ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the historiography on the political composition of the late medieval Holy Roman Empire, especially regarding “territoriality” and the rival theories and criticisms that have since emerged. It also illustrates the complexities of political ideas and practices at multiple levels within the Empire, drawing on a selection of evidence from throughout the German lands, from the bishoprics and principalities of the North and Baltic Sea littorals to the kaleidoscopic lordships and communes of upper Germany. Building on the latest research into the intersection of local, regional, and imperial ideologies and structures of power, it concludes with some brief proposals about how a more nuanced understanding of “territorial” power can be understood within the Empire’s wider political culture.
