the Battle of Tours in 732. His son

Pepin the Short became the first member of the Carolingian dynasty to become the King of the Franks.

And his son is where the story really begins.

And he was the greatest Carolingian king of the mall, Charlemagne.

Charlemagne's kingdom was very similar to the borders of modern day France, with some extra land in modern day Germany, Italy, Belgium, and Switzerland.

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