Part 9/13:
While efforts were made to assert authority, the Staufers faced consistent setbacks in Italy—a land resistant to central rule. The dynasty’s eventual collapse paved the way for rival families to plunder and seize control. The 1356 Golden Bull instituted by Emperor Charles IV solidified the electoral monarchy of the Holy Roman Empire, formally recognizing the electors as sovereign rulers in their own right, severing the ties of central authority irrevocably.