Otto+I+the+Great

Otto I the Great was a ruler of great power and influence during the High Middle Ages. He was King of both Germany and Italy and was also the first Holy Roman Emperor since the death of Charlemagne. Throughout his militarily active reign, Otto I also made political and church reforms which worked to bring the church and state into closer unity.

=Military Campaigns=

Otto I's reign was one of frequent military operations. Early on in his sovereignty, in 938, Otto I faced an open revolt from several of his dukes. Allying with those that remained loyal; Otto I eventually crushed the rebellion and brought peace back to his kingdom. To prevent further revolts from his subordinates, Otto I gave the disloyal dukes’ land holdings to close family members, ensuring that his allies remained loyal and under his firm command.

Otto I also encountered military resistance abroad. To the east, many Slavic tribes rose up against Otto I’s imperial power. To the west, Otto I faced off against King Louis IV of France over his involvement in the rebellion of the dukes. With numerous military victories of both Otto I and his commanders, these threats to the kingdom were dealt with and Otto I secured his right to his imperial power.

To the south of Otto I's kingdom, political and public disorder had fallen on Italy. In 950, Lothair of Arles, the King of Italy, died under suspicious circumstances. His daughter Adelaide of Italy succeeded him but was unable to maintain any significant order throughout the kingdom. A local noble, Berengar of Ivrea declared himself King of Italy, kidnapping Adelaide and attempting to marry her to his own son. Adelaide however, managed to escape and appealed for German assistance. Otto I responded in 951 by invading Italy himself. After successfully regaining control of Italy from Berengar, Otto I received homage from the Italian nobility and married Adelaide himself, asserting himself as the new King of Italy.

A few years later, Otto I's eldest son, Liudolf revolted against his father, with the assistance of Conrad, Duke of Lorraine and the Archbishop of Mainz. Otto I was captured during this time and the rebellion began spreading across his kingdoms. However, Liudolf unwisely chose to ally himself with the hated Magyars and this caused the German nobility to reunite, defeating Liudolf and reinstating Otto I as King. Otto I would continue to crush Magyar resistance over the following years.

=Holy Roman Emperor=

In 960, Italy was in turmoil again. Berengar had invaded and occupied the northern Papal States. Pope John XII asked Otto I for assistance and in 962, Otto arrived in Rome. On 2 February, Otto I received the title of Emperor from John XII. They agreed, under the //Diploma Ottonianum//, that Otto I, as Emperor would guarantee the independence of Papal States. With the treaty signed, Otto I set out and defeated Berengar once again, releasing the lands he had occupied. Upon returning to Rome however, Otto I discovered that John XII had turned against him and had been attempting to form an alliance with the Magyars and Byzantines against the new Emperor. Otto I successfully managed to have John XII deposed and instated Leo VIII as the new Pope. After repeated fighting in Rome between supporters of Otto I and John XII, Otto I forced the citizens of Rome to agree that no Pope could be elected without prior imperial approval. This resulted in Otto I attaining a position of great power over both the state and church.

In 972 the Byzantine emperor, John I Tzimisces, officially recognised Otto I as Emperor and they married their daughter and son, respectively. Otto I died a year later, in 973 and was buried in the cathedral of Magdeburg.

=State and Church Reforms=

Throughout his reign, Otto I made significant reforms which resulted in the bringing together of the state and church. In enacting these reforms Otto I brought more centralised power to himself and strengthened his own right to rule. Otto I, as with all Ottonian kings, granted numerous fiscal resources to ecclesiastical institution in return for which the abbots, abbesses and bishops were required to provide material support to the itinerant court as well as provide military supplies and contingents for royal campaigns. It is noted that Otto I empowered the church, by taking power from the nobility that served under him .The use of the churches in Germany by Otto arose out of the emperor's desire to force the dukes to recognise his lordship and dominance over them. After the failure of creating kinship loyalties in dukes by creating family ties through marriage, Otto I turned to the church. Some historians argue that under Otto I's rule, many church officials were essentially lords themselves.