Okay, so obviously the Staufen period is out. What about during the Ottonian Dynasty, when the Saxon nobles were in effective control and, as far as I know, had little competition for the throne after the Battle of Lechfeld. Obviously during Otto I, but not after Otto III.

A question remians then about the "Size of the Empire" - could reforms have helped at all, military or otherwise? I know that is rather open in it's possibilities, but the problems of the HRE seemed more of an organizational/loyalty affair. Reforms targeting such things may have helped to curb this, such as making all territory "conquered" by the HRE have an elected rather then a hereditary office, but the first of such offices are directly appointed by the Emperor (just a thought that really not well worked out).

As to the Eastern Empire, what if the Schism had been healed? Would that mean that Crusades would have been different in function and objective? Would they have been controlled by the Pope or the (now Catholic) Emperor?
Also, is a Catholic ERE mutually exclusive of the HRE?