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Originally Posted by Marulus
It is highly controversial, whether there can be a thing like a "Catholic state" or let alone a "Catholic empire". I am rather inclined to say no than yes. There can be countries with Catholic majorities, which are permeated with the spirit emanating from the Catholic doctrine, countries in which the Catholic Church can assume a variety of functions in the civil life, whereby a fruitful and dialectical relationship between Church and the State can exist. I am all for it. But can a state as such, in its essence be Catholic? I think not. There was hardly ever anything like that throughout history. It is more of an Islamic concept.
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The point was that it was strongly Catholic. In that way a 'Catholic state', but yes it can be a question for some other thread whether state can be in it's essence Catholic one.
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However, it was never generally accepted. Thence the history of the medieval Holy Roman Empire (which bore also title "of the German nation", but was never quintessentially and only German)
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It never bore this title until 19th century Germanic imperialism started to name it that way. That's what I read, I might be wrong here, I would like to see some historical sources naming Holy Roman Empire as such.
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That event was the slaughter of the Saxons perpetrated by Charlemagne and their forced conversion, by the sword, to the Christianity. They were forced by the sword to "accept" Christ, which was not the method by which its faith should be spread. This event happened exactly around the time when the Empire (then Frankish) was established (end of 8th, beginning of 9th century). It was a kind of curse.
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It's not the method and I don't promote it, but it was effective at that time. Those were different times, Europe was in chaos, either Charlemagne took care of Saxon pagans or they would continue to be a threat to empire. I don't think it was a curse, but rather it was forgotten trough time.
Anyway, I think each nation has it's own view on historical empires, for me as a Slovenian, Charlemagne and Carolings are heroes to me, so is the Holy Roman Empire.