This book is dedicated to the history of the Holy Roman Empire - the superpower of the Middle Ages, which single-handedly decided the fate of Europe, the forerunner of empires of modern and modern times. A unique phenomenon for its time - a huge state, founded in the X century by the German king Otto I the Great, included Germany, Italy and Burgundy and claimed power over the European continent. And therefore the history of the Holy Roman Empire is the history of endless wars designed not only to expand the boundaries of the empire, but also to keep it from collapse.