i like history a lot but I have never not been confused by the HRE
From how I understand it, it’s sorta a loose confederation of different states.
It’s dominated by Austria-Hungary and technically the Austrian head of state is the Holy Roman Emperor, but many German states in particular tend to have self-autonomy and function as their own state.
I haven’t studied the process of the formation of the HRE, but I’m guessing it was formed due to some economic benefits (like less trade restrictions) and military interests?
