I just have a quick question about the CKII title of the monarch who rules the lands which are now part of Germany. In the middle ages there was no such thing as a 'king of Germany' - the legitimate monarch of that region was known as the rex Romanorum or Roemscher kung/Rómischer koenîg (depending on which regional variant of Middle High German the source is written in). I study the high/late medieval Holy Roman Empire, and have never come across a single source referring to a 'king of Germany'. Does CKII reflect this, or does it repeat CK's ahistorical title 'king of Germany'? (IIRC in the 1066 scenario Heinrich von Franken began with the titles 'king of Germany, Burgundy, and Italy').
On a side note, not all kings of the Romans were emperors. Although there were bouts of quasi-hereditary rule under the Ottonians and Hohenstaufen, you were generally elected king of the Romans by German princes (formalised into the seven Kurfürsten by the Golden Bull of 1356), and crowned in the Rhineland (sometimes in Mainz, Frankfurt, or Bonn, but usually in Aachen). In order to become Holy Roman Empire you needed to be crowned by the pope in Italy (and, as an aside, in order to become king of Lombardy you needed to receive the Iron Crown, usually in Milan). Thus Frederick II of Hohenstaufen was king of the Romans from 1212, but only became HRE with his papal coronation in 1220. Similarly, Charles IV of Luxemburg was elected and crowned king of the Romans in 1346, but did not receive the Imperial crown until his Italian expedition of 1355. Frederick III of Habsburg (IV of the Romans) had the longest gap - he was elected in 1440, crowned rex Romanorum in 1442, yet only became Holy Roman Emperor when he finally visited Rome in 1452. Many important kings of the Romans - Conrad III of Hohenstaufen, Rudolf I of Habsburg, and Wenceslas of Luxemburg, amongst others - were never Holy Roman Emperors.
It would be quite hard to implement the king of the Romans/HRE gap in CKII, though a DLC which modelled it would be wonderful (pretty please Paradox?
). However, getting the king of the Romans's title right isn't difficult, so I'd be grateful to hear from someone who's previewed the game about whether this is the case.
On a side note, not all kings of the Romans were emperors. Although there were bouts of quasi-hereditary rule under the Ottonians and Hohenstaufen, you were generally elected king of the Romans by German princes (formalised into the seven Kurfürsten by the Golden Bull of 1356), and crowned in the Rhineland (sometimes in Mainz, Frankfurt, or Bonn, but usually in Aachen). In order to become Holy Roman Empire you needed to be crowned by the pope in Italy (and, as an aside, in order to become king of Lombardy you needed to receive the Iron Crown, usually in Milan). Thus Frederick II of Hohenstaufen was king of the Romans from 1212, but only became HRE with his papal coronation in 1220. Similarly, Charles IV of Luxemburg was elected and crowned king of the Romans in 1346, but did not receive the Imperial crown until his Italian expedition of 1355. Frederick III of Habsburg (IV of the Romans) had the longest gap - he was elected in 1440, crowned rex Romanorum in 1442, yet only became Holy Roman Emperor when he finally visited Rome in 1452. Many important kings of the Romans - Conrad III of Hohenstaufen, Rudolf I of Habsburg, and Wenceslas of Luxemburg, amongst others - were never Holy Roman Emperors.
It would be quite hard to implement the king of the Romans/HRE gap in CKII, though a DLC which modelled it would be wonderful (pretty please Paradox?
). However, getting the king of the Romans's title right isn't difficult, so I'd be grateful to hear from someone who's previewed the game about whether this is the case.
