Through this Roman legacy, the Holy Roman Emperors claimed to be universal monarchs whose jurisdiction extended beyond their empire's formal borders to all of Christian Europe and beyond. Since the Middle Ages, the Holy Roman Empire had been recognized by Western Europeans as the legitimate continuation of the ancient Roman Empire due to its emperors having been proclaimed as Roman emperors by the papacy. The dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire occurred de facto on 6 August 1806, when the last Holy Roman Emperor, Francis II of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, abdicated his title and released all imperial states and officials from their oaths and obligations to the empire. The German Question, concerning the possibility of German unification eventually resulting in the formation of the German Empire.The House of Habsburg-Lorraine continues to rule as Emperors of Austria and Kings of Hungary.Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire succeeded chiefly by the Confederation of the Rhine and then the German Confederation.
