The fascinating history of a continent. From almost the beginning of time, men have harboured aspirations to make the vast territory of Europe one. The Romans came close and a few centuries later, the foundations for a great European state were laid with the creation of the Holy Roman Empire, an empire different to any other in that it enjoyed the approval of God, through the Church in Rome. Napoleon overreached himself in attempting to create a European-wide empire, as did Adolf Hitler. Now, however, Europe is as close as it ever has been to being one entity.