Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor

Otto II, called the Red, was Holy Roman Emperor from 973 until his death in 983, the youngest and sole surviving son of Otto the Great and Adelaide of Italy. Made joint ruler of Germany in 961 and co-emperor in 967 to secure his succession, he became sole emperor at 18 upon his father's death, continuing his father's policies of strengthening imperial rule in Germany and subordinating the church to imperial control. He defeated a revolt from rival Ottonian claimants early in his reign, then turned to annexing southern Italy, a campaign that ended in a disastrous 982 defeat by Fatimid Muslim forces; he died in 983 at 28, succeeded by his three-year-old son Otto III.