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In the Eastern Empire the patriarchs of the great cities competed against each other for influence and imperial favour,
在東羅馬帝國，各大城市的主教們相互競爭，爭奪影響力和皇帝的青睞。
thereby weakening their individual status.
因此削弱了各自的地位。
In the West though the Bishop alone determined the correct belief, then and now.
在西羅馬帝國，主教單獨決定什么是所謂正確的信仰。
The Popes ability to control kings and nobles would have been unthinkable in the East,
而且有權控制各個國王和貴族，這在東羅馬帝國是不可想象的。
where Emperors knew how to keep their patriarchs in line, and each different approach only deepened the division between the Western Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox churches.
在東方是皇帝掌控各個主教，而這種差異又進一步加劇了西方天主教和東方東正教的分歧和差別。
The Lombard rulers of Italy had understandably little affection for the ambitious Bishops of Rome but the Popes could count on strong defenders in the Frankish kings of North-Western France.
自然，意大利倫巴第統治者對雄心勃勃的羅馬主教毫不在乎，但是教皇可以依靠法國西北部強大的法蘭克國王來維護自己的力量。
The greatest of Frankish kings Charlemagne, 768 to 814 AD, was himself a devout Catholic believer always willing to help the Pope when needed.
法蘭克最偉大的國王查理曼大帝，(768-814)自己就是虔誠的天主教徒隨時愿意幫助教皇。
Once Charlemagne had conquered enough territory to call himself emperor, Pope Leo the third crowned him as emperor on Christmas day 800.
當查理曼大帝征服了足夠的領土可以自封為皇帝時，教皇利奧三世在公元800年的圣誕節為他加冕。
Whether the ceremony was Charlemagne's own idea is open to question, like his predecessors Pope Leo the third wanted to boost the Western church's influence,
加冕儀式是不是查理曼大帝自己的主意這還不得而知，但是利奧三世和他的眾多前任一樣，一直想提高西羅馬教會的影響力。
so it suited him to have a Western Emperor to balance the Eastern Emperor
因此，在西羅馬有個皇帝來抗衡東羅馬帝國皇帝，這和他的目的相契合。
and if the Western Emperor received his crown from the Pope personally so much the better.
如果西羅馬皇帝能夠接受他的封冕那就再好不過了。
Whether the ceremony was Charlemagne's idea or whether it was Pope Leo the thirds
因此無論加冕儀式是查理曼大帝的想法，還是羅馬教皇利奧三世的主意，
the so-called Holy Roman Empire had begun.
所謂的神圣羅馬帝國開始了。
As Emperor of the West Charlemagne declared himself successor of Romulus Augustus
查理曼大帝作為西羅馬帝國的皇帝宣稱自己是奧古斯都路斯的繼任者，
and claimed equality with Empress Irene of Byzantium.
并聲稱和拜占庭皇后艾琳平起平坐。
The Holy Roman Empire would change many times over the century as some wags have put it,
神圣羅馬帝國在數百年里改變了很多次，有人戲虐地稱它
it was neither holy nor roman nor an empire, yet in the heart's of its rulers it always remained a Christianized continuation of the state founded by Romulus and Remus on the morning of April 23rd 753 BC.
既不神圣，也不羅馬，更不帝國，但是在其統治者心里，它一直是羅穆盧斯和瑞摩斯在公元前753年4月23日上午所建立的的國家的基督教化延續。
