The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-06-19

AS'sANOus W pEuulpI personal intervention, 10
secure the prize for himself. In 95l. Otto car
ried out his first expedition to Italy. He met
with no serious resistance. and, in September,
entered Pavia, the old capital Of the Lombard
kings. Adelaide was released from her
captivity and Otto. who was now a widower
This first wife, Edith of England, having
diedh rthwlth married her. assumed the
crown OF Italy and earnestly but fruit
lessly negotiated with the Pope to bring about
his coronation as Emperor. Being soon Obliged
to recross the Alps he left Conrad of Lorraine
to prosecute the war against B6renger. Next
year, however, a peace was made. Berenger
was recognized as vassal King OF Italy, with
Otto as his overload, and the lands between
the AdiEe and Istria, that is to say. the Mark of
Bologna and Aquileia. were confirmed to Duke
Henry, who thus drew substantial advantage
Srom his brothers Intervention. The revolt of
Ludolf and Conrad. which occurred in 953, was
largely due TO their disgust at Otto's defeat of
their schemes.
Nine years elapsed before Otto again appeared
in Italy. Though he needed in Germany the
help OF the papacy more than ever, its condi-
tion was not one that could inspire much hope.
1t was the period Of the worst degradation into
which the Roman See ever fell. For moro than
a generation the Popes had ceased to exercise
any spiritual influence. The elections to the
papacy had been controlled by a ring of greedy
and corrupt Roman mobiles, over whom the
fair but absolute Theodore and her dauRh-
ters MaroEia and Theodore the younger long
maintained an ascendency. Imperialist par
tisans have drawn the character Of these la
dies in tho most lurid colors. but, even IL
we allow for monRstic eXaRgeration, we should
probably accept the main outlines of the pic
ture as true. When the grandson OF Marozia
ascended the pnpal throne In 1855, as John XII.
he Inifal tha aA,laataa a, .usaI L -----
lordship Of Rome, ana looked upon things with
the eye OF q skilful but interruptions states
man. His great ambition was to mako his
House supreme throughout Middle Italy, and
no soon found that King B6rOnger, whose
claims grow greater now that Otto was back
beyond the Alps. was the chief obstacle in the
way Of carrying out his designs. He, therefore.
appealed to Otto for aid against Berenger. Tho
German King, as we have said, had long felt tho
need of the support OF the papacy in carrying
out his schemes to control the German
church, and. through it, tho great feudR-
tories. The wished-for opportunity of ef-
fecting a close alliance with the head of
the ecclesiastical system OF the West was
now offered by the Pope himself. and the monas.
tic refor1ners urged him to restore peace and
order to the distracted Italian Church. In Au-
gust. 961, he marched over the Bremen at the
head OF n great host. and on Jan. 81 in the fol.
lowing year he entered Rome. On Feb. 2 he
was crowned Emperor by John XII. Mr.. Tout
points out that. among his contemporaries, the
coronation of Otto scarcely had the extreme i'm
p%ortance which has been ascribed to it by later
writors. Since the fall of the Carolingians there
had been so many nominal Emperors that the
title In itself could not much affect Otto's pc.
sition. Nevertheless, the name of Roman EN-.
peror. then assumed by a strong prince, gave
unity md lpuitipnacv IN ntto'e ,o.-o lath 800.
Germany and Italy. In Germany, no less than
In Italy, there was no unity outside Of that
which adhered to the Roman tradition. 1t is
not to be inferred, however, that the imperial
title made much difference in the policy OF
Otto. He never sought. like Charlemagne, to
build up an imperial administrative system, or
an imperial Jurisprudence. Even in Germany,
there was still no law but the local laws of the
five nations. There was no effort made to ex.
tend into Italy even the rude system on which
Otto based his authority north of the Alps.
Still. the combination of tho legitimacy OF the
imperial position with the strength of the Teu.
tonic kingship did gradually bring about a very
great change both in Germany and Italy,
though it was rather under Otto's successors
than under Otto himself that the full conse.
quences Of this was felt. Otto himself, how.
ever. was the founder of the medieval
Holy Roman Empire Of the German Nation -
and the originator of that close connection OF
Germany with Italy on which both the strength
and the weakness of that realm reposed. Mod.
ern Germans have reproached him for neglect.
ing the development of his German Kingdom in
the pursuit of the shadow of an unattainable EN-.
pire. The author of this book regards the criti.
cism as hardly just. inasmuch as Otto was led
irresistibly into his Italian policy by the neces.
stiles OF his German position, and could scarcely
hn aynnntal IN lOnl- hnyanl h -u-.i
before him to far-off ideals of national unity
and national monarchy that were utterly
strange to him and to his age.