After the death of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II in 1250, likely at the behest of the papacy, nobody would hold the Imperial title until 1312 with the ascension of Henry VII. During this period of interregnum, several people were crowned King of Germany, or King of the Romans, depending on the time. To clarify, the King of Germany didn’t have much actual power and was traditionally akin to the Dauphin of France, or the Prince of Wales in England, however past the Welf-Hohenstaufen feud it would become more of an elected title. However, with the death of Frederick II, and his son Conrad IV, the then current King of Germany, the Hohenstaufen dynasty effectively came to an end. Thus, the kingship passed through a number of various German nobles who never managed to become emperor, with one exception. Richard Plantagenet, Earl of Cornwall was the second son of King John of England, and younger brother of Henry III. (An interesting fact, Richard and Henry actually died within a year of each other) Though contested by Alfonso X of Castile, Richard became King of the Romans in 1257 and held the title until 1272.

So what if, for whatever reason, Richard of Cornwall had been crowned Holy Roman Emperor sometime during this time? Would he exist as a standalone ruler or could his accession possibly put the House of Plantagenet in as the new imperial dynasty, perhaps breathing new life into the Angevin Empire or possibly rivalling the Capetians for power in Europe? How long would an imperial Plantagenet dynasty last, and how would they relate to the other major families (Habsburgs, Luxembourgs, etc)?