Assuming that the French Revolution never happened in the way it did IOTL (and therefore no Napoleon), what would be the ultimate fate of the Holy Roman Empire?
Continued degradation until the institution is reformed in the late 1800s and into the 1900s. It would operate more like a modern union, probably with trade deals and common citizenship. The Princes would be more like independent partners in a coalition of states that recognize the Emperor as their sovereign while the defacto state remains wherein the Emperor is only ruler in his own territories.
That could happen, or the union continues to degrade, and the title becomes nothing more than a name given to the Austrian Archduke. The states that grow more powerful go the way of the Netherlands and Italy and leave the Empire with only the heartland of Germany remaining for the Austrians to impose more direct control over. With this, the Empire can centralize, but it would be more like an annexation of the remaining states into the Domain of the Emperor. Less a unification and more justified military and diplomatic action.
Wouldn't Prussia's increasing prominence on the continent still threaten the power and existence of the HRE over the course of the 19th century?
I'm not sure I see it surviving into the 1900s, Napoleon or no.
In response to the destruction of the Empire, it just won't be destroyed in the legal sense unless the pride of the Emperor is on the line, as per OTL. The title of Emperor was very prestigious, it's not like in EU3 where you can just destroy the Empire and no one cares, it was an ancient institution. In fact, I don't know why it wasn't revived in the congress of vienna along with the rest of the things Napoleon broke down.
In fact, I don't know why it wasn't revived in the congress of vienna along with the rest of the things Napoleon broke down.
In fact, I don't know why it wasn't revived in the congress of vienna along with the rest of the things Napoleon broke down.
Mediatization and secularization of small and clerical territories was not a new idea. They had been floated by Enlightenment writers since the mid-1700s. So that might have happened in this TL as well, once Austria and enough other big players were willing to cooperate.
if the 1848 revolutionary period happens in a still funcitoning HRE, would the emperor reject the "crown from the gutter" (well, figuratively speaking - he's allready the emperor)? there would be a drive towards unification - doesnt make much sens that all people in europe have nationalistic desires except the germans.
On the other hand, the Empire was still able to pull together a significant number of troops, and the Empire had quite a few supporters. I think the idea of it surviving into the 19th century, and becoming the nucleus of Germany, isn't that crazy.
if the 1848 revolutionary period happens in a still funcitoning HRE, would the emperor reject the "crown from the gutter" (well, figuratively speaking - he's allready the emperor)? there would be a drive towards unification - doesnt make much sens that all people in europe have nationalistic desires except the germans.