On this day in the year 1000, the Holy Roman Emperor Otto III isolated himself in a hermit's cell outside Rome for two weeks, preparing for the new millennium. An eclipse in 968 had led Otto to grow up convinced that the world was entering the end times. A devout young ruler, he sought to restore the original Roman Empire in accordance with the medieval concept of a Last World Emperor (see July 9).
The Holy Roman Empire was centered in Germany, but four years earlier Otto III had marched down to Italy, and near-bloodlessly saved the papacy from a threat by the strongmen of the Crescentii family in Rome. He was named king of Italy, and ruled from there before dying in 1002 at the age of 21.
No comments:
Post a Comment