Editing Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor (section)

==Imperial crisis==

===Succession issues===
The defeat at Stilo forced Otto II to flee north to Rome.<ref name="Sismondi, p. 30"/> He then held an [[Imperial Diet (Holy Roman Empire)|Imperial Diet]] at [[Verona]] on [[Pentecost]] 983.<ref name="Duckett, pg. 104" /> He sent his nephew [[Otto I, Duke of Swabia and Bavaria]], back to Germany with news of the defeat and to call the German nobles to the assembly, but his emissary died ''en route'' on November 1, 982, in [[Lucca]]. News of the battle did cross the Alps, however, reaching as far as [[Wessex]] in [[England]], signifying the magnitude of the defeat. Duke [[Bernard I, Duke of Saxony|Bernard I of Saxony]] was heading south for the assembly when [[Denmark|Danish]] [[Vikings|Viking]] raids forced him to return to face the threat.

At the assembly, Otto II appointed [[Conrad I, Duke of Swabia|Conrad]] (a distant relative of Otto II) and [[Henry III, Duke of Bavaria|Henry III]] as the new Dukes of [[Duchy of Swabia|Swabia]] and [[Duchy of Bavaria|Bavaria]] respectively. Henry III had previously been exiled by Otto II following his defeat as part of a [[War of the Three Henries (977-978)|two-year revolt against Otto II's rule]]. The defeat at Stilo cost the Empire many nobles, forcing Otto II to end Henry's banishment in order to stabilize domestic affairs in Germany while he campaigned against the Muslims and Byzantines in southern Italy. Also, the appointment of Conrad I allowed the [[Conradines|House of the Conradines]] to return to power in Swabia for the first time since 948. Otto II and the assembled nobles agreed on a strategy of naval blockade and economic warfare until reinforcements from Germany could arrive. Otto II then prepared for a new campaign against the Muslims{{sfn|Reuter|2000|p=254}} and obtained a settlement with the [[Republic of Venice]], whose assistance he needed following the destruction of his army at Stilo. However, the death of Otto II the next year and the resulting civil war prevented the Empire from appropriately responding to the defeat.

The most important action taken by Otto II at the assembly, however, was to secure [[983 royal election|the "election"]] of his son [[Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor|Otto III]], who was then only three years old, as [[King of Germany]] and [[heir apparent]] to the Imperial throne. Otto III thus became the only German king elected south of the Alps. The exact reason for this unusual procedure has been lost to history. It is possible that the conditions in southern Italy following the defeat required Otto II to act quickly in designating an Imperial heir to ensure the Empire's future. It is also conceivable, however, that holding the election in Italy was a deliberate choice on the part of Otto II in order to demonstrate that Italy was an equal part of the Empire to Germany. His election secured, Otto III and his mother, the Empress [[Theophanu]], traveled north across the Alps heading for [[Aachen]], the traditional coronation site for the Ottonians, in order for Otto III to be officially crowned as king. Otto II stayed in Italy to further address his military campaigns.

===Great Slav uprising===
{{main|Great Slav Rising}}
[[File:Nordmark 1000.PNG|thumb|right|300px|The Northern March (outlined in red) between the [[Billung March]] in the north and the [[Saxon Eastern March]] ([[March of Lusatia]]) in the south. Both the Billung March and the North March were lost following the Great Slav Rising.]]

Around the year 982, Imperial authority in Slavic territory extended as far east as the [[Lusatian Neisse|Lusatian Neisse River]] and as far south as the [[Ore Mountains]]. Following the defeat of Otto II at Stilo in 983, the [[Lutici|Lutici Federation]] of [[Polabian Slavs]] revolted against their German overlords, sparking the [[Great Slav Rising]] (''Slawenaufstand''). The Polabian Slavs destroyed the bishoprics of [[Bishopric of Havelberg|Havelberg]] and [[Diocese of Brandenburg|Brandenburg]].<ref name=Luebke99>Lübke (2002), p. 99</ref> According to the German chronicler Bishop [[Thietmar of Merseburg]], the decades-long forced [[Germanization]] and [[Christianization]] of the Slavs associated with these two churches was the reason for their destruction. Thietmar blames the uprising on maltreatment of the Slavs by the Germans: "Warriors, who used to be our servants, now free as a consequence of our injustices."<ref name=Hengst501>Hengst (2005), p. 501</ref> In the [[Obotrites|Obotrite territories]] along the [[Elbe River]], the Luticians initiated a revolt aimed at the abolition of feudal rule and Christianity,<ref name=Luebke99/> drawing upon considerable support by the Obodrite populace and their leader [[Mstivoj]].<ref name=Luebke97>Lübke (2002), p. 97</ref> In part, the Obodrite revolt was successful: The princely family, though in part remaining Christian, dissolved Christian institutions.<ref name=Luebke97/>

