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Otto, I, who succeeded his father in 936. He had himself crowned king in Aachen, which once had been Charlemagne’s capital. From an early date, he harbored imperial ambitions , and, according to contemporary chronicles, the other German dukes served him at his coronation banquet and swore to be his vassals. Otto sought to make himself an absolute monarch , and he was intent on curbing the autonomy of the great German dukes. His brother was involved in a conspiracy against him, but they later reconciled, and Otto made his brother Duke of Bavaria. Otto used his powers to install other members of his family into other Dukedoms<ref> Hill, Boyd H., Jr. Medieval Monarchy in Action: The German Empire from Henry I to Henry IV (New York, Barnes & Noble, 1983), p. 118</ref>.

Despite his father’s military successes, the German lands were threatened by many enemies. To solidify his Imperial, claim he at first subdued the local German church , and once he had done this, he used the clerics as a bureaucracy to control the far-flung Germanic lands. Otto was constantly challenged by rebellious Dukes and even by members of his own family, but he managed to suppress them all and he managed to extend his authority. Despite his father’s military successes, the German lands were threatened by many enemies.

Otto proved himself to be an able general. He fought two wars against the Slavs, who formed a powerful coalition against the Germans. Otto defeated them on both occasions , and he incorporated many Slavic lands east of the River Oder into his lands <ref> Reuter, p. 213</ref>. The Danes entered an alliance with some rebellious Slavs , and Otto defeated their invasion. The biggest challenge that faced German lands was the pillaging and raids of the Magyars (Hungarians). They were a nomadic tribe from the Russian Steppes , and their raids attacks had devastated German lands for decades.

In 955 AD , a huge considerable force of Hungarians invaded southern Germany and devastated a huge vast area. Otto advanced to meet the Magyars , and despite being outnumbered almost two to one, the German king decisively defeated the invaders. Otto was not only intent on defending the borders of Germany he . He was very committed to expanding the territories under his rule. Otto integrated Burgundy into his realms and turned Bohemia into a vassal state. In 951 , he invaded Italy and secured the submission of many Lords and cities. He defeated a claimant to the Italian throne and crowned himself King of Italy. Later , Otto interfered in the Byzantine territories in southern Italy. Otto launched three expeditions to Italy and was eventually able to absorb absorbed Northern and central Italy into his domains.

The Ottonian Empire also consisted of all modern Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, and parts of modern Poland and France. To secure his hold on Italy , he had to manage the Papacy. Otto deposed the corrupt and immoral Pope John XII and then replaced him with a Pope of his choice, Leo VIII. He has crowned Emperor of the Roman Empire and was the first to do so since Charlemagne. However, despite his successes in Italy , Otto was could never able to fully control the Italian territories fully, and there were constant rebellions against the German presence<ref> Boyd, p. 119</ref>. Otto died in 973 and was succeeded by his only son, who became Otto II. The Emperor was warmly remembered by future generations for ushering a period of peace and a cultural flourishing known as the Ottonian Renaissance.