Editing Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor (section)

==Early life==
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Otto III was born in June or July 980 somewhere between [[Aachen]] and [[Nijmegen]], in modern-day [[North Rhine-Westphalia]]. The only son of [[Emperor Otto II]] and Empress [[Theophanu]], Otto III was the youngest of the couple's four children. Immediately prior to Otto III's birth, his father had completed military campaigns in [[Kingdom of France|France]] against King [[Lothar of France|Lothar]].

On 14 July 982, Otto II's army suffered a crushing defeat against the [[Muslim]] [[Emirate of Sicily]] at the [[Battle of Stilo]]. Otto II had been campaigning in [[Southern Italy]] with hopes of annexing the whole of Italy into the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. Otto II himself escaped the battle unharmed but many important imperial officials were among the battle's casualties. Following the defeat and at the insistence of the Empire's nobles, Otto II called an assembly of the [[Hoftag|Imperial Diet]] in [[Verona]] at [[Pentecost]], 983, where he proposed to the assembly to have the three-year-old Otto III [[983 royal election|elected as king of Germany and Italy]], becoming Otto II's undoubted [[heir apparent]]. This was the first time a German ruler had been elected on Italian soil. After the assembly was concluded, Otto III traveled across the Alps in order to be crowned at Aachen, the traditional location of the coronation of the German kings. Otto II stayed behind to address military action against the Muslims. While still in central Italy, however, Otto II suddenly died on 7 December 983, and was buried in [[St. Peter's Basilica]] in [[Rome]].

Otto III was crowned as king on Christmas Day 983, three weeks after his father's death, by [[Willigis]], the [[archbishop of Mainz]], and by [[John X (archbishop of Ravenna)|John X]], the [[archbishop of Ravenna]].<ref name="Duckett, pg. 106">Duckett, pg. 106</ref> News of Otto II's death first reached Germany shortly after his son's coronation.<ref name="Duckett, pg. 106">Duckett, pg. 106</ref> The unresolved problems in southern Italy and the [[Great Slav Rising|Slavic uprising]] on the Empire's eastern border made the Empire's political situation extremely unstable. With a minor on the throne, the Empire was thrown into confusion and Otto III's mother Theophanu assumed the role of [[regent]] for her young son.<ref name="Comyn, pg. 121">Comyn, pg. 121</ref>