Otto III

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Roman emperor and German king. Son of Otto II. During Otto’s minority, Henry the Quarrelsome recovered his Duchy of Bavaria, and France threw off the imperial influence. Otto assumed the government in 994 and convinced of his divine prerogatives, entered Rome where he presided over synods and caused the election of Bruno as Pope Gregory V. In 998 he was again in Rome to punish Crescentius who had exiled Gregory, and upon the latter’s death he made Gerbert pope as Sylvester II. His imperialism, however, had aroused the opposition of Italy and the German princes, and he was forced, with Sylvester, to abandon the city; he died shortly after and was buried at Aix-la-Chapelle.

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