File:The story of the greatest nations, from the dawn of history to the twentieth century - a comprehensive history, founded upon the leading authorities, including a complete chronology of the world, and (14591723480).jpg

Identifier: greatestnations03elli (find matches)
Title: The story of the greatest nations, from the dawn of history to the twentieth century : a comprehensive history, founded upon the leading authorities, including a complete chronology of the world, and a pronouncing vocabulary of each nation
Year: 1900 (1900s)
Authors: Ellis, Edward Sylvester, 1840-1916 Horne, Charles F. (Charles Francis), 1870-1942
Subjects: World history
Publisher: New York : F.R. Niglutsch
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Internet Archive

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s son. Otto II. (973-983). This Otto, the childof Adelheid, and hence himself half Italian, spent much of his life in thesouthern land, fighting with rebellious Italians or with the Greeks. He mar-ried a Greek princess; and thus his son, Otto II., was part Greek and partItalian, and very little of good, old, stalwart German. Otto III. (983-1002) came to the throne when only three years old. Atfirst his mother and his grandmother Adelheid ruled in his name; but when hewas sixteen, he took everything into his own hands. His Greek mother hadtaught him to despise his Saxon blood; and he even used to sign himself in hisroyal proclamations Greek by birth, Roman by right of rule. He was calledthe wonder-child because he was so highly educated and accomplished, be-cause so much was expected of him, and because he boasted that he wouldaccomplish so much. Poor visionary lad! he never acccomplished anything.He was crushed by the mountainous weight of work before him. He hestitatedwhere to begin.
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Germany—The Year One Thousand 557 Perhaps the approach of the year 1000 had not a little to do with his wa-vering state of mind. There was a belief, widespread throughout the Chris-tian world, that this year 1000 was to mark the second coming of Christ, theend of the world. This fancy was not confined to the ignorant; nobles, priests,many of the highest rank everywhere, had thus misread the Scriptures. Nu-merous legal documents of the time began with the words, As the world isnow drawing to a close. In many places the peasants did not even plant theircrops in the spring of the year 1000, so sure were they that there would nevercome a reaping time. Otto made hurried pilgrimages from place to place. He did penance forfourteen days in an Italian sacred cavern. He broke open Charlemagnes tombat Aix, and descending into it, stood face to face with the man whom he desiredto take as a model. In truth, he seems to have been half insane, always begin-ning some great work, never finishing it,

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