The Holy Roman Empire (Empires in the Middle Ages)

The Holy Roman Empire (Empires in the Middle Ages) — page 3
A modern photograph of Istanbul includes the iconic Galata Tower built by the Genoese in 1348 with the Bosphorus Strait visible in the foreground any claim to universal authority was the pope in Rome but legally he was the bishop of Rome confirmed in his position by the Byzantine emperor By the eighth century Byzantine control of Italy had vanished The Lombard kingdom of northern Italy had driven out the emperor’s representative in Ravenna in 751 There were also strong religious differences between the pope and the church in Constantinople differences that would lead to a com plete break in 1054 Confronted with this situation the Roman popes sought political protection from the only 6 the holy roman empire