The Emperor's Old Clothes: Constitutional History and the Symbolic Language of the Holy Roman Empire (Spektrum: Publications of the German Studies Association, 10)

For many years, scholars struggled to write the history of the constitution and political structure of the Holy Roman Empire. This book argues that this was because the political and social order could not be understood without considering the rituals and symbols that held the Empire together. What determined the rules (and whether they were followed) depended on complex symbolic-ritual actions. By examining key moments in the political history of the Empire, the author shows that it was a vocabulary of symbols, not the actual written laws, that formed a political language indispensable in maintaining the common order. For many years, scholars struggled to write the history of the constitution and political structure of the Holy Roman Empire. This book argues that this was because the political and social order could not be understood without considering the rituals and symbols that held the Empire together. What determined the rules and whether they were followed was dependent on complex symbolic-ritual actions. By examining key moments in the political history of the Empire, the author shows that it was a vocabulary of symbols, not the actual written laws, which formed a political language indispensable in maintaining the common order Creation And Presentation Of The Empire : Worms, 1495 -- Cleavage Of The Sacral Community : Augsburg, 1530 -- More Strife Than Ever Before : Regensburg, 1653/54 -- Parallel Worlds : Frankfurt-regensburg-vienna, 1764/65 -- Conclusion. The Symbolic Logic Of The Empire. Barbara Stollberg-rilinger ; Translated By Thomas Dunlap. Translated From The German. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. THE EMPEROR’S OLD CLOTHES CONTENTS ABBREVIATIONS Introduction CHAPTER 1. Creation and Presentation of the Empire CHAPTER 2. Cleavage of the Sacral Community CHAPTER 3. More Strife than Ever Before CHAPTER 4. Parallel Worlds Conclusion BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX Creation and depiction of the Empire: Worms, 1495 Cleavage of the sacral community: Augsburg, 1530 More strife than ever before: Regensburg, 1653/54 Parallel worlds: Frankfurt-Regensburg-Vienna, 1764/65 Conclusion: The symbolic logic of the Empire.