The emperor, dealing with a revolt against his reign in Italy in 1001, had sent word for Duke Henry of Bavaria to join him with reinforcements from Germany. 

In the Ottonian dynasty, succession to the throne has been drawn from the Saxon branch, not the Bavarian line of which Henry is a member.

As the funeral procession moves through the Duchy of Bavaria in February 1002, Henry meets the procession in Polling, just north of the Alps.

To legitimize his claims, Henry demands Archbishop Heribert of Cologne give him the imperial regalia, chief among them being the Holy Lance.

Heribert, however, had sent these ahead of the procession, possibility out of distrust of Henry and possibly because he favors the succession of his relative Duke Herman II of Swabia as the next king.

In order to force Herman II to relinquish the Holy Lance to him, Henry imprisons the Archbishop and his brother the Bishop of Wurzburg.

With neither the symbols of imperial authority, the crown jewels, nor the cooperation of Heribert, Henry is unable to persuade the nobles attending Otto III's funeral procession to elect him as king.

A synagogue is built in 1012 in Cologne, where the Jewish presence is documented in the year 321 CE.

The first documentary reference to the Jews after 331 occurs during the time of Archbishop Heribert of Cologne (999-1021), the wise friend of Emperor Otto III.

Winheim and Gelenius, basing themselves on the Annual Chronicles of Cologne during the fourteenth and fifteenth century, report that in 1426 the synagogue was turned into a church.

They then remark that this synagogue had been in existence four hundred and fourteen years.

That would place its origin in the time of Heribert.