Editing Adelaide of Italy (section)

===Marriage and alliance with Otto I===
[[File:Meissner-dom-stifter.jpg|thumb|left|Statues of Adelaide and her second spouse Otto&nbsp;I, the donors of [[Meissen Cathedral]]]]

The [[calendar of saints]] states that Lothair was poisoned on 22 November 950 in [[Turin]] by the holder of real power, his successor, [[Berengar II of Italy]].

There were some suspicions amongst the people of Lombardy that Adelaide wanted to rule the kingdom by herself.{{sfn|Jestice|2018|p=?}} Berengar attempted to thwart this and cement his political power by forcing her to marry his son [[Adalbert of Italy|Adalbert]]. Adelaide refused and fled, taking refuge in the castle of [[Como]]. However, she was quickly tracked down and was imprisoned for four months at [[Garda, Veneto|Garda]].

According to Adelaide's contemporary biographer, [[Odilo of Cluny]], she managed to escape from captivity. After a time spent in the marshes nearby, she was rescued by a priest and taken to a "certain impregnable fortress," likely the fortified town of [[Canossa Castle]] near [[Reggio Emilia|Reggio]].{{sfn|Odilo of Cluny|2004|p=131}} She was able to send an emissary to the [[East Frankish]] king [[Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor|Otto I]] asking for his protection. Adelaide met Otto at the old [[Lombards|Lombard]] capital of [[Pavia]] and they married on 23 September 951.{{sfn|Bouchard|1995|p=342}} Early in their marriage, Adelaide and Otto had two children, Henry and Bruno, both of whom died before reaching adulthood.

A few years later, in 953, [[Liudolf, Duke of Swabia]], Otto's son by his first marriage, instigated a big revolt that was quelled by his father. As a consequence, Otto decided to dispossess Liudolf of his ducal title. This decision favoured the position of Adelaide and her descendants at court. Adelaide also managed to retain her entire territorial dowry.

After returning to Germany with his new wife, Otto cemented the Holy Roman Empire by defeating the Hungarian invaders at the [[Battle of Lechfeld]] on 10 August 955. He then extended the boundaries of [[East Francia]] beyond the [[Elbe River]], defeating the [[Obotrites]] and other Slavs of the Elbe at the [[Battle on the Raxa|battle of Recknitz]] on 16 October 955. That same year, Adelaide gave birth to [[Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor|Otto II]]. In 955 or 956, she gave birth to a daughter who would become [[Matilda, Abbess of Quedlinburg]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=University |first=Center for Teaching and Learning at Columbia |title=Matilda, abbess of Quedlinburg |url=https://epistolae.ctl.columbia.edu/woman/11.html |access-date=2023-05-22 |website=Epistolae |language=en}}</ref>