The Duchy of Saxony

(Today part of: parts of western and northern Germany)

When the first non-Carolingian East Frankish king Conrad I. (r.911-918) had chosen for his successor his principal opponent, the Saxon duke Henry (ruled 919 – 936), his successors would rule the state for almost one hundred years. Successes against the Danes and Slavs, as well as the victory over the Hungarians (933 AD), had strengthened the kings rule, so he was able to choose his son Otto (ruled 936 – 962) as his successor. The invasion by Hungarian cavalry in mid-10^th century will force the nobility of East Francia to form stronger ties in order to defend themselves more easily, and thus help in the birth of a new powerful state.Additionally, as a token of the pope’s gratitude for his victories against the pagans (Slavs and Hungarians) and the further defense of the Church, the pope had crowned Otto as the new Emperor.

 Since the last Emperor, Berengar (r.915-924), to Otto I, the imperial throne had been empty for 38 years, and nothing suggested to the generation that had lived through both of these events that this year 962 AD had seen the switch of one Empire for another. Following the concept of translation imperii, Otto and his successors will perceive themselves as the successors of Charlemagne and ancient Rome, considering their act as a mere renewal of the idea of such an Empire. The title of king of East Francia, whose official title was the King Of Rome (Rex Romanorum; since the beginning of the 11^th century), had remained electoral, and the candidates were expected to promise concessions in the form of land or money to the  electorate, in order to secure their vote. Rex Romanorum could only had been crowned Emperor by the pope. In many cases, the time period between these two coronations lasted for several years, as the king had to deal with rebellions in the northern-Italian cities to even reach Rome, but also because he would often come into conflict with the pope himself.