The History of the Empire

The internal politics of the Holy Roman Empire were so complicated and obscure that even most people who lived within it did not fully understand them. States of the Empire included Catholic diocese, small trading towns, even monasteries that were technically independent sovereign states. Hanover functioned as a British outpost on the continent until the 19th century. Prussia was technically a member of the Empire as well, but as a great power, the Prussians generally ignored the Empire and followed their own course.