>Technically, Chuckie the Great (Karl die >Groesse, Charlemagne) didn't found/start >the HRE. Otto the Great (Otto I) has that >honor.

Charles the Great was crowned Emperor of the Romans on December 25th 800 AD by LeoIII (who he had just reinstated as Pope by force of arms). By Romans they refer to all Christians under the Papal See. Therefore Holy ...Roman Empire. Back then they saw it as a revival of the (Christian) Western Roman Empire.

From the outset there were questions about who gave who power - Papacy vests to Empire, or vice versa.

This 1st HRE broke up in the century that followed partly as a result of the Frankish custom of divison of inheritance between all living sons - and resulting fratricidal wars. By this stage the West Franks (French) and East Franks (German) were linguistically (and culturally) distinct... so it may only have been time before it fell apart anyway.

The German HRE was supposedly a continuation of Charlie's, but there was a long period of inter-regnum & it was smaller German/Italian in geographic extent.

In ideal though, it was a continuation of Charlemagne's empire. It was established under similar circumstances - maleable Pope etc... also it set the scene for conflict between HRE & Papacy & Northern Italy through 1100's and 1200's.