Boyd D. Hill, Medieval Monarchy in Action: The German Empire From Henry I to Henry IV (George Allen & Unwin, 1972). This behaviour was viewed with absolute contempt by the new Emperor, because “the Pope had not only broken the oath which he had sworn to him on the body of St. Peter, but had also invoked the aid of the enemies of Christendom.”[11] Consequently, Otto summoned a delegation of bishops to Rome and, as John XII fled to Tivoli, charged him in his absence with.
Otto Hahn was a German chemist and researcher, who is widely considered to be one of the most influential nuclear chemists in history. Despite internal conflicts, Otto was able to spread and strengthen his the kingdom.
This process radically altered the framework of German society, and temporal powers were totally eroded and replaced by those of an increasingly ecclesiastical nature. Create your account. All Rights Reserved. Otto the Great “did not consider that a learned career was incompatible with governmental responsibility”[9], and it is possible to compare the constitutional tenets of his reign with those of the Shi’ite mullahs in modern-day Iran. But the fact still remains that Otto I managed to ride the storm and served as a focal point from which Germany could begin to counteract the Hungarian invasion itself. Thus, Church and state went forward hand in hand and. In 973, just one year later, Otto I passed away. In 1847 he married and was sent to Berlin as a delegate to the new Prussian parliament, where he emerged as a reactionary voice against the liberal, anti-autocratic Revolutions of 1848. In 1997 he graduated in History and Theology at the University of Kent and, in 2014, earned a teaching certificate in English Language from Cambridge University. The far-reaching practical consequences of the Ottonian system will be discussed in due course, when I examine Otto I’s relationship with the German Church in far greater depth. Despite the rather speculative nature of his military expedition, Otto I eventually defeated Berengar II and basked in the glory of an episode which, had he not intervened, may have effectively reduced him to sidelines of medieval European history. By his victorious campaigns, he gave Germany peace and security from foreign attack, and the preeminent position that he won as ruler gave him a … K. J. Leyjer, Medieval Germany and its Neighbours: 900-1250 (The Hambledon Press, 1982). Perhaps the Saxon King managed to conveniently avoid serious internal problems due to the unifying effects of a pending Hungarian invasion? The rulers of the other great duchies caused Otto initial problems.
Thus, Bavaria was given to his younger brother (the delightfully named Henry the Quarrelsome), Swabia to his eldest son (Liudolf) and Lotharingia to a Franconian known as Conrad the Red (whom he later gave in marriage to his sister).
I have shown how Otto the Great shaped the future of Western Europe by uniting its discordant facets and reorganising the fundamental structure of medieval society. In 962, he was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope John XII, whom he would depose two years later, placing Leo VIII in his place. Copyright NoWhere.News © All rights reserved. ] At the time, Bismarck wisely declined to levy a war indemnity against the Austrians. Otto von Bismarck: Otto von Bismarck was born in Schonhausen, Province of Saxony, Kingdom of Prussia on April 1, 1815. Otto continued to see success in military matters, particularly against the Slavs. Elsewhere, he has been involved with over twenty music projects, including HERR, Seelenlicht, Xiphos, Von Thronstahl, Horologium, The Days of the Trumpet Call, Survival Unit, The Joy of Nature, Sagittarius, Sala Delle Colonne, Mind Terrorist, Across the Rubicon, Ollin, Elvatorium, Erich Zahn, Street Cleaner, Jumpscare and many others. Germany became a modern, unified nation under the leadership of the “Iron Chancellor” Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898), who between 1862 and 1890 effectively ruled first Prussia and then all of Germany.
2. William I became Prussia’s king in 1861 and a year later appointed Bismarck as his chief minister.
Secondly, I will explore Otto I’s Italian campaign before looking at Liudolf’s rebellion and the Hungarian invasion.
The first was a Papal Bull authorising the erection of an archbishopric at Magdeburg, and the second a document known as the Ottonianum in which Otto imitated the Frankish Donations of Pepin and Charlemagne. He manipulated European rivalries to make Germany a world power, but in doing so laid the groundwork for both World Wars. Otto then agreed to sign the original pact on the condition that a Pope could not be consecrated until he had given his oath of loyalty to the Emperor himself. His use of the church as a stabilizing influence created a secure empire …
Indeed, Henry and Liudolf knew full well that the government of Lombardy was comparatively weak and each had an eye on the kingdom’s wealthiest cities. Encyclopedia Research . He kept out Slavic and Magyar invaders, resisted France’s claim to Lotharingia, founded three bishoprics in Denmark, and secured his interests in Italy and Burgundy via his marriage to Adelaide of Italy.
In addition, royal judges were excluded from having any judicial influence in areas controlled by the Church, and no royal officers were permitted to extract taxes from such areas.
