But just over 200 years ago, most of its current territory was a shambolic mess — part of the Holy Roman Empire, which even at the time was recognized as an anachronistic political fossil.

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Imperial Splendor: The Art of the Book in the Holy Roman Empire, 800-1500 by Jeffrey F. Hamburger and Joshua O’Driscoll, published by D Giles Limited, is available online.

The Roman Empire, at its peak, spread right around the Mediterranean and stretched from Northumbria to Armenia. From the reign of the emperor Augustus onwards, power of all that territory lay in ...

However, the Eastern Roman Empire would last for another 1,000 years before it too fell. At its peak, the Byzantine Empire ...

Born in 1194, Frederick's reign saw the Holy Roman Empire reach its-all time territorial peak. His Empire began in Sicily and stretched all the way through Italy to Germany, Burgundy and even ...

A giant poolside mosaic featuring intricate geometric patterns has been unearthed in southern Turkey, revealing the far-reaching influence of the Roman Empire at its peak. The mosaic, which once ...