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Tynwald is said to be the oldest continually running Parliament in the world, with records going back to 979 A.D. Some evidence suggests it goes further back, as a council the raiders used during the 800s, but there isnt much to support this so 979 is the best date to use.
Note: There are Parliaments older than this, but they arent continually running..i.e the Icelandic and Faroese parliaments.
The term "Sacrum Imperium Romanum" wasn't used until Otto the Great, though I'm not sure about the date. Till then it was simply "emperor". At any rate, though the structure and titelature of the german empire evolved over time, we can trace the history of the HRE back to the treaty of Verdun.Quote:
Originally Posted by lars573
Good point about the universities. I forgot about them.Quote:
I'm surprised no one has mentioned universities, though I do wonder if they fit into "social, economic or political".
Another thing that might deserve mention is the legalistic works of the Byzantine emperor Justinian (or rather that of his minister Tribonian). Established in its final version in 533 it was used in Greece in different translations till 1946, and it was used widely throughout Europe as law governing international relations till replaced by national codices, as a primitive form of international law you might say.