. A history of mediaeval and modern Europe for secondary schools. s for the renovation of the Church. HisEmpire lacked, however, one great unit of Charlemagnesdominions — France; and he had brought about an unnatural yoking of Italy andGermany, a unionwhich wrought noreal benefit to The Succes-sors of Otto I (973-1039). Otto I, or The Great, as hewas not unjustlystyled, was succeededby his son and thenby his grandson (OttoII and Otto III), butneither of these men,though not lackingability, reigned longenough to do morethan keep the powerof the Saxon dynastypartially intact. Thedeath
. A history of mediaeval and modern Europe for secondary schools. s for the renovation of the Church. HisEmpire lacked, however, one great unit of Charlemagnesdominions — France; and he had brought about an unnatural yoking of Italy andGermany, a unionwhich wrought noreal benefit to The Succes-sors of Otto I (973-1039). Otto I, or The Great, as hewas not unjustlystyled, was succeededby his son and thenby his grandson (OttoII and Otto III), butneither of these men,though not lackingability, reigned longenough to do morethan keep the powerof the Saxon dynastypartially intact. Thedeath of Henry II (1024) (a distant nephew of Otto I) leftthe Saxon house without a suitable candidate for the throne;and the nobility of Germany chose Conrad II, who beganthe line known as the Franconian or Salian Emperors. Dur-ing all this time the German monarchs had interfered inter-mittently in Italy, but never really effectively. The will-o-the-wisp of a coronation at Rome and a great lordship in theSouth kept them from concentrating their efforts on Germany. AN EMPEROR (OTTO III)(From a miniature in the Bamberg Evangel). TheEmperor holds in one hand the scepter, crowned withthe imperial eagle; in the other the orb, bearing a cross,the symbol of domination over the Christian world THE EMPIRE IN GERMANY AND ITALY 79 and fairly crushing the feudal disintegration there. On theother hand, they could not impose their power on Italy com-pletely enough to restore law, order, and prosperity to thattroubled peninsula. Between Italians and Germans there waslittle sympathy: it was an anomaly, indeed, that the kingelected by the Northern nobles should be calling himself HolyRoman Emperor : but theGerman rulers never dis-owned this proud ambition,nor could the Italians resistthem. The condition of theChurch was still corruptand worldly, and the Papacywas in no condition to resistthe constant interference ofthe Emperors in its affairs:—the rule of Christ byCaesar, as was complainedby an
Size: 1494px × 1672px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookpublisherbostonnewyorketcho
