of Saxony, the carrying out of his cherished plan, the foundation of a metropolitan see at Magdeburg. As early as 955 he had sent Hademar, Abbot of Fulda, to Rome to discuss this project with Pope Agapetus. The jealousy of the Bishop of Halberstadt and of the Metropolitan of Mayence put every obstacle in his path. But at last, on 12 February 962, he was able to make the final arrangements and obtained from Pope John XII a bull for the erection of an archbishopric at Magdeburg and a bishopric at Merseburg. It was not, however, until 968 that effect was given to it by the appointment of bishops. Adalbert, the first Archbishop of Magdeburg, was a man of peculiar interest. He began life in the monastery of St Maximin at Trèves, for some years he was a notary in the chancery, in 961 he was sent as a bishop to preach the gospel in Russia. In 966 he became Abbot of Weissenburg in Alsace, and in 968 Archbishop of Magdeburg. He is also conjectured to be the author of the Continuation of the Chronicle of Regino of Prüm[1], and his varied life and profound experience make his work of the highest value for the history of Otto the Great.
The Emperor returned to Germany at the beginning of the year 965. After an absence of more than three years there was much work requiring his attention. The Wends, again assisted and roused by the turbulent Wichmann, had given much trouble to Otto's vicegerents, Herman and Gero, and the intermittent warfare was only brought to an end in 967 when Wichmann, then in alliance with the Redarii, was defeated and slain. Nevertheless, in spite of the many difficulties in the way, Christianity and German influence had extended very rapidly. In a campaign in 963 Gero subdued the Lusatians and received the submission and tribute of Mesco, Duke of the Poles, who was also engaged in war with the Wends. Bohemia was on terms of close friendship with Germany when under the younger Boleslav, who appeared in person at Otto's court in 973. He was zealous in the cause of Christianity and it was through the influence of his daughter Dabravka that Mesco was baptised and missionary work was set on foot for the first time in Poland. About the same time Harold Bluetooth, King of Denmark, was baptised, and enjoined the Christian faith upon his subjects[2]. The death of Gero, soon after his return from a pilgrimage to Rome in 965, was a set-back to German expansion. He was the real founder of the German dominion between the Elbe and the Oder, and his place was difficult to fill. It provided the occasion for the division of the conquered territory into the later system of marches.[3]
- ↑ The conjecture now generally accepted is Giesebrecht's, see Kaiserzeit, I. 778.
- ↑ The date of Harold's conversion is disputed. Waitz, Heinrich, I., p. 165, attributes it to the year 934. But the later date 965 accepted by Dümmler, Otto der Grosse, p. 391, seems to be more in accordance with the evidence. Widukind, III. 65, who gives a detailed account of the conversion, and Adam of Bremen, II. 3, place the event after a successful campaign by Otto against the Danes which must have taken place after the Emperor's return from Italy in 965.
- ↑ On Gero's death his march was divided into three: (1) the North march under
