Otto I "the Great" King of Germany 
Otto I "the Great" was born on November 23rd, 0912 in of Saxony, Germany. Otto I "the Great"'s father was Henry I "the Fowler" Holy Roman Emperor and his mother was Matilda von Ringelheim. His paternal grandparents were Otto "the Illustrious" von Sachsen Duke of Saxony and Hedwige of Germany; his maternal grandfather was Theudebert von Sachsen Duke of Saxony and his maternal grandmother is Ludmilla Ragnhildis von Friesland. He had two brothers and two sisters, named Henry I "the Quarrelsome", Bruno "the Great", Hadwig and Gerberge of Saxony. He was the second oldest of the five children. He had a half-brother named Thankmar. He died at the age of 60 on May 7th, 0973 in Memleben, Saxony, Germany.General Notes
He crossed the Alps and declared himself the king of Italy. He
was forced to return to Germany when the other German princes
began a series of revolts.
Otto in "great anger" captured Rome again, for the fourth time,
after the populace revolted from Pope John XIII, Ottos choice
for pontiff. There was no forgiveness for those whom he
considered oath breakers and traitors. The gallows, the sword,
blinding and mutiliating knife was the lot of the city.
The pagan Magyars were crushed by Otto on the Lech River. Otto
carried the Sacred Lance into the battle. The Magyars were
slaughtered to the man, with the exception of seven men, who
were sent home to tell their countrymen of their defeat. Otto's
stopping of the advance of the Magyars has been compared to
Charles Martel's stopping of the Moors at Poitier in 732 as a
major turning point in European, and Christian, history.
Otto recaptured Rome and deposed Pope John XII after the latter
revolted from Otto's rule of Rome and of Italy.
Otto again marched on and captured Rome as the Romans elected
Pope Benedict V against his wishes.
After the death of his wife Edgitha, he learned to read and
write.
A series of revolts against him broke out amongst his nobles
simultaneously, partly because, unlike his father, Otto was not
satisfied in being king in name only.
His elder bastard brother Thankmar took his younger legitimate
brother Henry as hostage during Thankmar's rebellion against
Otto's authority.
Otto carried into battle against his foes a victory-bringing
talisman: the Sacred Lance, the Dominica Hasta, containing one
of the nails that had pierced the hands and feet of Jesus. It
was said the Emperor Constantine had carried the Holy Lance
against Maxentius, which ended in the triumph of Christianity
over Roman paganism. Ottos' father Henry the Fowler had
purchased the Lance from Rudolf, the king of the Burgundians.
He sent an embassy to Emperor Nicephorus Phocas in
Constantinople to sue on behalf of his son for the hand of one
of the daughters of the deceased Emperor Romanus II. The
embassy was not successful nor friendly.
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Ancestor Pedigree Chart
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- b.0836 in Saxony, Germany d.30 Nov 0912
- b.0876 d.02 Jul 0936 in Mensleben, Saxony, Germany
- b.0856 d.24 Dec 0903
- b.23 Nov 0912 in of Saxony, Germany d.07 May 0973 in Memleben, Saxony, Germany
- b.0853 d.0920
- b.0892 in of Mensleben, Saxony, Germany d.14 Mar 0967/0068
- b.0858
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Otto I "the Great" were married in a religious ceremony in 0929.
Family Notes
The marriage was a happy one. She had a calming influence on
him and a knack for turning his anger away from its intended
victim. The people of Otto's realm worshipped her like a saint.
Otto I "the Great" were married in a religious ceremony in October 0951 in Pavia, Lombardia, Italy.
Family Notes
It was a happy marriage and the two seemed to have loved one
another, after their own fashion. They may not have been
faithful to each other physically, but they were so in all
other matters. Otto not only restored to her all the lands
taken by Berenger, the poisoner of her first husband, but he
added choice parcels from his own domains. He never infringed
upon her Queenly prerogatives. They shored each other up in
good days and bad; she was his "Consors Nostri Regni", the
consort of his reign, and later "Consors Imperii."
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