The Carolingian Empire: The Holy Roman Empire

After the Carolingian empire faded during the ninth century, local authorities were then responsible for maintaining order in their own regions. Rather than keep their order within their own region, they spread out to gain control and build larger cities. Through all of this expansion, the Holy Roman Empire was created and ruled by Otto. They thought that the new empire would bring unity to Europe, but that was not the case. The Holy Roman Emperors got in over their heads because they claimed more territory than what they could properly rule. The emperors tried to extend their authority into Italy which was ruled by the popes. This attempt by the Holy Roman Emperors to gain leadership upset the popes so they entered into alliances with other