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172 age; his advisers were anxious to put an end to the anomalous formal vacancy of the Empire; and in response to Pope John's invitation the king crossed the Brenner Pass with an army in February 996. No one resisted him, although the inevitable riot between Germans and Italians took place at Verona. At Pavia, where he received the fealty of the magnates, he heard of John XV's death; at the next stage, Ravenna, he was met by a Roman embassy, which submissively requested him to name a new Pope. His choice was as bold as possible; Otto II had only promoted a Lombard; Otto III selected his own cousin Bruno of Carinthia, a youth of twenty-four, who styled himself Gregory V. Thus for the first time a German ascended the papal throne. It must have been gall and wormwood to the Romans, but they made no resistance. On 21 May Otto III was crowned Emperor by his nominee.

Neither Pope nor Emperor was disposed to allow the patriciate to continue. Crescentius II was tried for his offences against John XV, condemned to exile, and then pardoned at the Pope's request. The victory had been so easy that Otto speedily left Italy. Gregory, however, was already in difficulties. He was a rash young man, who was also open to bribes, and the Romans hated their German Pope. In September he escaped from their hands, and Crescentius resumed power. Gregory, safe in Pavia, might excommunicate the usurper and act as the admitted head of the Church. Crescentius did not hesitate to set up an Anti-Pope. His choice was cunning, if hopeless. Otto III, following the steps of his predecessors, had sent to Constantinople to demand the hand of a Greek princess. One envoy died on the mission; the other, John Philagathus, Archbishop of Piacenza, had recently returned with a Byzantine embassy to continue negotiations. This prelate was a Greek of Calabria, who had been the trusted adviser of Theophano and had obtained the independence of his see from Ravenna owing to her influence. Being the tutor and godfather of the Emperor, he might seem a persona grata to him. Perhaps he shared Theophano's policy of alliance with the Roman patrician. In any case he accepted Crescentius's offer. But he was everywhere unpopular, a foreigner at Rome, an ingrate further north, and Otto III was resolved. Late in 997 the Emperor returned to Italy with imposing forces. By the usual route of Ravenna he reached Rome with Pope Gregory in February 998. There was no real resistance. John XVI fled to the Campagna to be captured, blinded and mutilated by his pursuers and then made a public spectacle by the revengeful Pope. Crescentius, who held out in the castle of Sant' Angelo, the ancient tomb of Hadrian, soon was taken and executed. Otto and Gregory hoped thus to crush the indomitable independence of the Romans. They only added an injured hero to the traditions of medieval Rome, for Crescentius was widely believed, possibly with truth, to have surrendered upon assurances of safety.

Otto was still in Italy, alternately employed in affairs of Church and