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I resurrect this topic on an annual basis, and it tends not to get a lot of attention, but here we go. Let's see if it works this time!

Basically, my POD is the survival of the Emperor Otto III, a formidable man who'd been King (and then Emperor) since he was three years old. Otto's mother was Rhomanian, and he had been brought up in a Greek-speaking, highly literary environment- he also had some real autocratic tendencies, as can be seen by his treatment of the Papacy. He died in 1002, though, in his early twenties.

So, what if Otto survived thirty years longer? An immediate POD from this is that he does indeed marry Zoe the Macedonian, niece of Basil II, which will even further influence Rhomanian influence over the Reich, but let's not discuss the ERE here. My main questions are how does a the survival of an autocratic Emperor, with a full claim on the throne of a restored Western Empire, impact upon things in Germany and Italy? Let's say, furthermore, that Zoe provides Otto with several children, and he is succeeded by a healthy adult son.

Discuss! :)
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