Ota, wife of Arnulf of Carinthia
Encyclopedia
Ota, also called Oda or Uta (born c. 874 – died between 899 and 903) was the wife of Arnulf of Carinthia
, mother of Louis the Child
, and was by marriage Queen of the East Franks and Empress. She was a member of the Conradine Dynasty, the daughter of Berengar, Count of Hesse
.
Very little is known of Ota. Her name features in her husband's documents at the beginning and towards the end of his reign, when she intervenes for the privileges of the Kremsmünster Abbey
and the monastery of Altötting
, and for the Bishopric of Worms
and the Bishopric of Freising. They are believed to have married shortly before the end of 888; Arnulf intended the marriage to win him the support of the Conradine family, which ruled in Bavaria
and Lorraine
. She was not crowned. She is believed to have supported her husband's rule energetically.
The most notable incident involving Ota occurred in the June of 899. She was accused of adultery
(she was said to have 'abandoned her body to the Unzucht'), and was called before the Reichstag
in Regensburg
. She protested her innocence, and 72 noblemen swore oaths that she was so; accordingly, she was acquitted. However, the experience caused her husband, already in ill health, to die at the end of 899. Her son, Louis, who became King on his father's death, was then placed in the guardianship of Hatto I, Archbishop of Mainz
, Bishop Adalbero of Augsburg, and several major nobles. Ota then disappears from history; she is spoken of as dead by 903, and is believed to have withdrawn to the lands of her family. Her property she bequeathed to the church.
By Arnulf the Carinthian, Ota is known to have borne Louis the Child
, afterwards King of Eastern Francia
. She was not, as is sometimes conjectured, the mother of Glismut, the wife of Conrad the Elder: Glismut was the mother of Conrad I of Germany
, who was born c. 890.
Arnulf of Carinthia
Arnulf of Carinthia was the Carolingian King of East Francia from 887, the disputed King of Italy from 894 and the disputed Holy Roman Emperor from February 22, 896 until his death.-Birth and Illegitimacy:...
, mother of Louis the Child
Louis the Child
Louis the Child , sometimes called Louis IV or Louis III, was the last Carolingian ruler of East Francia....
, and was by marriage Queen of the East Franks and Empress. She was a member of the Conradine Dynasty, the daughter of Berengar, Count of Hesse
Berengar I of Neustria
Berengar I was a 9th-century nobleman of East Francia, a son of Gebhard, Count of Lahngau, and younger brother of Udo. He and his brother were created Margraves of Neustria by Charles the Bald in 861....
.
Very little is known of Ota. Her name features in her husband's documents at the beginning and towards the end of his reign, when she intervenes for the privileges of the Kremsmünster Abbey
Kremsmünster Abbey
Kremsmünster Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in Kremsmünster in Upper Austria.-History:The monastery was founded in 777 by Tassilo III, Duke of Bavaria...
and the monastery of Altötting
Altötting
Altötting is a town in Bavaria, capital of the district Altötting.This small town is famous for the Gnadenkapelle , one of the most-visited shrines in Germany. This is a tiny octagonal chapel which keeps a venerated statue of the Virgin Mary...
, and for the Bishopric of Worms
Bishopric of Worms
The Bishopric of Worms was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire. Located on both banks of the Rhine around Worms just north of the union of that river with the Neckar, it was largely surrounded by the Palatinate. Worms had been the seat of a bishop from Roman times...
and the Bishopric of Freising. They are believed to have married shortly before the end of 888; Arnulf intended the marriage to win him the support of the Conradine family, which ruled in Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
and Lorraine
Lower Lorraine
The Duchy of Lower Lorraine or Lower Lotharingia , established in 959 was a stem duchy of the medieval German kingdom, which encompassed part of modern-day Belgium, the Netherlands, the northern part of the German Rhineland and a part of northern France east of the Schelde river.It was created out...
. She was not crowned. She is believed to have supported her husband's rule energetically.
The most notable incident involving Ota occurred in the June of 899. She was accused of adultery
Adultery
Adultery is sexual infidelity to one's spouse, and is a form of extramarital sex. It originally referred only to sex between a woman who was married and a person other than her spouse. Even in cases of separation from one's spouse, an extramarital affair is still considered adultery.Adultery is...
(she was said to have 'abandoned her body to the Unzucht'), and was called before the Reichstag
Reichstag (Holy Roman Empire)
The Imperial Diet was the Diet, or general assembly, of the Imperial Estates of the Holy Roman Empire.During the period of the Empire, which lasted formally until 1806, the Diet was not a parliament in today's sense; instead, it was an assembly of the various estates of the realm...
in Regensburg
Regensburg
Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...
. She protested her innocence, and 72 noblemen swore oaths that she was so; accordingly, she was acquitted. However, the experience caused her husband, already in ill health, to die at the end of 899. Her son, Louis, who became King on his father's death, was then placed in the guardianship of Hatto I, Archbishop of Mainz
Hatto I, Archbishop of Mainz
Hatto I was archbishop of Mainz from 891 until his death.-Biography:He belonged to a Swabian family, and was probably educated at the monastery of Reichenau, of which be became abbot in 888...
, Bishop Adalbero of Augsburg, and several major nobles. Ota then disappears from history; she is spoken of as dead by 903, and is believed to have withdrawn to the lands of her family. Her property she bequeathed to the church.
By Arnulf the Carinthian, Ota is known to have borne Louis the Child
Louis the Child
Louis the Child , sometimes called Louis IV or Louis III, was the last Carolingian ruler of East Francia....
, afterwards King of Eastern Francia
Eastern Francia
East Francia , also known as the Kingdom of the East Franks or Francia Orientalis, was the realm allotted to Louis the German by the 843 Treaty of Verdun...
. She was not, as is sometimes conjectured, the mother of Glismut, the wife of Conrad the Elder: Glismut was the mother of Conrad I of Germany
Conrad I of Germany
Conrad I , called the Younger, was Duke of Franconia from 906 and King of Germany from 911 to 918, the only king of the Conradine dynasty...
, who was born c. 890.