Who's Who and What's What in the Crusades

Because context is so important to understanding points in history, it is equally important to understand terminology and phrases of the time period. It helps no one if, in the midst of a translated letter, several vocabulary terms come up that the reader simply doesn't understand. Therefore, here are a number of terms, their backgrounds, events, and understandings to help a reader interested in getting into the Crusades:

Holy Roman Empire - This is one of the most misunderstood terms of the Medieval world. Many people have thought that this was the reincarnation of the Roman Empire, the unifying force come at last to rebuild on the ashes of the old times, the phoenix of an empire if one will. However, what these people called themselves and what they were are two very different things. In fact, the notion of Holy Roman Empire had very little to do with the Roman Republic and Empire and certainly didn't adhere to the ideals of the fabled S.P.Q.R.

Perhaps the most obvious difference between the Roman Empire and the Holy Roman Empire is that the former was German, rather than Latin or Italian. The German Reich was founded by the first Holy Roman Emperor, the man whose name has become synonymous with chivalric legend, Charlemagne. Charlemagne, whose name comes from the Latin name Carolus Magnus, is considered by some to be the Father of Europe, for his expansion throughout Europe that united the Germans and the Franks, forging the path for both modern France and Germany. In evicting the Lombards and Saxons and protecting the Papacy, he, more than any single figure, helped increase the advent of the Catholic Church in Medieval Europe.

The Holy Roman Empire's name is derived not from the Principate, but rather its status as a representative and later challenger of the Papal throne in Rome. It was more of a reference to the Roman Catholic Church than the ancient empire, and so should not be considered the successor to Caesar and Augustus.