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Why did Adelaide of Burgundy ask Otto I for help in Italy?
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Otto I
Otto I and his wife Edith, sculptures in the cathedral at Magdeburg, Germany.
Adelaide of Burgundy sought help from Otto I because she had been imprisoned by Berengar II of Ivrea in 951. After the death of her husband, Lothar, in 950, Berengar II seized the Italian throne and held Adelaide captive at Garda. Following her escape four months later, she appealed to the German king to assist her in regaining her position. Otto responded by marching into Lombardy in 951, where he declared himself king and subsequently married Adelaide.1