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How did Gerbert of Aurillac support the young King Otto III against Henry II the Quarrelsome?

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Sylvester II Sylvester II, detail from the ivory vessel used at the consecration of Otto III, 996; in the Domschatzkammer des Aachener Domes, Aachen, Ger.

Gerbert of Aurillac, who later became Pope Sylvester II, supported the young King Otto III against the ambitions of Henry II the Quarrelsome, the deposed duke of Bavaria, primarily through his writing and political advocacy.

Following the death of Emperor Otto II in 983, Henry II the Quarrelsome attempted to seize the three-year-old Otto III to secure the regency or the throne for himself. In response, Gerbert fled the monastery of Bobbio and traveled extensively, writing urgent letters to rally support among Germans, Belgians, and Lorrainers against Henry’s plot.1

Gerbert’s efforts were part of a broader political struggle to protect the succession of the young king. Ultimately, in May 984, the imperial diet forced Henry II to surrender the child to his mother, Theophano, who assumed the regency. Gerbert’s commitment to the Ottonian dynasty continued throughout his life, eventually leading him to serve as a principal adviser and tutor to Otto III.32