Al-Muttaqi vs Arduin of Ivrea

Al-Muttaqi became caliph after the death of Al-Radi. His reign was dominated by the struggle between the Hamdanids and the Buyids for control of Baghdad and the caliphate.

Al-Muttaqi was deposed by the Buyid emir Mu'izz al-Dawla, who had taken control of Baghdad. He was blinded and imprisoned, becoming a puppet of the Buyids. This event solidified Buyid dominance over the caliphate.

Al-Muttaqi died in captivity, having been blinded and imprisoned for over two decades. His long imprisonment symbolized the complete subjugation of the Abbasid caliphs to the Buyid dynasty.

After the death of Emperor Otto III, Arduin of Ivrea was proclaimed King of Italy by the Lombard nobility in Pavia. This act challenged the authority of the German king Henry II, who claimed the Italian throne.

Arduin was defeated by Henry II's forces near the Po River. This military loss forced Arduin to retreat to his margraviate of Ivrea, effectively ending his claim to the Italian throne and allowing Henry II to be crowned King of Italy.

Arduin was excommunicated by Pope Benedict VIII for his continued resistance against Henry II. This ecclesiastical condemnation isolated Arduin politically and religiously, contributing to his eventual surrender and retirement.

After years of failed resistance, Arduin retired to the Abbey of Fruttuaria, where he died as a monk. His retirement marked the end of the last major Italian challenge to German rule in the early 11th century.