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Why did Maximilian I take the title Roman emperor-elect in 1508?

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Stone ruins of Habsburg Castle, also known as Habichtsburg, stand on a hill above green vineyards in Aargau canton, Switzerland, with a flag flying atop the tower. — House of Habsburg Ruins of the castle of Habsburg, or Habichtsburg (“Hawk's Castle”), built 1020, the original seat of the house of Habsburg, Aargau canton, Switzerland.

In 1508, Maximilian I assumed the title of Roman emperor-elect because he was unable to travel to Rome to receive a traditional imperial coronation from the pope. His path to the city was blocked by hostile Venetians, making the customary journey impossible.12

With the consent of Pope Julius II, Maximilian adopted the style of "elected emperor" (Latin: imperator electus; German: erwählter Kaiser) on February 4, 1508. This shift reflected the evolving nature of the Holy Roman Empire, which had increasingly become an explicitly German institution divorced from its historical requirement of papal coronation in Rome.123