How would you reform the Holy Roman Empire?

Based upon your own beliefs on how a successful medieval realm should function, how would you go about reforming the Holy Roman Empire, starting with a PoD post 1000 C.E.
 
Implement the Reforms of Worms (1495), especially the common penny (Gemeiner Pfennig). That's a first step. The eternal peace (Ewiger Landfriede) needs to be extended from banning feuds to banning all kinds of internal conflict in the Empire in general, save for interventionary actions by the Emperor. The Army (the Army of the Empire, not the Emperor's Army; the Reichsheer) needs to be reformed into a standing force loyal to the Empire and Emperor contributed to by the states. The Imperial Government (which replaced the Diet but also took power from the Emperor) needs to survive; perhaps in an ATL the Emperor has more say in it, leading to a compromise allowing for its continuance. These changes should set the Empire on a path much, much different than OTL and should give it the tools to implement later, more binding reforms, in the centuries to come.
 
Implement the Reforms of Worms (1495), especially the common penny (Gemeiner Pfennig). That's a first step. The eternal peace (Ewiger Landfriede) needs to be extended from banning feuds to banning all kinds of internal conflict in the Empire in general, save for interventionary actions by the Emperor. The Army (the Army of the Empire, not the Emperor's Army; the Reichsheer) needs to be reformed into a standing force loyal to the Empire and Emperor contributed to by the states. The Imperial Government (which replaced the Diet but also took power from the Emperor) needs to survive; perhaps in an ATL the Emperor has more say in it, leading to a compromise allowing for its continuance. These changes should set the Empire on a path much, much different than OTL and should give it the tools to implement later, more binding reforms, in the centuries to come.

An imperial victory in the Swabian war of 1499 might help with enforcement of the common penny.
 
No Spanish-Austrian Hapsburg Union, the HRE wins the Swabian war(but IMO it's not super important if other factors are changed), Austria retains the United Provinces, no reformation or some kind of less chaotic reformation that allows the HRE to asserts itself against the papacy and against foreign intruders seeking to "help" their denominations.
 
The Ottonian line survives and develop a odd relationship with the Papacy that avoids the woes of the 11th to 13th century in the Empire, creating a kinda confederal theocratic kingship linking both Germany and Italy.
 
Could the Emperors use the peasant and noble unrest(prior to the rebellion) to their advantages? Possibly if the Emperor partially embraced the Lutheran movement it could lead to secularization of different territories in favour of Austria(Liege, Salzburg) or more simply just avoiding many deaths and disorder and also prevent the imposition of the local princes on the lower nobility and peasantry, decreasing their power relative to the emperor.
 

Md139115

Banned
Something that’s been on my mind given my desire to do a Charles V SI one day.

Consolidate the Netherlands and Austria, build up relationships with the Bavarians and Bohemians while letting the North fall under Lutheran sway. Finally move forward and utterly crush the darned Protestants. Use the peace terms to restructure the empire as follows:

Emperor elected by all nobles above the rank of count and all archbishops. Diet meeting in Frankfurt or Augsburg, which will be an Imperial City and capital of the HRE.

Circles dissolved. Instead the HRE will be divided into the following kingdoms and (capitals): dynasties

Kingdom of the Netherlands (Brussels or Antwerp): Habsburg

Kingdom of Northern Germany (Berlin or Brunswick): Wettin or Hohenzollern

Kingdom of Southern Germany (Munich): Wittlesbach

Kingdom of Austria (Vienna): Habsburg

Kingdom of Italy (rump Italian territories of HRE) (Turin): d’Medici

Kingdom of Bohemia (roughly same as OTL) (Prague): Habsburg or Jagiellon

Make deal with Pope giving up right to approve ecclesiastical appointments in exchange for suppression of most minor prince-bishoprics. Use their lands and cities to entice secular lords into ceding other territories and consolidating domains, hopefully restoring some semblance of order to territorial holdings.

Forbid internal HRE wars and establish a clear line of federal to kingdom to local supremacy in law.

Get to work reconquering wayward ex-HRE lands, like France...:evilsmile:
 
Something that’s been on my mind given my desire to do a Charles V SI one day.

Consolidate the Netherlands and Austria, build up relationships with the Bavarians and Bohemians while letting the North fall under Lutheran sway. Finally move forward and utterly crush the darned Protestants. Use the peace terms to restructure the empire as follows:

Emperor elected by all nobles above the rank of count and all archbishops. Diet meeting in Frankfurt or Augsburg, which will be an Imperial City and capital of the HRE.

Circles dissolved. Instead the HRE will be divided into the following kingdoms and (capitals): dynasties

Kingdom of the Netherlands (Brussels or Antwerp): Habsburg

Kingdom of Northern Germany (Berlin or Brunswick): Wettin or Hohenzollern

Kingdom of Southern Germany (Munich): Wittlesbach

Kingdom of Austria (Vienna): Habsburg

Kingdom of Italy (rump Italian territories of HRE) (Turin): d’Medici

Kingdom of Bohemia (roughly same as OTL) (Prague): Habsburg or Jagiellon

Make deal with Pope giving up right to approve ecclesiastical appointments in exchange for suppression of most minor prince-bishoprics. Use their lands and cities to entice secular lords into ceding other territories and consolidating domains, hopefully restoring some semblance of order to territorial holdings.

Forbid internal HRE wars and establish a clear line of federal to kingdom to local supremacy in law.

Get to work reconquering wayward ex-HRE lands, like France...:evilsmile:
Frankly half of these suggestions work against the other, dividing the HRE into kingdoms would only empower local kings more, something, again, working against the point of reforming the kingdom, you are actually regressing it back to the time where every election had a different dynasty like in the late 13th century.
 

Md139115

Banned
Frankly half of these suggestions work against the other, dividing the HRE into kingdoms would only empower local kings more, something, again, working against the point of reforming the kingdom, you are actually regressing it back to the time where every election had a different dynasty like in the late 13th century.

Sorry, I probably should have mentioned that many of the royal powers of the various monarchs would have been more constrained either by local diets or imperial governors and administrators.

That being said, what else of my idea does not work? Can I at least get away with my plan to use minor Prince-bishopric lands to reduce border gore?
 
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