the two empires in southern Italy, as well as ensuring the imperial succession. Adelaide and her husband then returned to Germany, where Otto died in May 973, at the same Memleben palace where his father had died 37 years earlier. After her coronation which increased her power as she was now consors regni and able to receive people from the entire Empire, her interventions in political decisions increased. According to Buchinger, "Between 962 and 972 Adelheid appears as intervenient in seventy-five charters. Additionally Adelheid and Otto I are named together in Papal bulls". She often protecting the ecclesiastic institutions, seemingly to gain a sphere of influence independent from that of her husband. Between 991 and 993, the brothers of Feuchtwang wrote to her and requested to be "protected by the shadow of your rule from now on, we may be safe from the tumults of secular attacks". They promised they would pray for her so that her reign would be long and stable. Adelaide wielded great amount of power during her husband's reign, as evidenced by the requests her pleaders placed upon her. A letter, written in the 980s by her daughter Emma demanded her mother to intervene against Emma's enemies and mobilize forces in the Ottonian Empire. She also asked Adelaide to capture Hugh Capet, who was already elected king of West Frankia in 987. Another enemy of Emma was Charles, brother of Emma's deceased consort Lothar. Charles had accused his sister-in-law of adultery previously. Another pleader was Gerbert of Aurillac, at that time archbishop of Reims (the later Pope Sylvester II), who wrote to her to ask for protection against his enemies. Buchinger remarks that, "These examples are remarkable, because they imply that Adelheid had the possibilities to help in both cases or at least Emma and Gerbert do believe that she could have intervened and succeeded. Both are themselves important political figures in their realm and still they rely on Adelheid. Adelheid’s power and importance must have been extremely stable and reliable to do as wished by the pleaders." Otto II's era In the years following Otto's death, Adelaide exerted a powerful influence at court. However, Adelaide was in conflict with her daughter-in-law, the Byzantine princess Theophanu, as only one woman could be queen and held the associated functions and powers at court. Adelaide was able to maintain the title imperatrix augusta even though Theophanu now also