Since 962 and for many centuries, the Holy Roman Empire was the strongest state formation in Europe. However, in 1806 it ceased to exist. There were several reasons for this.
The preconditions for the end of the existence of the Holy Roman Empire began to emerge already in the middle of the 17th century. The first major event of this kind was the conclusion of the Peace of Westphalia in October 1648, which marked the end of the Thirty Years' War. This treaty significantly limited the powers of the emperor, effectively freeing individual principalities from his power. This consolidated and strengthened the religious and national contradictions that existed in the empire, causing the growth of separatist tendencies.
Since the end of the 17th century, there has been a gradual increase in central authority in the Holy Roman Empire. Emperor Leopold I and his descendants played an important role in this process. The victory in the War of the Spanish Succession, which took place from 1701 to 1714, also helped to strengthen the influence of the emperor. However, along with the strengthening of its positions, the imperial court began to conduct a decisive intervention in the internal political affairs of the German principalities. This provoked a backlash in the form of the end of support for the emperor from the princes.
Since the end of the 17th century, there has been a gradual increase in contradictions between the two most influential subjects of the Holy Roman Empire - Austria and Prussia. Most of the possessions of the monarchs of these states lay outside the territory of the empire, which caused the frequent divergence of their personal and imperial interests. The rulers of the Austrian Habsburg dynasty who occupied the throne paid insufficient attention to internal affairs. At the same time, the military and political power of Prussia was constantly increasing. This led to the emergence of an acute systemic crisis in the Holy Roman Empire.
The empire's crisis intensified, growing from the second half of the 18th century. The attempts of the Habsburg dynasty to revive the imperial administrative structures met with open resistance from Prussia and other German principalities. During the Seven Years War, which took place from 1756 to 1763, most of the principalities actually left the subordination of the emperor and swore allegiance to Prussia.
The process of the actual disintegration of the Holy Roman Empire began with the approval of the resolution of the "imperial deputation" in 1803, adopted under pressure from France and Russia. It provided for a radical change in the structure and composition of the empire (more than 100 territorial entities were abolished). This decree was the natural result of the defeat of the empire in the war of the Second Coalition (1799-1801) against France.
The defeat of the Holy Roman Empire in the war of the Third Coalition (1805) against France put an end to the question of its existence. As a result of the Peace of Presburg, several states emerged from the imperial power. Until mid-July 1806, Sweden and many German principalities left the empire. The collapse has become apparent to all European politicians.
On July 22, 1806, through the Austrian ambassador in Paris, Emperor Franz II received an ultimatum from Napoleon demanding that he abdicate the throne by August 10. Otherwise, France would have invaded Austria. On August 6, 1806, Franz II resigned from himself the title of Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, freeing all the subjects that were part of it from its power. Thus, the Holy Roman Empire ceased to exist.
