Peter H. Wilson, Heart of Europe: A History of the Holy Roman Empire (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2016), 941 pp., $39.95. IT SAYS something about the power of historical memory that, 132 ...

“So the Holy Roman Empire had been around for a long time—we’re talking practically back to the Roman Empire. Was it the succession to the Roman Empire? That’s a little bit sketchy.

At the end of World War II, it was discovered that the Crown Jewels of the Holy Roman Empire had vanished from their secret vault in Nuremberg. The mystery of who stole the jewels was left ...