History: Otto I

936- 973 CE - Otto I was one of the best known kings of the Saxons in Germany. Otto I defeated the Magyars at Lechfeld in 955 CE , and encouraged conversion of Slavic and Scandinavian peoples to Christianity. Otto I incorporated the power of the church more heavily into his kingdom than previous rulers had, since he relied on Bishops and Abbots for governing his kingdom. Because they were celibate, the governmental service of Bishops and Abbots helped allay the formation of governmental dynasties in which a single land owner and his children became entrenched with political power down through the generations. Otto I was crowned Emperor of the Romans by the pope in 962 CE, however the political will to expand into Italy was of little consequence as future Frankish kings would find it difficult and then impossible to maintain the subservience of the Italian counts.