Changes

Central to the Ottonian strategy was to subordinate the Church to the secular ruler. This led to tensions between the monarch and the Papacy. Many churchmen resented the influence of the secular world on the Church and they resented the prerogative that was claimed by the Emperor to appoint bishops, which led to the so-called ‘Investiture Controversy’ <ref>McBrien, Richard P. Lives of the Popes: The Pontiffs from St. Peter to Benedict XVI (London, Harper Collin, 2000, p 117</ref>. This practice of having the monarch to appoint bishops was to lead to many abuses such as simony and many reformers believed that this was the root of all the problems in the Church. This and the claims of Otto to appoint and depose Popes, which was adopted by his successors was resented by many in the Church. Otto’s policies were to lead to years of conflict between the Empire and the Papacy. This led to instability and outright wars in Italy. The Investiture Controversy was to bedevil the Empire for many centuries and ultimately was to lead to the weakening of the authority of the Holy Roman Emperor in the aftermath of the death of Emperor Frederick II (O Brien, p. 201).

==Conclusion==

Otto I’s achievement rests mainly on his consolidation of the German Reich and the development of the Holy Roman Empire. By his victorious campaigns, he gave Germany peace and security and made German-speaking lands the most powerful in Europe. His Italian policy and the acquisition of the imperial crown constituted a link with the old Carolingian tradition and was to prove a mixed blessing for the Empire. Otto also laid the foundations for the great German advance into Slavic lands. He also extended the Empire and he created a hegemony of a sort over much of Europe. Otto did much to develop a state in his Empire and this provided a framework for the governance of Central Europe for many centuries. However, the monarch’s reliance on the Church was to involve future Emperors such as Henry IV in bitter and destructive conflicts with the Papacy. Despite his failing Otto was the architect of the Holy Roman Empire, an entity that was to last until 1806 and was a decisive influence on Medieval Europe.

==References==