King of the Romans (Latin: Rex Romanorum) was, since the days of Emperor Henry II (1014–1024), the title used by the ruler of the Kingdom of Germany following his election to the office by the German princes. The title was predominantly a claim by the German kings to become emperor, a title, which in contemporary views of the Middle Ages, also had a religious aspect and was dependent on the coronation by the Pope.
The title originally referred to any elected king who had not yet been granted the Imperial Regalia and title of "Emperor" at the hands of the Pope; later it came to be used solely for the heir apparent to the Imperial throne between his election (during the lifetime of a sitting Emperor) and his succession on the Emperor's death.
Read more about King Of The Romans: Heirs Designate, First French Empire
Famous quotes containing the words king of the, king of, king and/or romans:
“The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!””
—Bible: New Testament, Luke 23:36,37.
“Gargantua, at the age of four hundred four score and forty- four years begat his son Pantagruel, from his wife, named Badebec, daughter of the King of the Amaurotes in Utopia, who died in child-birth: because he was marvelously huge and so heavy that he could not come to light without suffocating his mother.”
—François Rabelais (1494–1553)
“Mr. Clarke played the King all evening as though under constant fear that someone else was about to play the Ace.”
—Eugene Field (1850–1895)
“I’ll stay by your side until you confess. And if you don’t, I’ll feed you to the villagers like the Romans fed Christians to the lions.”
—Willis Cooper. Rowland V. Lee. Krogh (Lionel Atwill)