For most of its history, Germany was not a unified state but a loose association of territorial states that together made up the “Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation”. It was a long time until the founding of the German Reich in 1871.  

The term “deutsch” first surfaced in the 8th century. It referred to the language spoken in the eastern part of the Franconian realm, and meant “as the people speak” – as opposed to Latin, the language of scholars. After Charlemagne’s death in 814 the Franconian realm disintegrated, primarily along the linguistic divide between early Medieval French and Old High German. A feeling of belonging together emerged only gradually among the inhabitants of the eastern areas. “Germany” ought to be where “German” was spoken. Whereas the western border was established at an early date, settlement of the East did not come to a halt until the 14th century. The resulting contact between and intermingling of the German and Slavonic populations persisted until World War II.  

In hindsight, the ascension to the throne of King Conrad I in 911 marked the transition from the East Franconian to a German empire. Yet due to Conrad’s origins, his title was officially “King of Franconia”, and later “Roman King”. As of the 11th century, the German empire itself was called “Roman Empire”, as of the 13th century “Holy Roman Empire” and in the 15th century the words “of the German Nation” were added. In this empire, the high nobility elected the King. With a few exceptions, the King was related to his predecessor. The Medieval empire had no capital city; the monarchy constantly moved from one city to the next. And there were no imperial taxes; the king drew his sustenance from “imperial estates” which he administered in trust. The King was perceived as a ruler bound by the laws of the people as handed down across time and subject to the approval of the great nobles of the realm, and yet he held the power to pass laws, decide on taxation, as well as over the courts and the army, added to which he was head of the Church. He was also the uppermost authority as regards the protection of peace. Otto I had himself crowned Kaiser in 962 in Rome.  

This imperial status, which was likewise exercised by Otto’s successors, amounted in theory to dominance over the entire Occident. There was, however, a very great divide between theory and practice. Because the Kings always had to make their way to Rome to be crowned Emperor, they also paid careful attention to ensuring they wielded some form of power in Italy as well. It was Henry IV who no longer allowed the clear supremacy of the Kaiser over the Papacy. A quarrel over the investiture of bishops ended with him doing penance to Pope Gregory VII in 1077 in Canossa, from which time onward the Pope and the Kaiser were equal-ranking powers. Despite an external show of power in the ensuing Staufen dynasty, territorial fragmentation ensued, and the ecclesiastical and temporal princes became semi-sovereign territorial rulers. Whereas nation states were emerging in other western European countries, the forces in Germany tended to be disintegrative. Herein lies one of the reasons why down through the centuries Germany was considered a “belated nation”.

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