Otto I The Great (936-973)
Otto the Great – Germany’s luckiest emperor. Almost destroying all his father had built through his own recklessness he emerges from a civil war as the most powerful ruler the Carolingian empire had seen in a long time. In 955 he comprehensively beats the bane of the age, the Magyars at the Lechfeld. He acquires Italy with arms and charms, gets crowned emperor in Rome and even gets recognised by the Eastern Emperor in Constantinople. His path is also littered with the most fascinating, powerful and glamorous women German history has on offer – Mathilda of Ringelheim, Eadgith of Wessex, Adelheid of Italy and Theophanu, the not quite real princess from the east. Never a dull moment!
Henry the Fowler ended the tradition of splitting the kingdom amongst the male heirs.
So far, so wise. But, and there is always a but, what he did not work out was what to do with the spares. And there were quite a few spares about, three in total. How will Henry’s designated heir, Otto I manage?
The music for the show is Flute Sonata in E-flat major, H.545 by Carl Phillip Emmanuel Bach (or some claim it as BWV 1031 Johann Sebastian Bach) performed and arranged by Michel Rondeau under Common Creative Licence 3.0.
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To make it easier for you to share the podcast, I have created separate playlists for some of the seasons that are set up as individual podcasts. they have the exact same episodes as in the History of the Germans, but they may be a helpful device for those who want to concentrate on only one season.
So far I have:
Salian Emperors and Investiture Controversy
Fredrick Barbarossa and Early Hohenstaufen
The Holy Roman Empire 1250-1356
The Reformation before the Reformation
The music for the show is Flute Sonata in E-flat major, H.545 by Carl Phillip Emmanuel Bach (or some claim it as BWV 1031 Johann Sebastian Bach) performed and arranged by Michel Rondeau under Common Creative Licence 3.0.
#2 A Dog’s breakfast
Otto the not yet great makes some bad mistakes
Otto I’s reign is off to a very rocky start. He alienated his mother and his half brother – and condemns his most powerful vassal to carry dogs…
#3 A Series of Fortunate Events
The Last Minute Rescue of Otto I’s Kingdom
Otto the Great, or not yet great, is getting rescued from the utmost peril by a man with a profound dislike for women and apples
#4 A Foe Wherever You Go
King Otto I settles into being a medieval ruler
As Otto the Great consolidates his reign, enemies pop up on every corner – Bohemians, Poles, French, Danes, you name it…
#5 The Father, the Son and the Uncle
Otto I has to deal with his son Liudolf
The lovely Adelheid gets pulses racing across Europe. Not just Otto I, but his son Liudolf and his brother Henry give it a try..
#6 The Battle on the Lechfeld
A Conversation with Swords
The world is not enough for the Hungarians who take the war into the East Francian kingdom, until that fateful day in the Lechfeld
#7 A New Caesar
Otto the Great is crowned emperor
With Otto’s coronation as emperor the Holy Roam Empire that had almost disappeared under the last Carolingian rises again
#8 An Imperial Bride
The Empress Theophanu arrives from Byzantium
The last years of Otto’s reign are dominated by his aim to be recognised by the Byzantine emperor, who finally gives his niece Theophanu…