King of the Romans

English

Alternative forms

king of the Romans

Proper noun

King of the Romans

1. (now historical) The monarch of the Holy Roman Empire, originally specifically prior to their formal coronation as emperor by the Pope. [from 15th c.]
   • 2016, Peter H. Wilson, The Holy Roman Empire, Penguin, published 2017, page 75:

     Ferdinand's IV's coronation as king of the Romans in 1653 made liturgical concessions to Protestantism, and merely required the monarch to respect rather than obey the pope.