Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor

Maximilian I of Habsburg (March 22, 1459 – January 12, 1519) was Holy Roman Emperor.

Reign in the Holy Roman Empire

Elected King of the Romans in 1486 at the initiative of his father, he also stood at the head of the Holy Roman Empire upon his father's death in 1493. The following year brought French intervention in Italy, inaugurating the prolonged Italian Wars. He joined the Holy League to counter the French. The war only ended with a success of the Empire after his death.

Related Topics:
King of the Romans - 1486 - Holy Roman Empire - 1493 - Italy - Italian Wars - Holy League

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Maximilian is possibly best known for leading the 1495 Reichstag at Worms which concluded on the Reichsreform (Imperial Reform), reshaping much of the constitution of the Holy Roman Empire. In the 1499 Treaty of Basel, Maximilian was forced to acknowledge the de-facto independence of the Swiss confereracy from the Empire as a result of the Battle of Dornach.

Related Topics:
1495 - Reichstag - Worms - Reichsreform - Holy Roman Empire - 1499 - Treaty of Basel - Swiss confereracy - Battle of Dornach

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In 1508, Maximilian, with the assent of Pope, took the title of Elected Roman Emperor (Erwählter Römischer Kaiser), and thus ended the century-old custom that the Holy Roman Emperor had to be crowned by the pope.

Related Topics:
1508 - Pope - Holy Roman Emperor

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