The holy roman empire and the italian peninsula did not unite as national monarchies in part because:

The Holy Roman Empire and the Italian Peninsula did not unite as national monarchies in part because. continual armed conflict and shifting alliances prevented the emergence of strong, centralizing rulers in those territories. Italy became a battle ground for more powerful kingdoms, especially France, Germany (the Holy Roman Empire), and Spain. Also Italy and Germany were not united until the 19th century. Until 1860, Italy was made up of a complicated and often waring mix of republics, the Papal state, kingdoms and dukedoms. The internal struggles were, at least in the beginning, connected with the rivalry between popes and Holy Roman emperors a rivalry of which Italy was one of the main reason for not uniting as national monarchies.

Your answer should be choice b!