King of the Romans
:
This article deals primarily with the medieval title; see below for other usages.King of the Romans (
Latin:
Rex Romanorum) was a title used by the
rulers of the
Holy Roman Empire before their
coronation by the
Pope, and later also by the heir designate of the Empire.
The Holy Roman Empire was based on the kingdom of Germany and the King had to go to Rome to be crowned Emperor by the Pope. Before that he did not use the title of Emperor but that of a King. The wording of this title was not fixed, as the King was sometimes called
Rex Francorum (King of the Franks),
Rex Teutonicorum (King of the Germans) or merely
Rex (King).
The title
Rex Romanorum was used occasionally by the
Ottonian rulers and especially by Emperor
Henry II to highlight the Roman nature of their Empire, which was contested by the
Byzantine Emperors.
Rex Romanorum became the standard title under the
Salian King
Henry IV during the
Investiture Controversy.
Pope Gregory VII insisted on using the title
Rex Teutonicorum to counter Henry's imperial claims. As King, Henry was the
Imperator futurus but at that point he had not been crowned Emperor. In reaction to Gregory's usage, Henry made
Rex Romanorum his standard title until he was crowned Emperor in
1184.
Henry's successors imitated this practice, being called
Rex Romanorum before and
Imperator Romanorum after their Roman coronation.
Royal succession in the Holy Roman Empire always was a difficult issue, since the Empire was a
elective monarchy. However, once a ruler had been crowned Emperor, he could pursue the election of his heir as King, who would then succeed him after his death. This junior King, who usually did not participate in the rule, bore the title of a "King of the Romans".
This practice was continued even after
1556, when the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire did no longer seek a coronation by the Pope and instead dubbed themselves
Emperor-elects. Despite this lack of a coronation, the respective Emperor-elects' sons were elected during their fathers' lifetime in
1653, and in
1764.
"Hablando del rey de Roma" (literally "speaking of the king of Rome") is a colloquial expression in
Spanish equivalent to the English-language saying "Speak of the devil", referring to someone who has entered a room or conversation in which said person was already the topic.
This or similar titles were also used by:
*the first seven
Kings of Rome, beginning with
Romulus.
Syagrius, a Gallo-Roman leader heading a short-lived realm in Northern
Gaul in the
5th century.
*
Napoleon II, son of
Napoleon Bonaparte, was called
King of Rome as heir-presumptive.
This article uses material translated from the
corresponding article in the German-language wikipedia, which, in turn, cites a source that contains further references:
* H. Beumann:
Rex Romanorum, in:
Lexikon des Mittelalters (Dictionary of the Middle Ages, 9 vols., Munich-Zurich 1980-98), vol. 7, col. 777 f.
*
List of German monarchs
