East Germany Table of Contents
The Saxon kings succeeded in establishing a monarchy, which subordinated the territorial dukes and reversed the particularist trend. They founded a new empire, established the principle of hereditary succession, and increased the crown lands, the foundation of monarchical power. The Saxon kings also encouraged eastward expansion and colonization, thereby extending German rule to the Slavic territories of Poland and Bohemia and to Austria. In 962, Otto I (Otto the Great), who had gained control of the Middle Kingdom, was formally crowned Holy Roman Emperor, an event that marked the beginning of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation.
Data as of July 1987