2 pt question about Holy Roman Empire?

Question

1) does the pope appoint every Holy Roman Emperor (or empress, thats my next question), or is it hereditary?

2) if it is hereditary, could a woman become Holy Roman Empress in her own right? If not, than what happens if the Holy Roman Emperor only has daughters?

Please and THANK YOU!!! (=

ps, please no sarcastic answers, or ones that wont help, that'd be much appreciated

Answer 1

They were neither holy nor Roman.

Answer 2

the first roman emporer was charlemgane appointed by the pope in 800 ad.  the last roman emporer was francis the second whom abdicated the throne during the napoleonic wars in 1806.  i think the pope chose them all, so i dont think it is hereditary.  on wikipedia you can read more about it http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_roman_...

Answer 3

There is no such thing as the "Holy Roman Emperor"... Rome is a city/state... it's a SEPARATE COUNTRY that just HAPPENS to be located in the city of Rome.

A woman can NEVER become a pope... or even a priest.. because of CANNON LAW.

Answer 4

A prospective Emperor had first to be elected King of the Romans. Kings had been elected since time immemorial: in the 9th century by the leaders of the five most important tribes: (the Salian Franks of Lorraine, the Ripuarian Franks of Franconia, and the Saxons, Bavarians, and Swabians); later by the main dukes and bishops of the kingdom; finally only by the so-called Kurfürsten (electing dukes, electors).

This electoral college was formally established in 1356 by the King of Bohemia Charles IV, through a decree known as the Golden Bull. Initially, there were seven electors: the Count Palatine of the Rhine, the King of Bohemia, the Duke of Saxony, the Margrave of Brandenburg, and the Archbishops of Cologne, Mainz, and Trier. During the Thirty Years' War, the Duke of Bavaria was given the right to vote as the eighth elector. A candidate for election would be expected to offer concessions of land or money to the electors in order to secure their vote.

The Emperor had to be a man of good character over 18 years. All four of his grandparents were expected to be of noble blood. No law required him to be a Catholic, though imperial law assumed that he was. He did not need to be a German (Charles V and Alfonso of Castille were not, and Henry VIII of England was a candidate in the election of 1519). By the 17th century candidates generally possessed estates within the Empire. Louis XIV, King of France, considered allowing Alsace-Lorraine, a recently acquired French territory, to remain within the Empire in order to allow him to be a candidate for the throne.

Basically, it is not "hereditary", so if the Holy Roman Emperor dies, the council votes someone else, who fits their criteria. Holy Roman Empress or Empress of the Holy Roman Empire is the title given to the consort of the Holy Roman Emperor. The elective dignity of Holy Roman Emperor was restricted to males only, therefore there was never a Holy Roman Empress regnant.