Why Was the Holy Roman Empire Called Roman When it Was Germanic?
神圣罗马帝国明明是日耳曼人的国家，为什么却冠以“罗马”之名？
The Holy Roman Empire, despite the name, was primarily Germanic, but why was it called Roman if it had nothing to do with the Romans?
虽然神圣罗马帝国以“罗马”命名，但其本质上是一个日耳曼国家。既然与古罗马几乎没有关联，为何要使用“罗马”这个称呼呢？
The Holy Roman Empire, not to be confused with the Roman Empire was one of the longest-lasting empires in human history. It is traditionally dated back to when Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne emperor of the Romans but is officially recognized as having begun in 962 AD with emperor Otto I. The long-lasting Germanic Empire had specific reasons for using each word in the name Holy Roman Empire.
神圣罗马帝国与古罗马帝国是完全不同的两个概念。古罗马帝国是人类历史上存在时间最长的帝国之一。传统上，神圣罗马帝国的起源可以追溯到查理曼大帝被教皇加冕为“罗马人的皇帝”的那一刻，但正式建立于962年奥托一世加冕之时。这个长期存在的日耳曼帝国，其国名“神圣罗马帝国”中的每一个词都有其特殊的含义。
Holy 神圣
For the entirety of its 800-plus-year existence, the empire was closely intertwined with the Catholic Church. When considering its traditional beginnings, with Pope Leo III crowning Charlemagne as the emperor of the Romans and succeeding emperors being crowned by the Pope, the reason why the word Holy was a part of the empire’s name becomes clear.
在其800多年的历史中，神圣罗马帝国与天主教会关系密切。追溯其起源，教皇利奥三世曾为查理曼加冕，此后历代皇帝皆由教皇加冕，这充分说明了“神圣”一词为何成为帝国名称的一部分。
The Germanic empire also saw itself as an extension of the Catholic Church’s authority over Europe. Among the citizens of its empire, the Holy Roman Empire sought to uphold Christian values and statutes. In its position in Europe, the empire was a symbol of Christianity throughout its existence, with emperors often seen as protectors of the faith.
这个日耳曼帝国将自己定位为天主教会在欧洲权威的延伸。在帝国内部积极维护基督教的价值观和法规。在欧洲，神圣罗马帝国一直是基督教的象征，其皇帝被视为信仰的守护者。
The legitimacy of the empire was closely tied to the Church, with papal coronation playing a key role in validating imperial authority.
帝国的合法性建立在与教会的紧密联系之上，教皇的加冕仪式是皇权的象征。
However, the emperors also strategically used their connection to Christianity to solidify their power, at times leveraging religious authority to assert control over both secular and ecclesiastical matters. Throughout its long history, the relationship between the emperor and the papacy was marked by both cooperation and conflict, as both sought to use Christianity to strengthen their rule.
然而，皇帝们也利用与教会的关系来巩固自己的统治地位，有时借助宗教权威来干涉世俗和教会事务。在漫长的历史中，皇帝与教皇之间既合作又斗争，双方都试图借助基督教来强化自己的权力。
Roman罗马
The biggest part of the mystery of the Holy Roman Empire’s name is the Roman part. The reason they called themselves Roman was because they saw themselves as the successors to the Roman Empire. Though they never quite achieved it, they desired to achieve the widespread European unity of the Roman Empire that had been missing in the western part of Europe for hundreds of years at that point.
神圣罗马帝国名称中最令人费解的莫过于“罗马”二字。他们之所以自称“罗马”，是因为他们认为自己是古罗马帝国的继承者。尽管从未如愿以偿，但他们始终梦想着重现古罗马帝国在欧洲西部的辉煌，实现欧洲大陆的统一。
They considered the use of the name Roman as carrying the torch of the universal power the Roman Empire once held. By using a name that had been associated with power for hundreds of years, they hoped it would carry the same weight. Though it never quite had the impact of the Roman Empire, the use of the term was enough to give them substantial authority.
他们认为，“罗马”这个名称承载着古罗马帝国曾经拥有的普世权力的象征。通过使用这个与强大权力联系在一起的名称，他们希望自身也能拥有同样的威望。尽管从未达到罗马帝国的影响力高度，但这个名称足以让他们获得相当大的权威。
Empire帝国
For an empire that was mainly Germanic in its most recent iteration, the empire part of the name is the most difficult to accept. However, for a couple of centuries, the Holy Roman Empire encompassed a vast territory. At its peak, the empire included modern Germany, Austria, the eastern part of France, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Northern Italy, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, The Netherlands and Switzerland.
作为一个以日耳曼为主的帝国，“帝国”这一名称在其现代定义中似乎最难接受。然而，在鼎盛的几个世纪里，神圣罗马帝国确实包含了广阔的领土，囊括了现代的德国、奥地利、法国东部、比利时、捷克、意大利北部、卢森堡、列支敦士登、荷兰和瑞士。
However, the empire wasn’t run in the way the Roman Empire and others were run. It was mostly decentralized, using a feudal system of devolved rule. Nonetheless, the Holy Roman Empire carried a strong religious and papal authority.
然而，与古罗马帝国等中央集权的帝国不同，神圣罗马帝国实行的是去中心化、分权管理的封建制度。尽管如此，神圣罗马帝国在宗教和教皇方面仍享有崇高的地位。
