Otakars
Encyclopedia
The Otakars were a mediæval dynasty ruling the March of Styria
from 1056 to 1192.
The dynasty began with Otakar I, probably a son-in-law of Aribo
(c.850909), margrave of Pannonia
. Otakar was Count of Steyr
in the Traungau, in what is today Upper Austria
. Together with Margrave Luitpold
, he may have been killed at the 907 Battle of Pressburg. His descendant Ottokar I
(died 1064), Count in the Chiemgau
, became ruler of the Carantanian march in 1056.
The Carantanian march, then subject to the Duchy of Carinthia
, was subsequent named March of Styria
after the dynasty's original seat at Steyr. In 1180 Margrave Ottokar IV
gained the ducal title from Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa
, thereby establishing the Duchy of Styria
. The reign of the Otakars however ended with the extinction of the line upon Duke Ottokar's death in 1192. In the Georgenberg Pact
of 1186 he had agreed that his lands should pass to Leopold V
, the Babenberg Duke of Austria
.
March of Styria
The March of Styria was originally broken off the Duchy of Carinthia before 970 as a buffer zone against the Magyars. Originally it was known as the Carantanian march , after the former Slavic principality of Carantania, a predecessor of the Carinthian duchy...
from 1056 to 1192.
The dynasty began with Otakar I, probably a son-in-law of Aribo
Aribo of Austria
Aribo was the margrave of the March of Pannonia, from 871 until his death...
(c.850909), margrave of Pannonia
March of Pannonia
The March of Pannonia was a frontier march of the Carolingian Empire erected in the mid-ninth century against the threat of Great Moravia and lasting only as long as the strength of that state....
. Otakar was Count of Steyr
Steyr
Steyr is a town, located in the Austrian federal state of Upper Austria. The town is situated at the confluence of the rivers Steyr and Enns. Steyr is Austria's 12th most populated town and simultaneously the 3rd largest town in Upper Austria....
in the Traungau, in what is today Upper Austria
Upper Austria
Upper Austria is one of the nine states or Bundesländer of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders on Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as on the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, and Salzburg...
. Together with Margrave Luitpold
Luitpold, Margrave of Bavaria
Luitpold , perhaps of the Huosi family or related to the Carolingian dynasty by Liutswind, mother of Emperor Arnulf of Carinthia, was the ancestor of the Luitpolding dynasty which ruled Bavaria and Carinthia until the mid-tenth century.In 893, he was appointed margrave in the March of Carinthia...
, he may have been killed at the 907 Battle of Pressburg. His descendant Ottokar I
Ottokar I of Styria
Ottokar I, Count of Steyr was the founder of the dynasty of the Otakars. From 1056 to 1064, he was margrave of the Carantanian March, later to be known as Styria . The margraves Adalbero and Ottokar II were his sons. He ended the war against Hungary....
(died 1064), Count in the Chiemgau
Chiemgau
Chiemgau is the common name of a geographic area in Upper Bavaria. It refers to the foothills of the Alps between the rivers Inn and Traun, with lake Chiemsee at its center. The political districts that contain the Chiemgau are Rosenheim and Traunstein...
, became ruler of the Carantanian march in 1056.
The Carantanian march, then subject to the Duchy of Carinthia
Duchy of Carinthia
The Duchy of Carinthia was a duchy located in southern Austria and parts of northern Slovenia. It was separated from the Duchy of Bavaria in 976, then the first newly created Imperial State beside the original German stem duchies....
, was subsequent named March of Styria
March of Styria
The March of Styria was originally broken off the Duchy of Carinthia before 970 as a buffer zone against the Magyars. Originally it was known as the Carantanian march , after the former Slavic principality of Carantania, a predecessor of the Carinthian duchy...
after the dynasty's original seat at Steyr. In 1180 Margrave Ottokar IV
Ottokar IV, Duke of Styria
Ottokar IV was Margrave of Styria and Duke from 1180 onwards, when Styria, previously a margraviate subordinated to the duchy of Bavaria, was raised to the status of an independent duchy. He was the son of Ottokar III of Styria and the last of the dynasty of the Ottakars...
gained the ducal title from Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa
Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick I Barbarossa was a German Holy Roman Emperor. He was elected King of Germany at Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March, crowned King of Italy in Pavia in 1155, and finally crowned Roman Emperor by Pope Adrian IV, on 18 June 1155, and two years later in 1157 the term...
, thereby establishing the Duchy of Styria
Duchy of Styria
The history of Styria concerns the region roughly corresponding to the modern Austrian state of Styria and the Slovene region of Styria from its settlement by Germans and Slavs in the Dark Ages until the present...
. The reign of the Otakars however ended with the extinction of the line upon Duke Ottokar's death in 1192. In the Georgenberg Pact
Georgenberg Pact
The Georgenberg Pact was signed on 17 August 1186 on the Georgenberg mountain above Enns and consisted of two parts. The first part was an agreement between Duke Ottokar IV of Styria and Duke Leopold V of Austria...
of 1186 he had agreed that his lands should pass to Leopold V
Leopold V, Duke of Austria
Leopold V , the Virtuous, was a Babenberg duke of Austria from 1177 and of Styria from 1192 until his death...
, the Babenberg Duke of Austria
Archduchy of Austria
The Archduchy of Austria , one of the most important states within the Holy Roman Empire, was the nucleus of the Habsburg Monarchy and the predecessor of the Austrian Empire...
.