Editing Ottonian dynasty (section)

===Otto I===
[[File:Quedlinburg - Stiftskirche ReiKi.JPG|thumb|Former collegiate church of St. Servatius in [[Quedlinburg]], founded in 936 by King Otto I, at the request of his mother Queen Matilda, in honor of her late husband, Otto's father, King Henry the Fowler, and as his memorial]]
Otto I, duke of Saxony upon the death of his father in 936, was elected king within a few weeks. He continued the work of unifying all of the German tribes into a single kingdom, greatly expanding the powers of the king at the expense of the aristocracy.{{sfn|Middleton|2015|p={{pn|date=May 2023}}}} Through strategic marriages and personal appointments, he installed members of his own family in the kingdom's most important duchies. This, however, did not prevent his relatives from entering into civil war: both Otto's brother Duke [[Henry I of Bavaria]] and his son Duke [[Liudolf of Swabia]] revolted against his rule. Otto was able to suppress their uprisings, in consequence, the various dukes, who had previously been co-equals with the king, were reduced to royal subjects under the king's authority. Otto's decisive victory over the Magyars at the [[Battle of Lechfeld (955)|Battle of Lechfeld]] in 955 ended the threat of Hungarian invasions and secured his hold over his kingdom.{{sfn|Middleton|2015|p={{pn|date=May 2023}}}}{{sfn|Bachrach|2011}}

The defeat of the [[Paganism|pagan]] Magyars earned King Otto the reputation as the savior of [[Christendom]] and the [[epithet]] "the Great". He transformed the [[Catholic Church in Germany|Church in Germany]] into a kind of [[proprietary church]] and major royal power base to which he donated charity and for the creation of which his family was responsible. By 961, Otto had conquered the [[Kingdom of Italy (Holy Roman Empire)|Kingdom of Italy]], which was a troublesome inheritance that none wanted, and extended his kingdom's borders to the north, east, and south. In control of much of central and southern Europe, the patronage of Otto and his immediate successors caused a [[Ottonian Renaissance|limited cultural renaissance]] of the arts and architecture. He confirmed the 754 [[Donation of Pepin]] and, with recourse to the concept of ''[[translatio imperii]]'' in the succession of [[Charlemagne]], proceeded to [[Rome]] to have himself crowned Holy Roman emperor by [[Pope John XII]] in 962. He even reached a settlement with the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] emperor [[John I Tzimiskes]] by marrying his son and heir [[Otto II]] to John's niece [[Theophanu]]. In 968 he established the [[Archbishopric of Magdeburg]] at his long-time residence.{{sfn|Middleton|2015|p={{pn|date=May 2023}}}}