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6 of all the many very bad women in Italy. In vain, when words of flattery and of abuse alike failed, did Villa cuff and kick Adelaide, and drag her by her hair, to induce her to become her daughter-in-law. From Como she was transferred to a castle on the lake of Garda, and only allowed the attendance of her chaplain, Martin, and one maidservant. Both were, however, devoted to her; and Adelhard, bishop of Reggio, having promised to receive her into a place of safety, if she could manage to escape, Martin succeeded in making a hole in the wall of Adelaide's room, through which she and her maid crept in men's clothes. After enduring many fatigues, and narrowly escaping recapture, they succeeded in reaching the town of Canossa, a strong fortress on a steep rock at the foot of the hills close to Garda, and held by Azo, Adelaide's uncle, as a fief of Reggio. From there she wrote to Otho, emperor of Germany (936-973), imploring help; and, at the same time, the Pope, Agapetus II., applied to him to settle the disturbances in Italy.

The beauty and accomplishments of the young queen, combined with her misfortunes and wrongs, aroused the sympathy and indignation of civilized Europe. The princes whose lands bordered on the kingdom of Italy took a double interest in her cause, as there was always the hope of acquiring for themselves some little slice of that pleasant land. Among these were Henry, duke of Bavaria, the brother of Otho; and Rudolph, the Emperor's son by his first wife, B. of England. Otho was touched by the sad fate of Adelaide, and resolved to help her, and, at the same time, to turn the present crisis to his own advantage. He immediately sent promises of help and proposals of marriage. The knight who carried the despatches, unable to make his way into Canossa, watched as it was by the enemy's soldiers, fastened the Emperor's letter to an arrow and shot it over the wall. As soon as possible, Otho hastened to Pavia, whose gates opened at his approach, and there he was proclaimed king of the Franks and Lombards. At the same time, he sent a strong force to Canossa to escort Adelaide to Pavia. She was received at the gate of the city by the Emperor and his two brothers, Henry, duke of Bavaria, and St. Bruno, archbishop of Cologne. In 951 Adelaide, who little more than a year ago had left Pavia a prisoner, re-entered it, amid the acclamations of the people, as the bride of the Emperor. Otho, although nearly twenty years older than Adelaide, was still in the prime of life, a man of gigantic strength and great beauty, with long fair hair and blue eyes of extraordinary brilliancy, and to these personal advantages he added barbaric splendour of dress. Moreover, he was by far the ablest king who had reigned in Germany since Charlemagne. Throughout Germany the new empress was hailed as an angel of peace, and the events of after-years justified the good impression she had made on the people.

Adelaide and Otho sent missionaries to convert the Sclavonians, and induced the Pope to appoint bishops in the countries now called Prussia and Poland. St. Adalbert, archbishop of Magdeburg, was sent, in 961, to the Rugi, or Rani, a people living in Pomerania, between the rivers Oder and Wipper; but when the bishop and his companions arrived, the people massacred some and sent the others out of the country. The Rugi continued heathen for two centuries longer.

In course of time Berengarius broke an agreement which had been made with Otho, but was soon defeated, and sent as a prisoner to Bamberg; his wife, Villa, who had taken refuge in the citadel of St. Julias, in the midst of the lake of Orta, was obliged to surrender, and, loaded with chains, was brought before Adelaide. When the empress mildly remonstrated with her on her crimes, the prisoner replied, "The only crime with which I reproach myself is that I did not kill you when I had you in my power." Adelaide instantly had her fetters struck off, and sent her in safety to her husband. Their son Adalbert had to cede his possessions to the bishop of Modena, but Adelaide adopted