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From: EURMXK@MVS.sas.com
Subject: Re: The name of the German nation
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Date: Thu, 19 Jan 1995 08:35:00 GMT
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In article <3fj8ga$dng@bambi.zdv.Uni-Mainz.DE>,
knappen@kph.Uni-Mainz.DE (Joerg Knappen) writes:
 
>I think, the full title was ``Heiliges R"omisches Reich deutscher Nation'',
>but I have no references ready, since when this title was used. It would
>make sense after the tripartition of the original frankish Reich, where
>the eastern part (approximately the old Federal Republik of germany with
>some part of The Netherlands and Switzerland) was governed by ``Ludwig, dem
>Deutschen''. The western part became france, the middle part contained modern
>Belgium, Lorraine, Burgundy and Italy and was claimed by the two other sides.
>
Here you go:
"Seit dem Interregnum (1257) lautete die offizielle Bezeichnung des
Reiches 'Sacrum Romanum Imperium' ..., nach dem 14. Jahrhundert aber
verblasste die Idee vom Kaisertum als einem ueberstaatlichen
Sinnbild des christlichen Abendlandes ...
Die Titelfassung "Roemisches Reich Deutscher Nation" begegnet zum ersten
Mal im Frankfurter Reichslandfrieden vom 17. Maerz 1486."
(Friedrich Merzbacher, Europa im 15. Jahrhundert, in: Propylaeen
Weltgeschichte, vol. 6, Berlin - Frankfurt 1986, p. 400)
Since the interregnum (1257) the official denomination of the empire
was 'Sacrum Romanum Imperium ..., after thew 14th century, however,
the idea of the 'empire' being a supranational symbol of the
Christian Occident more and more faded away ...
The title "Roemisches Reich Deutscher Nation" was first used in the
Franfurter Reichslandfriede (i.e. public peace proclaimed by the
emperor) of March, 17th 1486.
 
>The linguistic split in the old frankish Reich is nicely documented through the
>famous ``Strassburger Eide'' where the western army did swear in old high
>german (that the eastern could understand) and the easter did swear in old
>french (that the western could understand).
>
That's correct, but in the early Middle Ages there was no such concept
of a 'nation' based on linguistic grounds.
The "Roman Empire" gained large parts of Burgundy, Lorraine and
Italy in the subsequent partions, territories which were gradually
lost in the following centuries.  In any case, the empire continued to
be a supranational 'body' till its end.
 
Regards, 
Manfred Kiefer
