Hatto II (died 18 January 970) was the

archbishop of Mainz The Elector of Mainz was one of the seven Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire. As both the Archbishop of Mainz and the ruling prince of the Electorate of Mainz, the Elector of Mainz held a powerful position during the Middle Ages. The Archb ...

from 968 to 970. While in office, he built the church of St. George on the island of Reichenau, donated heavily to the abbeys of

Fulda Fulda () (historically in English called Fuld) is a town in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district (''Kreis''). In 1990, the town hosted the 30th Hessentag state festival. History ...

and Reichenau, and was a patron of the chronicler

Regino of Prüm Regino of Prüm or of Prum ( la, Regino Prumiensis, german: Regino von Prüm; died 915 AD) was a Benedictine monk, who served as abbot of Prüm (892–99) and later of Saint Martin's at Trier, and chronicler, whose ''Chronicon'' is an important s ...

. A well-known folk tale describes Hatto as a cruel and oppressive ruler who was finally punished in being eaten alive by mice - an event which supposedly happened in the

Mouse Tower The Mouse Tower (Mäuseturm) is a stone tower on a small island in the Rhine, outside Bingen am Rhein, Germany. History The Romans were the first to build a structure on this site. It later became part of Franconia, and it fell and had to be re ...

(see details on that page). There is, however, no indication of the tale being historically true, and similar tales were attached to various other rulers as well, such as the Count of Wörthschlössl Castle in Bavaria.Wörthsee: Die Legende der Mausinsel". 5-Seen-Land. LakeLounge
/ref> The story's reference to Hatto's demand for tribute or a toll ("Maut" in German) of ships passing the tower, as well as its later use as a customs collection tower, provide a suggested etymological origin for its name, with "Mautturm" (toll tower) eventually becoming " Mäuseturm".

References

Hatto 2 970 deaths Year of birth unknown 10th-century archbishops in Holy Roman Empire Abbots of Fulda {{Germany-RC-archbishop-stub

See also

References