<P> On 25 December 800 , Pope Leo III crowned the Frankish king Charlemagne as Emperor , reviving the title in Western Europe , more than three centuries after the fall of the earlier ancient Western Roman Empire in 476 . The title continued in the Carolingian family until 888 and from 896 to 899 , after which it was contested by the rulers of Italy in a series of civil wars until the death of the last Italian claimant , Berengar I , in 924 . The title was revived again in 962 when Otto I was crowned emperor , fashioning himself as the successor of Charlemagne and beginning a continuous existence of the empire for over eight centuries . Some historians refer to the coronation of Charlemagne as the origin of the empire , while others prefer the coronation of Otto I as its beginning . Scholars generally concur , however , in relating an evolution of the institutions and principles constituting the empire , describing a gradual assumption of the imperial title and role . </P>
<P> On 25 December 800 , Pope Leo III crowned the Frankish king Charlemagne as Emperor , reviving the title in Western Europe , more than three centuries after the fall of the earlier ancient Western Roman Empire in 476 . The title continued in the Carolingian family until 888 and from 896 to 899 , after which it was contested by the rulers of Italy in a series of civil wars until the death of the last Italian claimant , Berengar I , in 924 . The title was revived again in 962 when Otto I was crowned emperor , fashioning himself as the successor of Charlemagne and beginning a continuous existence of the empire for over eight centuries . Some historians refer to the coronation of Charlemagne as the origin of the empire , while others prefer the coronation of Otto I as its beginning . Scholars generally concur , however , in relating an evolution of the institutions and principles constituting the empire , describing a gradual assumption of the imperial title and role . </P>
dynasty that gave birth to holy roman empire
dynasty that gave birth to holy roman empire
the Carolingian family
the Carolingian family