Page "Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor" Paragraph 3

With domestic affairs settled, from 980 onward, Otto II would focus his attention to annexing the whole of Italy into the Empire.

His conquests brought him into conflict with both the Byzantine Empire and with the Muslims of the Fatimid Caliphate as both holding territories in southern Italy.

After initial successes in unifying the southern Lombard principalities under his authority and in conquering Byzantine-controlled territory, Otto II's campaigns in southern Italy ended in 982 following a disastrous defeat by the Muslims.

While in the process of preparing the counterattack the Muslim forces, in 983 Otto II experienced a major uprising of the Slavs against his rule, forcing the Empire to abandon its major territorial holdings east of the Elbe river.