Daniel 7:7 “After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.
26 The ten horns are ten kings
Who shall arise from this kingdom.
And another shall rise after them;
He shall be different from the first ones,
And shall subdue three kings
27 And shall intend to change times and law.
Then the saints shall be given into his hand
For a time and times and half a time.
The great and terrible fourth beast denoted the Roman power, whilst the little horn symbolised the Holy Roman Empire. The Holy Roman Empire was founded over a period of time which lead up to Charlemagne being crowned emperor of the Holy Roman Empire in AD 800 . The time period ends when the power to persecute the saints of the Most High has come to an end. But when did it start. The time period however measures the life span of the little horn itself, and the horn being Holy Roman Empire, couldn't persecute the faithful before it was established. Notice from 7v24 that the little horn arose from the fall of three horns before it. The horns denoting the Gothic kingdoms of Europe.
In AD 773 Charlemagne defeated the Lombards, and added northern Italy to his dominions, he fought in Spain in AD 778, and was crowned emperor on Christmas Day, AD 800.
And they shall take away his dominion,
To consume and destroy it forever.
27 Then the kingdom and dominion,
And the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven,
Shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High.
His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And all dominions shall serve and obey Him.’