Foreign Holy Roman Emperor

The Holy Roman Empire has considered foreign candidates for election before. Francis of France was a serious contender against the future Charles V. Charles, of course, won.

Side note: he signed his name Karl and German sources call him Karl. Is Charles = Karl? Is it like how Lina= Evalina until the former became a name of its own outright or how Henry = Henri?

Anyways, suppose a foreign candidate actually won. Then he sat on the throne for a few years and decided... he didn't think too much of it and was wondering why he was coveting the title. Meanwhile, while there isn't any threat of actual revolt, there is plenty of talk about electing one of the prominent German dynasties in the future when the new emperor kicks the bucket.

The new emperor is mainly concerned about his children's inheritance back home. To shore up his family, he wants to increase a cash reserve. In short, he'd like to use the Holy Roman Empire as a platinum credit card without being so obvious about it.

What's the best way to do this?
 
Well, both Charles V (yes, Karl=Charles in German) and his brother Ferdinand could be viewed as foreigners-neither was native German speaker-Charles was raised as French speaker and Ferdinand as Spanish speaker , who learned German as adult.
 
The Holy Roman Empire has considered foreign candidates for election before. Francis of France was a serious contender against the future Charles V. Charles, of course, won.

Side note: he signed his name Karl and German sources call him Karl. Is Charles = Karl? Is it like how Lina= Evalina until the former became a name of its own outright or how Henry = Henri?

Anyways, suppose a foreign candidate actually won. Then he sat on the throne for a few years and decided... he didn't think too much of it and was wondering why he was coveting the title. Meanwhile, while there isn't any threat of actual revolt, there is plenty of talk about electing one of the prominent German dynasties in the future when the new emperor kicks the bucket.

The new emperor is mainly concerned about his children's inheritance back home. To shore up his family, he wants to increase a cash reserve. In short, he'd like to use the Holy Roman Empire as a platinum credit card without being so obvious about it.

What's the best way to do this?
Engineer an invasion by a foreign entity,levy taxes and not doing anything about the invasion?
 
Well, both Charles V (yes, Karl=Charles in German) and his brother Ferdinand could be viewed as foreigners-neither was native German speaker-Charles was raised as French speaker and Ferdinand as Spanish speaker , who learned German as adult.

Fair enough, but they cared enough to keep their family on the throne once the left. My example doesn't have the new kemperor caring about that
 
Fair enough, but they cared enough to keep their family on the throne once the left. My example doesn't have the new kemperor caring about that
Charles V is propably not the best example, but if his Spaniard son Philip get Imperial throne somehow... He would definitely care about Spain much, much more than about Germany.
 
Charles V is propably not the best example, but if his Spaniard son Philip get Imperial throne somehow... He would definitely care about Spain much, much more than about Germany.

I'm not asking about most likely foreign emperors. I was just wondering if one of these candidates got elected and then decided they carried about "home" much more than about Germany and didn't care about their family staying in Germany, how to get the most $$$ without being so blatant about it.
 
for a foreigner to be elected, he had to rule something that at one time was a portion of the HRE. France falls under that because of Charlemegne. Richard of Cromwell
Richard of Cornwall actually was elected King of the Germans.


To be elected Holy Roman Emperor, someone had to rule something that was once part of the Holy Roman Empire. Charles of Cromwell was also, nominally if not in fact, Count of Poiters in France. He therefore wasn't a foreigner
 
for a foreigner to be elected, he had to rule something that at one time was a portion of the HRE. France falls under that because of Charlemegne. Richard of Cromwell



To be elected Holy Roman Emperor, someone had to rule something that was once part of the Holy Roman Empire. Charles of Cromwell was also, nominally if not in fact, Count of Poiters in France. He therefore wasn't a foreigner

Wait he was Count of Poiters? Who knew?
 
for a foreigner to be elected, he had to rule something that at one time was a portion of the HRE. France falls under that because of Charlemegne.

Then Henry VIII was qualified to present his own candidature because he held Calais? (Ok we all know he did it just because his ego didn't stand the idea to be kept out from the willy measure contest between Francois and Charles but this is one of the most relevant foreign candidature example I remember).
 
Then Henry VIII was qualified to present his own candidature because he held Calais? (Ok we all know he did it just because his ego didn't stand the idea to be kept out from the willy measure contest between Francois and Charles but this is one of the most relevant foreign candidature example I remember).

Note Being Qualified does not mean seriously considered. Richard was ACTUALLY elected. Francis of France was a serious opponent of the future Charles V, and one of the electors (I forgot which) had to be given an incentive to not only vote for Chuck, but also call in favors from two other electors.
 
The Holy Roman Empire has considered foreign candidates for election before. Francis of France was a serious contender against the future Charles V. Charles, of course, won.

Side note: he signed his name Karl and German sources call him Karl. Is Charles = Karl? Is it like how Lina= Evalina until the former became a name of its own outright or how Henry = Henri?

Anyways, suppose a foreign candidate actually won. Then he sat on the throne for a few years and decided... he didn't think too much of it and was wondering why he was coveting the title. Meanwhile, while there isn't any threat of actual revolt, there is plenty of talk about electing one of the prominent German dynasties in the future when the new emperor kicks the bucket.

The new emperor is mainly concerned about his children's inheritance back home. To shore up his family, he wants to increase a cash reserve. In short, he'd like to use the Holy Roman Empire as a platinum credit card without being so obvious about it.

What's the best way to do this?
Maybe a successful Gustav Adolph of Sweden sets up a Protestant German Empire league. ( without the Roman obviously). The Protestant German States secede from the Holy Roman Empire and form their own league under Sweden´s overlordship. No cuius regio, cuius religio. Gustav Adolph declares himself Emperor. He is Swedish king and German Empire in Personal Union. Sweden becomes the ATL Prussia. To German Empires are now facing off.
 
That doesn't answer my question at all!

I'm saying non German guy become Holy Roman Emperor (through I don't care what means) and decides his family's interests are not there, so he just wants to get money before he dies so he can leave it to his hiers.

You are describing how a non German guy becomes Holy Protestant Emperor and then no mention how to treat Germany as a way to enrich his hiers.
 
That doesn't answer my question at all!

I'm saying non German guy become Holy Roman Emperor (through I don't care what means) and decides his family's interests are not there, so he just wants to get money before he dies so he can leave it to his hiers.

You are describing how a non German guy becomes Holy Protestant Emperor and then no mention how to treat Germany as a way to enrich his hiers.
Read my post.The only way you can get the German states to give you money would be if they think there's a common threat and they want you to deal with it.
 
The new emperor is mainly concerned about his children's inheritance back home. To shore up his family, he wants to increase a cash reserve. In short, he'd like to use the Holy Roman Empire as a platinum credit card without being so obvious about it.?
I'm kinda lost here, could you specify this segment? In OTL active HREs have all kinds of trouble to obtain a steady source of taxation from their unruly vassals (most notable Maximilian), so I don't think a absent, neglect Emperor would obtain anything, quite the opposite, he would decrease the local duties of his vassals and expand their privileges, like Frederick II did.
 
I'm kinda lost here, could you specify this segment? In OTL active HREs have all kinds of trouble to obtain a steady source of taxation from their unruly vassals (most notable Maximilian), so I don't think a absent, neglect Emperor would obtain anything, quite the opposite, he would decrease the local duties of his vassals and expand their privileges, like Frederick II did.

Would an absent neglectful emperor by increasing local privileges be able to cut the expenses of the Imperial treasury?
 
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