Roman aristocracy
Pope John XIII, born Giovanni Crescentius, of the powerful Roman Crescentii family, died on 6 September 972. Benedictus was the proposed candidate of the Imperial party, while the Nationalist party, led by the Crescentii, supported Franco. Benedictus was consecrated as Pope Benedict VI on January 19, 973, even though he lacked the support of much of the Roman aristocracy. On May 7, 973, Otto the Great died, and the youthful Otto II took over. Otto II's preoccupation with events in Germany created an opportunity for the Roman aristocracy to rebel against the imperial administration.