Above: The Diet Of Worm 1521. Google Images
Introduction
The Holy Roman Empire was a powerful political entity that lasted from the 800’s to the early 1800’s. In the 1300’s the empire was made up of a myriad of duchies who were ruled by an Emperor elected by electorate states. In the 16th century with the Austrian Hapsburg in power, the Protestant Reformation began, as people started to follow the teachings of different reformers of the Catholic faith like Martin Luther and John Calvin. Due to the Protestant Reformation the power of the Empire started to decline. The Catholic Hapsburg stayed in power while many dukes, especially in the North, converted to Protestantism. Growing distrust between the Protestants and the Catholics eventually led to war within the Empire causing a further decrease in The Holy Roman Empire's power and unity. This decline in power and unity caused the downfall of the Empire in 1806 in the hands of Napoleon Bonaparte.