Person:Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor (1)

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Otto III (June, 980 - January 23, 1002) was Holy Roman Emperor from 996 to his death in 1002. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto III was the only son of Emperor Otto II and Theophanu.

Otto III was crowned King of Germania in 983 at age of three shortly after his father's death in southern Italy while campaigning against the Byzantine Empire and the Muslim Emirate of Sicily. Though the nominal ruler of Germany, Otto III's minor status ensured his various regents held power over the Empire. His cousin Henry II, Duke of Bavaria, initially claimed regency over the young king and attempted to seize the throne for himself in 984. When his rebellion failed to gain the support of Germany's aristocracy, Henry II was forced to abandon his claims to the throne and to allow Otto III's mother Theophanu, who would serve as regent until 991. Still only a child, Otto III's grandmother, the Dowager Empress Adelaide of Italy, served as regent until Otto III reached adulthood in 994.

In 996, Otto III marched to Italy to claim the titles King of Italy and Emperor which had been left unclaimed since Otto II's death in 983. Otto III also sought to reestablish Imperial control over the city of Rome, which had revolted under the leadership of Crescentius II, and through it the papacy. Crowned as Emperor, Otto III put down the Roman rebellion and installed his cousin as the Pope Gregory V, the first Pope of German descent. After pardoning him and leaving the city, Crescentius II again rebelled against the Emperor, deposing Gregory V and installing John XVI as Pope. Otto III returned to the city in 998, reinstalled Gregory V, and executed both Crescentius II and John XVI. When Gregory V died in 999, Otto III installed Sylvester II as the new Pope. Otto III's actions throughout his life further strengthened Imperial control over the Catholic Church.

For the beginning of his reign, Otto III faced opposition from the Slavic peoples along Germany's eastern border. Following the death of his father in 983, the Slavs rebelled against Imperial control, forcing the Empire to abandon its territories east of the Elbe river. Otto III would fight to regain the Empire's lost territories throughout his reign with only limited success. While in the east, Otto III strengthened the Empire's relations with Poland, Bohemia, and Hungary. Through his affairs in Eastern Europe in 1000, Otto III was able to extend the influence of Christianity by supporting mission work in Poland and through the crowning of Stephen I as the first Christian king of Hungary.

Returning to Rome in 1001, Otto III faced a rebellion from the Roman aristocracy which forced him to flee the city. While marching to reclaim the city in 1002, however, Otto III suffered a sudden fever and died in a castle near Civita Castellana at the age of 21. With no clear heir to succeed him, his early death threw the Empire into political crisis.

1. ↑ ^1.0 1.1 Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor, in Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. (Online: Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.).
2.   Otto III von Sachsen, Holy Roman Emperor, in Lundy, Darryl. The Peerage: A genealogical survey of the peerage of Britain as well as the royal families of Europe.