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warriors became very skilled. The most renowned German soldiers were the
Teutonic Knights,
a religious order of warriors inspired by the Crusades. The Teutonic Knights spread
Christianity into the Baltic region by conquest but were eventually halted by
Alexander
Nevsky at the battle on frozen Lake Peipus.
A confrontation between the emperors and the church over investiture of bishops
weakened
the emperors in both Germany and Italy. During periods of temporary
excommunication of the
emperor and outright war against Rome, imperial authority lapsed. The local
German princes
solidified their holdings or fought off the Vikings with no interference or help from
the
emperor. In Italy, the rising city-states combined to form the Lombard League and
refused
to recognize the emperor.
Political power in both Germany and Italy shifted from the emperor to the local
princes and
cities. The ministriales rebelled, taking control of the cities and castles they
garrisoned
and declaring themselves free. During desperate attempts to regain Italy, more
concessions
were given to the local princes in Germany. By the middle of the thirteenth century,
the
Holy Roman Empire existed in name only. The throne remained empty for 20 years.
The German
princes cared only about their own holdings. The Italian city-states did not want a
German
ruler and were strong enough to defend themselves.
Future emperors in the Middle Ages were elected by the German princes but they
ruled in
name only, controlling little more than their own family estates. Germany remained
a minor
power in Europe for centuries to come.