Church of St Michael, Hildesheim.

The Ottonian Renaissance was a limited renaissance that accompanied the reigns of the first three emperors of the Saxon Dynasty, all named Otto: Otto I (936–973), Otto II (973–983), and Otto III (983–1002), and which in large part depended upon their patronage. The Ottonian Renaissance began after Otto's marriage to Adelaide (951) united the kingdoms of Italy and Germany and thus brought the West closer to Byzantium and furthered the cause of Christian (political) unity with his imperial coronation in 963. The period is sometimes extended to cover the reign of Henry II as well, and, rarely, the Salian dynasts. The term is generally confined to Imperial court culture conducted in Latin in Germany^[1]. Romanesque-Ottonian St. ... Romanesque-Ottonian St. ... The Church of St. ... â–¶ (help· info) is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany. ... In the traditional view, the Renaissance is understood as an historical age that was preceded by the Middle Ages and followed by the Reformation. ... The following list of German Kings and Emperors is one of several Wikipedia lists of incumbents. ... ... Events King Taejo of Goryeo (Wanggeon) defeats Hubaekje. ... Events Edgar of England is crowned king by Saint Dunstan Births September 15 - Al_Biruni, mathematician († 1048) Abu al-Ala al-Maarri, poet Deaths May 7 - Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor Categories: 973 ... Otto II ( 955 – December 7, 983, Rome), was the third German ruler of the Saxon or Ottonian dynasty. ... Events Edgar of England is crowned king by Saint Dunstan Births September 15 - Al_Biruni, mathematician († 1048) Abu al-Ala al-Maarri, poet Deaths May 7 - Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor Categories: 973 ... Events Hugh Capet, a distant relative of the last Carolingian king of the Franks, is crowned King of France, beginning the Capetian dynasty and, arguably, modern French history. ... Events Hugh Capet, a distant relative of the last Carolingian king of the Franks, is crowned King of France, beginning the Capetian dynasty and, arguably, modern French history. ... Events November 13 - English king Ethelred gives order to kill all Danes in England, leading to the St. ... Saint Adelaide of Italy (931-December 16, 999) was the daughter of Rudolf II of Burgundy, King of Italy. ... Saint Henry II of Germany (972 – 13 July 1024), was the fifth and last Holy Roman Emperor of the Saxon or Ottonian dynasty. ... The Salian Dynasty of the Holy Roman Empire was founded by Conrad II (c. ...

The Ottonian Renaissance is recognized especially in the arts and architecture, invigorated by renewed contact with Constantinople, in some revived cathedral schools, such as that of Bruno of Cologne, in the production of illuminated manuscripts from a handful of elite scriptoria, such as Quedlinburg, founded by Otto in 936, and in political ideology, The Imperial court became the center of religious and spiritual life, led by the example of women of the royal family: Matilda of Ringelheim the literate mother of Otto I, or his sister Gerberga of Saxony, or his consort Adelaide, or Empress Theophano. A precise definition of the arts can be contentious, but the following areas of activity are usually included: Art / Visual arts Architecture Crafts Dance Drawing Film Literature Music Painting Photography Pottery Sculpture Theater Unlike art, design focuses less on the aesthetics of a thing and more on the functionality of... The Parthenon on top of the Acropolis, Athens, Greece Architecture (from Latin, architectura and ultimately from Greek, αρχιτεκτων, a master builder, from αρχι- chief, leader and τεκτων, builder, carpenter) is the art and science of designing buildings and structures. ... Map of Constantinople. ... Saint Bruno (Cologne, c. ... In the strictest definition of illuminated manuscript, only manuscripts decorated with gold or silver, like this miniature of Christ in Majesty from the Aberdeen Bestiary (folio 4v), would be considered illuminated. ... A Scriptorium was a room or building, usually within a Christian monastery where, during medieval times, manuscripts were written. ... Roland The city of Quedlinburg in the German Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt has existed since at least the early ninth century, when a settlement known as Gross Orden existed at the site of the modern Quedlinburg. ... Politics is the process and method of decision-making for groups of human beings. ... Matilda of Ringelheim (born in 892-March 14, 968) was the wife of Henry I the Fowler, emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, whom she married in 909. ... Gerberga of Saxony (c. ... Saint Adelaide of Italy (931-December 16, 999) was the daughter of Rudolf II of Burgundy, King of Italy. ... Theophanu (956 - 991) (also known as Theophano) was born in Constantinople, the daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Romanus II and Theophanu. ...

