Otto the Great's 962 Coronation Revived the Western Empire

Otto the Great, crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 962, revived the imperial idea in Western Europe after the Carolingian collapse. His father Henry I, elected king of East Francia in 919, consolidated the realm and passed it intact to Otto in 936. Otto faced early rebellions from dukes and his half-brother Thankmar, then from his son Liudolf in 953-954. Liudolf allied with Conrad of Lotharingia and Archbishop Friedrich of Mainz, but the Magyar invasion of 954 discredited him. Otto defeated the Magyars decisively at the Battle of Lechfeld in August 955, ending their raids and cementing his authority. He then intervened in Italy, marrying Adelheid in 951 and later answering Pope John XII's appeal against Berengar of Ivrea. On February 2, 962, Pope John XII crowned Otto and Adelheid emperor in Rome. Otto deposed John in 963 and installed Leo VIII, securing imperial control over papal elections. He defeated Berengar in 964 and later negotiated the marriage of his son Otto II to Byzantine princess Theophano in 972, gaining Byzantine recognition. Otto died in Memleben in 973 at age 60 and was buried in Magdeburg Cathedral. His victory at Lechfeld led to the formation of Hungary, and his imperial revival laid the foundation for the Holy Roman Empire, often dated from 962.