Soldiers from the [[Northern March]], the [[March of Meissen]], and the [[March of Lusatia]], as well as from the [[Bishopric of Halberstadt|Bishop of Halberstadt]] and the [[Archbishopric of Magdeburg|Archbishop of Magdeburg]], joined forces to defeat the Slavs near [[Stendal]].<ref>Thompson, p. 490.</ref> Nevertheless, the Empire was forced to withdraw to the western banks of the Elbe river. The successes of the Empire's Christianization policy towards the Slavs were nullified, and political control over the [[Billung March]] and the [[Northern March]] (territories east of the Elbe) was lost. In the decade since his death, Otto I's life work of converting the Slavs was undone. The Slavic territories east of the Elbe would remain pagan for over a century before further missionary work resumed: it would not be until the 12th century that the churches of [[Bishopric of Havelberg|Havelberg]] and [[Diocese of Brandenburg|Brandenburg]] would be reestablished.

The [[Danes]] took advantage of the Slavic revolt and invaded the [[Duchy of Schleswig|March of Schleswig]] along the Empire's northern border while the [[Sorbs|Sorb]] Slavs invaded and conquered the [[March of Zeitz]] from the Saxons.<ref name="Duckett, pg. 104" />

===Sudden death and political turmoil===
In July 983, [[Pope Benedict VII]], a longtime Ottonian supporter, died of natural causes after having reigned for almost ten years. Otto II returned to Rome in September to name a new pope, selecting the [[bishop of Pavia]], Pietro Canepanova (who reigned as [[Pope John XIV]]), in November or early December.<ref>Duckett, p. 105</ref> While Otto II was in Rome, a [[malaria]] outbreak in central Italy prevented the resumption of military activity in southern Italy. The outbreak ultimately led to the death of the Emperor himself in his palace at Rome on December 7, 983, at the age of 28, after having reigned for just over a decade.{{sfn|Reuter|2000|p=254}} Otto II's money and possessions were divided among the Catholic Church, the poor of the Empire, his mother [[Adelaide of Italy|Adelaide]] and sister [[Matilda, Abbess of Quedlinburg|Matilda]], and those nobles loyal to him. Otto II was then buried in the atrium of [[St. Peter's Basilica]],<ref name=EB1911/> the only Holy Roman emperor to be buried in St Peter's.<ref>Norwich p. 253</ref>

Otto II's three-year-old son [[Otto III]] was crowned as [[king of Germany]] in [[Aachen]] on Christmas Day in 983, three weeks after his father's death. Otto III was crowned by [[Willigis]], the [[archbishop of Mainz]], and John, the [[Archbishop of Ravenna]].<ref name="Duckett, pg. 106">Duckett, p. 106</ref> News of Otto II's death first reached Germany after Otto III's coronation.<ref name="Duckett, pg. 106" /> The unresolved problems in southern Italy and the Slavic uprising on the Empire's eastern border made the Empire's political situation extremely unstable. The arrival of a minor on the Imperial throne threw the Empire into confusion, allowing Otto III's mother, the Byzantine Princess [[Theophanu]], to reign as his [[regent]].<ref name="Comyn, pg. 121">Comyn, p. 121</ref>

In 976, Otto had deposed his cousin Henry as duke of Bavaria and imprisoned him. In early 984, Henry escaped from his imprisonment. He seized the infant Otto III and, as a member of the ruling dynasty, claimed the regency of the Empire for himself.<ref name="Comyn, pg. 121" /> Henry eventually went so far as to claim the German throne outright, obtaining the allegiance of the dukes of Poland and Bohemia.<ref name="Duckett, pg. 107">Duckett, p. 107</ref> Henry 's claims were supported by [[Egbert (Archbishop of Trier)|Archbishop Egbert of Trier]], [[Gisilher (Archbishop of Magdeburg)|Archbishop Gisilher of Magdeburg]], and Bishop [[Dietrich I of Metz]].<ref name="Duckett, pg. 107" /> Otto III's right to the throne, however, was supported by Archbishop [[Willigis]] of Mainz and the dukes of [[Duke of Saxony|Saxony]], [[Duke of Bavaria|Bavaria]], and [[Duke of Swabia|Swabia]].<ref name="Comyn, pg. 121" /> The threat of war from Willigis and Conrad of Swabia forced Henry to relinquish Otto III on June 29, 984 and to respect the regency of Empress Theophanu.<ref name="Duckett, pg. 107" />

The early death of Otto II and the ensuing events proved to be a serious test for the Empire. Despite having a child under the regency of his mother as a ruler, the structure established by Otto the Great remained strong as most of the Empire's most powerful officials stayed loyal to the Imperial system.