Otto I Crowned Holy Roman Emperor: A New Empire Rises from Rome's Ashes
Otto I saved the Pope from a Roman mob, then showed up in Rome expecting payment. Pope John XII crowned him Holy Roman Emperor on February 2, 962. The title had been vacant since 924—nearly four decades of nobody claiming to rule Christendom. Otto got the crown. John got military protection and thought he could control a grateful king. Within a year, Otto was back in Rome deposing John for conspiracy. The Pope who created an emperor learned emperors don't stay grateful. The Holy Roman Empire lasted 844 years, until Napoleon dissolved it in 1806.
February 2, 962
1064 years ago
Key Figures & Places
Holy Roman Emperor
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Translatio imperii
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Pope John XII
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Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor
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Pope
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Germany
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Rome
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Holy Roman Empire
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Holy Roman Emperor
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Pope Gelasius II
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Translatio imperii
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Pope John XII
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Otto the Great
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Richard I of England
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Pope Callixtus II
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Adelaide of Italy
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Liste des souverains du Saint-Empire
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Liudolfinger
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