Study Questions

On P. H. Wilson's Holy Roman Empire

1. Sketch out the structure and constitution of the Holy Roman Empire, concentrating especially on the period of the Seventeenth Century.

2. Define and describe the territorialization of the Holy Roman Empire. How does this development explain why the Empire never became a territorial state (as Castile-Aragon, France, or England had)?

3. According to Wilson, "de-feudalization" and "de-sacralization" were important trends in the history of the Empire. Explain!

4. Define and explain the powers of the emperor, the Reichstag, the Electoral College, the Reichskammergericht, the Reichshofrat, and "Imperial taxation."

5. How do "Imperial Italy, " Denmark, the Netherlands, and Switzerland relate to the Holy Roman Empire