Otto II (955 – December 7, 983), called the Red (Rufus), was
Holy Roman Emperor from 973 until his death in 983. A member of the Ottonian
dynasty, Otto II was the youngest and sole surviving son of Otto the Great and
Adelaide of Italy.
Otto II was made joint-ruler of Germany in 961, at an early
age, and his father named him co-Emperor in 967 to secure his succession to the
throne. His father also arranged for Otto II to marry the Byzantine Princess
Theophanu, who would be his wife until his death. When his father died after a
37-year reign, the eighteen-year-old Otto II became absolute ruler of the Holy
Roman Empire in a peaceful succession. Otto II spent his reign continuing his
father's policy of strengthening Imperial rule in Germany and extending the
borders of the Empire deeper into southern Italy. Otto II also continued the
work of Otto I in subordinating the Catholic Church to Imperial control.
Early in his reign, Otto II defeated a major revolt against
his rule from other members of the Ottonian dynasty who claimed the throne for
themselves. His victory allowed him to exclude the Bavarian line of Ottonians
from the line of Imperial succession. This strengthened his authority as
Emperor and secured the succession of his own son to the Imperial throne.
With domestic affairs settled, Otto II would focus his
attention from 980 onward to annexing the whole of Italy into the Empire. His
conquests brought him into conflict with the Byzantine Empire and with the
Muslims of the Fatimid Caliphate, who both held territories in southern Italy.
After initial successes in unifying the southern Lombard principalities under
his authority and in conquering Byzantine-controlled territory, Otto II's
campaigns in southern Italy ended in 982 following a disastrous defeat by the
Muslims. While he was preparing to counterattack Muslim forces, a major
uprising by the Slavs broke out in 983, forcing the Empire to abandon its major
territorial holdings east of the Elbe river.
Otto II died suddenly in 983 at the age of 28 after a
ten-year reign. He was succeeded as Emperor by his three-year-old son Otto III,
plunging the Empire into a political crisis.
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