After Otto I's imperial coronation in 963, there emerged a renewed faith in the idea of Empire in Otto's immediate circle and a reformed church, creating a period of heightened cultural and artistic fervor. Ottonian art was a court art, created to confirm a direct Holy and Imperial lineage as a source of legitimized power linked from from Constantine and Justinian. In this atmosphere the masterpieces that were created fused the traditions which the new art was based on: paintings from Late Antiquity, the Carolingian period, and Byzantium. In this way, the term is used as an analogue to the Carolingian Renaissance which accompanied Charlemagne's coronation in 800. Events Holy Roman Emperor Otto I defeats Mieszko I of Poland, compels him to pay tribute Luxembourg is founded, and the Belgium area becomes part of the United Provinces of the Netherlands. ... Late Antiquity is a rough periodization (c. ... Sample of Carolingian minuscule, one of the products of the Carolingian Renaissance. ... Byzantine Empire (Greek: ), is the term conventionally used since the 19th century to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered at its capital in Constantinople. ... Sample of Carolingian minuscule, one of the products of the Carolingian Renaissance. ... Charlemagne (742 or 747 – 28 January 814) (also Charles the Great[1]; from Latin, Carolus Magnus or Karolus Magnus), son of King Pippin the Short and Bertrada of Laon, was the king of the Franks from 768 to 814 and king of the Lombards from 774 to 814. ... Events December 25, Rome, coronation of Charles the Great (Charlemagne) as emperor by Pope Leo III. Celtic monks begin work on the Book of Kells on the Island of Iona. ...

A small group of Ottonian monasteries received direct sponsorship from the Emperor and bishops and produced some magnificant medieval illuminated manuscripts, the premier art form of the time. Corvey produced some of the first manuscripts, followed by the scriptorium at Hildesheim after 1000. The most famous Ottonian scriptorium was at the island monastery of Reichenau on Lake Constance: hardly any other works have formed the image of Ottonian art as much as the miniatures which originated there. One of the greatest Reichenau works was the Codex Egberti, containing narrative miniatures of the life of Christ, the earliest such cycle, in a fusion of styles including Carolingian traditions as well as traces of insular and Byzantine influences. Other well known manuscripts included the Reichenau Evangeliary, the Liuther Codex, the Pericopes of Henry II, the Bamberg Apocalypse and the Hitda Codex. The Imperial Abbey of Corvey (German: Fürstabtei Corvey) was a Benedictine abbey on the River Weser, 2km northwest of Höxter, now in North Rhine-Westphalia. ... â–¶ (help· info) is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany. ... Alternate uses: Reichenau island Reichenau is a village in the municipality of Tamins in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland, where the two Rhine tributaries Vorderrhein and Hinterrhein meet. ...

Hroswitha of Gandersheim characterises the changes which took place during the time. She was a nun who composed verse and drama, based on the classical works of Terence. The architecture of the period was also innovative and represents a predecessor to the later Romanesque. Hrosvit, also known as Hroswitha and Hroswitha of Gandersheim, was a female 10th century (c. ... Nun in cloister, 1930; photograph by Doris Ulmann In general, a nun is a female ascetic who chooses to voluntarily leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent. ... Verse is a writing that uses meter as its primary organisational mode, as opposed to prose, which uses grammatical and discoursal units like sentences and paragraphs. ... There are many articles named Drama: Drama, the art form. ... Classics, particularly within the Western University tradition, when used as a singular noun, means the study of the language, literature, history, art, and other aspects of Greek and Roman culture during the time frame known as classical antiquity. ... Publius Terentius Afer, better known as Terence, was a comic playwright of the Roman Republic. ... Pre-Romanesque art is the roughly 400 year period in Western European art from about the Carolingian Renaissance in the 8th century, to the beginning of the 12th century Romanesque period. ... Romanesque St. ...

