When the news of Henry's death spread, the citizens of Pavia revolted and destroyed the local imperial palace of the Ostrogothic King Theodoric the Great, built during the 5th century. Though Pavia was no longer the seat of imperial administration in Italy since the Ottonian dynasty, the palace had been perceived as a symbol of imperial authority in Italy and its mere presence within the city walls had been deemed intolerable. Pavia, had thanks to its strategic location on the trade routes from Italy to Burgundy and France become an important commercial center. The local merchants and aristocrats demanded the greatest possible autonomy from imperial control.