Otton II of the Holy roman Empire

Otton II (955 - December 7th 983) is the son of Otton Ier of the Holy roman Empire and of its second marries the princess Adélaïde of Burgundy.

It is crowned the alive one of his father in 967 (it is only 12 years old) and is married at 17 years (972) with the Byzantine princess Théophano Skleraina, girl of Constantin Sklèros and Sophie Phokaina and niece of the emperor of the East Jean I {{er}} Tzimiskès and of Bardas Sklèros.

With died of his father in May 973, it has rather quickly to face revolts. In January 974, it takes again the fortress of Boussoit to Lambert and Régnier which had invaded the Hainaut and carries out shortly after a forwarding against the king Harald Dent blue of Denmark. But the principal insurrectionist is his cousin Henri II the Quarreller, duke of Bavaria, in particular combined with Boleslav II of Bohemia. The emperor ends up overcoming it and imprisoning it.

The summer 978 Lothaire carries out a raid against Aachen but the imperial family escapes the capture. Otton invades in reprisals the north of France in autumn and besieges Paris, defended by Hugues Capet. In December, the emperor must however be solved to order the retirement. continued by the French, it lost his rear-guard at the time of the passage of the Aisne. It was necessary to await 980 so that peace is signed with Margut, at the border between the two kingdoms.

Otton is then free to set out again to deal with the businesses italiennes.
In July 982, it is severely beaten and misses being captured in Calabria by the Sarrasins, in the Cape Colonna, defeat which weakened the imperial capacity considerably.

He dies prematurely in Rome, old of hardly 28 years, (December 7th 983) and leaving very young person a 3 years old wire, Otton, which succeeds to him, placed under the supervision of his mother then of his grandmother Adélaïde of Burgundy.

See too

Rebirth ottonienne (medieval historiography)

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