Politically, theories of Christian unity and empire thrived, as well as revived classical notions of imperial grandeur in the West. Otto II had a Greek wife, Theophano, and Byzantine iconography entered the West. The globus cruciger became a symbol of kingly power and the Holy Roman Emperors were represented as crowned by Christ in the Byzantine fashion. It was in trying to revive the "glory that was Rome" that Otto III made the Eternal City his capital and increased in Greco-Roman fashion the ceremony of the court. Theophanu (956 - 991) (also known as Theophano) was born in Constantinople, the daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Romanus II and Theophanu. ... Queen Elizabeth II held a globus cruciger, called the Sovereigns Orb, for her coronation portrait in 1953. ...

Leading figures of the Ottonian Renaissance

• Hroswitha of Gandersheim
• Otto I, Otto II, Otto III, and Henry II
• Hermannus Contractus
• Gerbert of Aurillac, pope as Sylvester II
• Theophano
• Guido of Arezzo
• Liutprand of Cremona, author of Gesta Ottonis ("The Deeds of Otto")
• Bruno I, Archbishop of Cologne
• Widukind of Corvey, author of Res Gestai Saxonicae ("The Deeds of the Saxons")
• Adelaide, Abbess of Vilich

Hrosvit, also known as Hroswitha and Hroswitha of Gandersheim, was a female 10th century (c. ... Otto II ( 955 – December 7, 983, Rome), was the third German ruler of the Saxon or Ottonian dynasty. ... Henry II of Germany (972 - 13 July 1024), was the fifth and last Holy Roman Emperor of the Saxon or Ottonian dynasty. ... Hermannus Contractus (also called Hermannus Augiensis, Hermann of Reichenau) (1013 July 18 – 1054 September 24) was an 11th century scholar, composer, and music theorist. ... Gerbert of Aurillac, later known as pope Silvester II, (or Sylvester II), (ca. ... Theophanu (956 - 991) (also known as Theophano) was born in Constantinople, the daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Romanus II and Theophanu. ... Statue of Guido in Arezzo Guido of Arezzo or Guido Aretinus or Guido da Arezzo or Guido Monaco (991/992 – after 1033) was a music theorist of the Medieval era. ... Liutprand (Liudprand, Luitprand) (c. ... Brun or Bruno I (925-965) was Archbishop of Cologne from 953 until his death, and Duke of Lotharingia from 954. ... Widukind of Corvey was a Saxon historical chronicler, named after the famous Saxon national hero Widukind. ... Adelaide, Abbess of Villich (Adelheid of Willich) ( 970 – February 5 O.S., 1015) was a daughter of Megingoz des Brunharingen, Count of Guelders [1], and Gerberga of Metzgau, a granddaughter of Charles the Simple, king of the West Franks. ...

See also

• Ottonian dynasty
• Ottonian art (Pre-Romanesque art)
• Ottonian architecture

Pre-Romanesque art is the roughly 400 year period in Western European art from about the Carolingian Renaissance in the 8th century, to the beginning of the 12th century Romanesque period. ... Ottonian Architecture evolved during the reign of Emperor Otto the Great (936-975). ...

Notes

1. ↑ Kenneth Sidwell, Reading Medieval Latin (Cambridge University Press, 1995) takes the end of Otto III's reign as the close of the Ottonian Renaissance.

References

• Harlie Kay Gallatin, "Western Europe in the High Middle Ages: An Overview From c. 900 to c. 1300": "Ottonian Renaissance"
• Hermann Aubin, Otto der Grosse und die Erneuerung des abendländischen Kaisertums im Jahre 962 (1962)