Indeed, whilst Henry had captured the regions of Verona, Friuli and Istria, he was denied even a single inch of Italian soil. Shortly afterwards, however, John XII had been reinstated and Leo VIII forced to flee for his life. It has since been said of Otto I that his decision to dominate what may have become a major disaster “was his first expedition to Italy and was in many ways the turning point of his reign, for it could not but reinforce the memories and traditions of Charlemagne which had already been so much to the fore at his coronation.”[4] But, once before, the King had an ulterior motive in that his memorable defeat of Berengar II was also designed to facilitate his own control of northern Italy. In May of 961, Otto was able to arrange for his six-year-old son, Otto (the first son born to Adelaide), to be elected and crowned King of Germany. All areas under Otto’s rule prospered, and the resultant flowering of culture has been called the Ottonian renaissance. By his victorious campaigns, he gave Germany peace and security from foreign attack, and the preeminent position that he won as ruler gave him a sort of hegemony in Europe. https://www.history.com/topics/germany/otto-von-bismarck. It may have been added in December, 963, when Otto deposed John for instigating an armed conspiracy with Berengar, as well as for what amounted to conduct unbecoming a pope. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. His Italian policy and the acquisition of the imperial crown constituted a link with the old Carolingian tradition and was to prove a great responsibility for the German people in the future. © copyright 2003-2020 Study.com. Otto I was the son of Henry the Fowler and his second wife Matilda. He attacked Denmark to gain the German-speaking territories of Schleswig-Holstein and two years later provoked Emperor Franz-Josef I into starting the Austro-Prussian War (1866), which ended in a swift defeat for the aging Austrian empire.
Otto was the son of Henry the Fowler and his second wife, Matilda. The churchmen he appointed often proved interested in building and in supporting culture in their church establishments, both monastic and episcopal.
Otto was crowned by the archbishops of Mainz and Cologne at Aachen, the city that had been Charlemagne's favorite residence. Yet Henry, who felt he should be king himself in spite of his father's wishes, conspired to murder Otto in 941. His son, Duke Liudolf of Swabia, knew that his father’s marriage to Queen Adelaide would exclude both he and his bloodline from inheriting the Saxon kingdom after Otto’s death.
The younger man saw some success, and Otto had to withdraw to Saxony; but in 954 the invasion of the Magyars set off problems for the rebels, who could now be accused of conspiring with enemies of Germany. But what of his military achievements? Well, overall, it gave Americans hope in the form of FDR (albeit slightly out-of-hand). Related Questions. He rejected war in favor of diplomatic solutions.
Consequently, however, the King was unable to avoid upsetting those dukes who would have reacted angrily to any attempt to abolish their hereditary rights. Question: Why is Otto Von Bismarck important to history? By elevating the Archbishop of Cologne to the intoxicating heights of medieval statesmanship, Otto secretly knew that his celibate cleric of a brother could never threaten him in the way that Liedolf had previously [see below] by raising a brood of offspring which, potentially at least, could have eventually founded a powerful new dynasty. On August 7, 936, a month after the death of his father, Otto was elected king and later crowned by the archbishops of Cologne and Mainz. With a strong home base, Otto not only fended off France's claims to Lotharingia but ended up mediating in some French internal difficulties. French Blood, Sussex Heart: Who Was Hilaire Belloc? Once again, rebellion was in the air and an embittered Henry of Bavaria also joined the fray in protest that his contribution to the Italian campaign had lain rewarded.
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Your email address will not be published. Friedrich Heer, The Holy Roman Empire (Wiedenfeld & Nicolson, 1968). Henry named Otto his successor, and a month after Henry's death, in August of 936, the German dukes elected Otto king. © 2020 A&E Television Networks, LLC. Otto I was the son of Henry the Fowler and his second wife Matilda.
Although an arch-conservative, Bismarck introduced progressive reforms—including universal male suffrage and the establishment of the first welfare state—in order to achieve his goals. The French declared war, but the Prussians and their German allies won handily.
Throughout his life Bismarck would emphasize his rural Junker roots, underplaying his considerable intellect and cosmopolitan outlook. The father of a large family, Troy taught his children at home and remains an inveterate bibliophile, accomplished poet, keen cyclist and enjoys photographing and researching country churches, ancient woodland, old ruins and other sacred places. Consolidation of the Reich. His subtle erosion of ducal power and its transference to the relatively safer hands of the Catholic Church – through which he himself was able to both direct and consolidate his rule – was a development which continued to secure the maintenance of the Holy Roman Empire. Otto the Great (Nov. 23, 912—May 7, 973), also known as Duke Otto II of Saxony, was known for consolidating the German Reich and making significant advances for secular influence in papal politics. On the other hand, in April of the same year his imperial princess, Theophano, was given to Otto II (his son) in marriage. His daring military tactics expanded and consolidated Prussian lands, while his domestic policies transformed his kingdom into a modern state ...read more, As a university student, Karl Marx (1818-1883) joined a movement known as the Young Hegelians, who strongly criticized the political and cultural establishments of the day. Telling Time in the Middle Ages: 5 Things You Didn’t Know.
He was elected king Aug. 7, 936 and crowned emperor Feb. 2, 962. Why is Otto Von Bismarck important to history? R. H. C. Davis, A History of Medieval Europe: From Constantine to Saint Louis (Longman, 1991), p. 210. He had to lead an Italian campaign in order to lead the widowed Queen of Lombardy himself.