Adelaide of Italy (German: Adelheid; 931 – 16 December 999 AD), also called Adelaide of Burgundy, was Holy Roman Empress by marriage to Emperor Otto the Great; she was crowned with him by Pope John XII in Rome on 2 February 962. She was regent of the Holy Roman Empire as the guardian of her grandson in 991–995.
Born in Orbe Castle, Orbe, Kingdom of Upper Burgundy (now in modern-day Switzerland), she was the daughter of Rudolf II of Burgundy, a member of the Elder House of Welf, and Bertha of Swabia.
She was married to Lothair II, the nominal King of Italy, to Adelaide (in 947, before 27 June) who was 15 years old.
The marriage produced a daughter, Emma of Italy, born about 948. She became Queen of West Francia by marrying King Lothair of France.
He died a year after the marriage. Soon after, Berangarius of Lothar Ivria conquered the country and forced Adelaide to marry his son. When she refused, he angrily imprisoned her.
Meanwhile, King Otto of Germany invaded Italy with a large army to conquer the neighboring countries. He defeated Berangarius and liberated Adelaide. Otto married Adelaide to consolidate his power in Italy. They had five children.
In 973 Otto died. Adelaide’s eldest son came to power as ‘Auto II’. He quarreled with his mother at the instigation of quarrelsome counselors.
She left the palace and went to her brother in Vienna. But due to the efforts of the mediators, the issues were resolved and she returned to the Adelaide Palace. When Otto II died in 983, his son Otto III was a boy and his mother Theophano ruled the country as Regent.
The situation in the palace was deteriorating frequently. So Adelaide had to leave the palace again. But Theophanes died suddenly, and she returned to rule.
Adelaide was completely different from other rulers. She forgave her opponents, treated their opinions with patience, and treated everyone kindly and kindly. Many monasteries were built for those who longed for spiritual life. Worked tirelessly for the repentance of the builders. She had a Christian outlook in all areas of work. She died on16 December, 999.