Introduction: The Road to Regency

Abstract

Otto III’s succession to the German throne in 983 provoked a crisis, one that the Ottonian dynasty was able to weather, Jestice argues, because the Ottonian rulers of Germany consciously enhanced the power and authority of their spouses as a tool of government, a tool that then served the dynasty well in face of this challenge to the succession. The introduction to this study of Ottonian queenship introduces the main women studied—Mechtild, Adelheid, and Theophanu. It also explores the major chronicles, histories, charters, and letters available from tenth-century Germany to assess their careers and significance.