Kingdom of Burgundy (from 933) in the context of History of Burgundy

The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages (beginning in either 800 or 924), and lasted for a millennium until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. Initially, it comprised three constituent kingdoms—Germany, Italy, and, from 1032, Burgundy—held together by the emperor's overlordship. By the 15th century, imperial governance became concentrated in the Kingdom of Germany, as the empire's effective control over Italy and Burgundy had largely disappeared.

On 25 December 800, Pope Leo III crowned the Frankish king Charlemagne Roman emperor, reviving the title more than three centuries after the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476. The title lapsed in 924, but was revived in 962 when Otto I was crowned emperor by Pope John XII, as Charlemagne's and the Carolingian Empire's successor. From 962 until the 12th century, the empire was one of the most powerful monarchies in Europe. It depended on cooperation between emperors and vassals; this was disturbed during the Salian period. The empire reached the apex of territorial expansion and power under the House of Hohenstaufen in the mid-13th century, but overextension led to a partial collapse. The imperial office was traditionally elective by the mostly German prince-electors. In theory and diplomacy, the emperors were considered the first among equals of all of Europe's Catholic monarchs.

The Free County of Burgundy (French: Franche Comté de Bourgogne; German: Freigrafschaft Burgund) was a medieval and early modern feudal polity ruled by a count from 982 to 1678. It became known as Franche-Comté (the Free County) and was located in the modern region of Franche-Comté. It belonged to the wider historical region of Upper Burgundy, and bordered the Duchy of Burgundy to the west.

Its territory had initially been part of the Kingdom of Upper Burgundy (888–933) and then the united Kingdom of Burgundy, later known as the Kingdom of Arles. The county was formed in 982 by count Otto-William, encompassing his domains in northern parts of the Burgundian realm. In 1032, the Kingdom of Arles was inherited by Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor, who incorporated the Kingdom, including the County of Burgundy, into the Holy Roman Empire (HRE).

Lower Burgundy (Latin: Burgundia inferior; French: Bourgogne inférieure) was a historical region in the early medieval Burgundy, and a distinctive realm known as the Kingdom of Lower Burgundy, that existed from 879 to 933, when it was incorporated into the reunited Kingdom of Burgundy. During that period, Lower Burgundy was encompassing the entire Cisjuran Burgundy (fr. Bourgogne cisjurane), centered on the region of Vienne (fr. Bourgogne viennoise), and also the entire southern region around Arles (fr. Bourgogne arlésienne), centered on Provence. The borders of Lower Burgundy were the region of Upper Burgundy to the north, the Kingdom of Italy to the east, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, Septimania to the southwest, and Aquitaine to the west.

History of Provence encompasses the entire history of Provence, stretching from the protohistoric times up to the contemporary period. As a historical region, Provence is located within borders of the modern administrative region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur in the southeast corner of France, between the Alps, the Mediterranean Sea, the river Rhône and the upper reaches of the river Durance. The region was inhabited since the prehistoric times. From about 900 BCE, it was settled by the Celts, and also by Greek colonists, from about 600 BCE. At the end of the 2nd century BCE, it was conquered by the Romans, who ruled the region until the 5th century CE. In the first half of the 6th century, it came under the Frankish rule, and was organized in time as the County of Provence. After the dissolution of the Carolingian Empire, it became part of the Kingdom of Lower Burgundy (since 879), the Welfish Kingdom of Burgundy (since 933), and the Kingdom of Burgundy (Arles) within the Holy Roman Empire from 1032 up to the 1486, when the County was united with the Kingdom of France. During those periods, it was ruled by the Counts of Provence from various feudal families. Provence has been a part of France for over 500 years, but the region kept a specific cultural identity that persists to this day, particularly in the interior.