This sentence highlights the controversy surrounding the issue of whether or not the Kingdom of France was subject to the authority of the Holy Roman Empire. This debate also includes the issue of whether French king was a subject of the Holy Roman Empire and, therefore, a subordinate to the Holy Roman Emperor. Because both the French and Germans claim to be descended from Charlemagne, some French argued that the transfer of power from the Frankish Kingdom to the Holy Roman Empire, which many viewed as the final and most complete empire, justifiably could have gone to the French instead of the Germans since they were both equally “heirs” the Frankish Kingdom, and by extension, the Roman Empire. The issue of whether or not the French king was
