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The Ottonians |
| By papal invitation, the German king OTTO I came to Italy and ended this constant alternation of power; he was crowned Holy Roman emperor in 962. Shortly after 1000 the Ottonian dynasty fell, leaving in the north a vacuum of power which was later exploited by the local small landowners and town merchants. Meanwhile, local insurrections started weakening the Saracens' hold on the southern coastal cities. (See Holy Roman Empire) |
