A Federated HRE?

My question is this, if the Holy Roman Empire were to federate sometime around 1400 how powerful could this eventually be?

I know it could easily dominate the medy, and probably the baltic sea;
but besides that? could it become as strong as britain was OTL?

Another question would be, eventually especially after federation it would be a kingdom I assume, so what would the name be?
I really can't think of a name besides Francia. Any ideas?
 
1) Why/how would it dominate the Mediterranean?

2) This is a map of the area we're looking at: http://www.shadowedrealm.com/maps/political/view/germany_during_the_fifteenth_century - except for the Duchy of Burgundy, most of even that is HRE, and there's more in Central Italy if things really work.

This is Greater Germany sized and then some. It can easily outweigh almost anyone else.

3) It is a kingdom - well, three kingdoms, but the Kingdom of Burgundy has been et by France by now. The Kingdom of Germany & the Kingdom of Italy. Not counting the Kingdom of Bohemia.

If it stands as one united body, it would probably keep the current name - the Holy Roman Empire.
 
1) Why/how would it dominate the Mediterranean?

2) This is a map of the area we're looking at: http://www.shadowedrealm.com/maps/political/view/germany_during_the_fifteenth_century - except for the Duchy of Burgundy, most of even that is HRE, and there's more in Central Italy if things really work.

This is Greater Germany sized and then some. It can easily outweigh almost anyone else.

3) It is a kingdom - well, three kingdoms, but the Kingdom of Burgundy has been et by France by now. The Kingdom of Germany & the Kingdom of Italy. Not counting the Kingdom of Bohemia.

If it stands as one united body, it would probably keep the current name - the Holy Roman Empire.

1. I figure a united HRE will have italy, probably eventually all of Italy except the Papal states. This gives it alot of ports on the Mediterranean sea, and with (as you said bigger than greater germany) the powerful army such a state would have, whose to say much?

2. I know what the HRE looks like. And united no european country can stand against it (at least not in a ground war).

3. Yes it was originally 3 kingdoms, but as you know it quickly broke down into a loose confederation of duchies, principalities, free cities, ect...
 
1. I figure a united HRE will have italy, probably eventually all of Italy except the Papal states. This gives it alot of ports on the Mediterranean sea, and with (as you said bigger than greater germany) the powerful army such a state would have, whose to say much?

2. I know what the HRE looks like. And united no european country can stand against it (at least not in a ground war).

3. Yes it was originally 3 kingdoms, but as you know it quickly broke down into a loose confederation of duchies, principalities, free cities, ect...

1: How? Legally and legitimately, the Empire's power doesn't even extend into all of Central Italy,

And while Genoa may technically be part of the Empire, Venice isn't - not sure on the other ports of note.

2: Then why asking how it compares to Britain?

3: And it remained, on paper, three kingdoms.
 
1: How? Legally and legitimately, the Empire's power doesn't even extend into all of Central Italy,

And while Genoa may technically be part of the Empire, Venice isn't - not sure on the other ports of note.

2: Then why asking how it compares to Britain?

3: And it remained, on paper, three kingdoms.

1. Well, as you say its the kingdoms; i guess i didn't really say but I figure once they federalize, the italians are going to want all of italy? maybe not tho.

2. I meant on a global scale, could they become the dominant power by the 1800s.

3. Yes of course, but thats only on paper.
 
3. Yes it was originally 3 kingdoms, but as you know it quickly broke down into a loose confederation of duchies, principalities, free cities, ect...

Until the 15th century, it lacked non-Imperial/Royal "governmental" bodies.
The later (con-)federal phase was (in some ways) an upgrade from the previous feudal empire.
 
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1. Well, as you say its the kingdoms; i guess i didn't really say but I figure once they federalize, the italians are going to want all of italy? maybe not tho.

2. I meant on a global scale, could they become the dominant power by the 1800s.

3. Yes of course, but thats only on paper.

1: Probably not - the idea that Sicily and Naples are part of "Italy" in the same sense of Tuscany and Lombardy is going to be strange.

Now, that's not to say the Emperors won't be interested, or that no one else will - but it's more a matter of the power and riches to be gained than the idea of uniting the peninsula to rule "all of Italy", which at this time is the same as the HRE territories+the Papal States+the areas that ignore their obligations to one or the other.

2: Possibly, depending on how effective this confederation is - I mean, if its a truly united force, quite possibly. If not, just keeping it working would be a big project.

3: If you manage to make the HRE unite, not any more.The kingdoms of Germany and Italy technically have the Holy Roman Emperor as king (specifically, the Emperor is made king of all of those before becoming Emperor) - same with Burgundy if the Emperors care to push it.
 
1: How? Legally and legitimately, the Empire's power doesn't even extend into all of Central Italy,

they could reclaim it...it was part of charlemagnes domain remember, and some emperor could try and reclaim the lost lands and bring it back into the imperial fold (yes venice was never part of the hre, but the rest of nothern itlay for quite a while, even into the 16th centuary, until they broke out of the empire)

plus several emperors (frederick, the habsburgs and so on) have always tried to conquer northern italy for this or that reason (usually tro get to naples) and it would be good for them to stop the french from seizing it too (it always wanted a united path to naples)

so theres tonnes of reasons why the hre would inavde italy
 
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they could reclaim it...it was part of charlemagnes domain remember, and some emperor could try and reclaim the lost lands and bring it back into the imperial fold (yes venice was never part of the hre, but the rest of nothern itlay for quite a while, even into the 16th centuary, until they broke out of the empire)

Charlemagne's domain still doesn't include southern (modern) Italy.

All the Empire has claim to in Italy and France is about this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Map_of_the_Holy_Roman_Empire_in_the_10th_century.png

Anything more would require disputing the claims of the Pope, at a minimum.

I'm sure an ambitious and strong Emperor would assert claims to more, but that's getting away from the unambiguous lawful territory of the HRE.
 
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