Who was the first holy Roman Emperor?

[Spiderman]

I doubt it will happen

A revived Holy Roman Empire dominating the world would be kind of interesting though me thinks... But I doubt it will happen... I'm just saying there's a lot of speculation that it will... But a lot of that comes from silly verses in the Bible and people with wild imaginations

 

[gnomon]

Nah. I'll go with Charles the something.

Just to be difficult. The HRE wasn't a concept when Charlemagne was declared and he didn't care at all. Otto immediately deposed the Pope who declared him. But none of it mattered until Charles V and the Hapsburg dynasty showed up. To be eventually removed by the rising French kingdom as well as the Prussians...aka...the Kingdom of Brandenburg which created the modern German state.

So who cares.

edit: I'm just being difficult. I know Charlemagne was the first to be declared by a desperate Pope and he didn't accept. Otto was the second and he proceeded to remove that Pope.

 

[Jumi]

Charlemagne was the first Holy Roman Emperor. Like Voltaire wrote:

Holy Roman Empire was neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire.

 

[Glaurung]

Semantics. I disagree.

There's an immense difference between the old Western Empire and the loose confederation of largely Germanic states and principalities that made up the HRE. Heck, the (actual) Roman Empire still continued to exist in the east.

 

[Spiderman]

Charlemagne was the first Holy Roman Emperor. Like Voltaire wrote:

I agree it wasn't holy and Roman, but I don't get the rationale behind it not being an Empire...

 

[Jumi]

I agree it wasn't holy and Roman, but I don't get the rationale behind it not being an Empire...

By todays standards it's an empire, but empires are not supposed to have an electoral college of a loose collection of member states.