In this gallery of four maps we chart the rise and expansion of the Holy Roman Empire, a pivotal period in European history following the decline of the Roman Empire. Emerging from the ashes of Rome's collapse, the Merovingian Dynasty in Gaul, led by figures such as Syagrius and Clovis, laid the groundwork for the empire's formation, albeit in a fragmented manner. However, it was under the rule of Charlemagne, crowned Emperor of the Romans in 800, that the idea of a united Christian empire gained momentum. His conquests expanded the empire's influence, paving the way for Otto the Great's coronation in 962, formally establishing the Holy Roman Empire, and ushering in a new era of medieval Europe.
Image Gallery
The Fall of the Western Roman Empire, c. 480 CE
A map illustrating the gradual process of disintegration known as the Fall of the Western Roman Empire. During the Migration Period (a period of accelerated movement of peoples across Europe between the 5th and 9th centuries, also known as the Barbarian Invasions), the territories of the Western Roman Empire in Europe, including Italy, and north-western Africa, fell to various indigenous or invading peoples. In 395 CE, after the death of Theodosius the Great (the last emperor who ruled over a unified realm), the Roman Empire was officially divided. Although it is assumed as a historical convention (and a poetic symmetry) that the Western Roman Empire ended in September 476 CE with the abdication of Romulus Augustus (or in 480 with the murder of, not so romantically named, Julius Nepos) for close to 20 more years, the structures of Roman governance continued to function, Latin remained the administrative language, Roman armies, and Roman law were still standing and newly minted coins featured Roman emperors.
