WI: no HRE?

As we all know, the history of the HRE is mind numbingly complex, with countless micro states, civil wars, and other such wierdness. Let's make it simple, and just have it not exist at all. What's the best way to stop this? What happens in a world without one?
 
Maybe you could have Otto I die early. He was already 49 when he died and people during that age didn't live very long. Maybe you could let him die of pneumonia or something (unless you want to be a totall a$$ and say its asb). This might prevent German intervention in Italy so that Germany doesn't have to put down the rebellious Italians. This means that Germany remains a kingdom. This also means that the German kings can focus on centralisation and keeping their nobles under control. As a result we get a unified German kingdom which will likely follow a similar course as England and France.

Edit: or have the western Roman Empire survive somehow. I wouldn't know how to pull that off though.
 
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Screw with the late Carolingian imperial crown. For a while, the Western Empire seemed destined for irrelevance as the title was awarded to whatever potentate looked most valuable to whatever Roman nobleman occupied the throne of St Peter. Have the German kings not get it, so that eventually we get a kingdom of Germany, a kingdom of France, a kingdom of Italy, and a distant memorey of when the imperial crown mattered.
 
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