Otto I, Duke of Saxony
Encyclopedia
Otto (c. 851 – 30 November 912), called the Illustrious (der Erlauchte) by later authors, was the Duke of Saxony from 880 to his death. He was the younger son of Duke Liudolf of Saxony
and his wife Oda of Billung
, and succeeded his brother Bruno
as duke after the latter's death in battle in 880. His family, named after his father, is called the Liudolfing, after the accession of his grandson Emperor Otto I
also the Ottonian dynasty.
By a charter of King Louis the Younger
to Gandersheim Abbey
dated 26 January 877, the pago Suththuringa (region of South Thuringia
) is described as in comitatu Ottonis (in Otto's county). In a charter of 28 January 897, Otto is described as marchio and the pago Eichesfelden (Eichsfeld
) is now found to be within his county (march). He was also the lay abbot
of Hersfeld Abbey
in 908. He was described as magni ducis Oddonis (great duke Otto) by Widukind of Corvey
when describing the marriage of his sister, Liutgard
, to King Louis.
Otto rarely left Saxony. He was a regional prince and his overlords, Louis the Younger and Emperor Arnulf of Carinthia
, with both of whom he was on good terms, rarely interfered in Saxony. In Saxony, Otto was king in practice and he established himself as tributary ruler over the neighbouring Slav
tribes, such as the Daleminzi
.
According to Widukind of Corvey, Otto was offered the kingship of East Francia after the death of Louis the Child
in 911, but did not accept it on account of his advanced age, instead suggesting Conrad of Franconia
. The truthfulness of this report is considered doubtful.
Otto's wife was Hathui of Babenberg
(Hedwiga, †903), daughter of Henry of Franconia
. Otto was and is buried in the church of Gandersheim Abbey. He had two sons, Thankmar and Liudolf, who predeceased him, but his third son Henry succeeded him as duke of Saxony and was later elected king. His daughter Oda married the Carolingian King Zwentibold of Lotharingia
.
Liudolf, Duke of Saxony
Liudolf was a Saxon count, son of one count Brun and his wife Gisla von Verla ; later authors called him duke of the Eastern Saxons and count of Eastphalia...
and his wife Oda of Billung
Billung
The House of Billung was a dynasty of Saxon noblemen in the 9th through 12th centuries.The first known member of the house was Count Wichmann, mentioned as a Billung in 811...
, and succeeded his brother Bruno
Bruno, Duke of Saxony
Bruno, Brun, or Braun was the Duke of Saxony from 866 to his death. He was the elder son of Duke Liudolf of Saxony, progenitor of the Liudolfing dynasty and his wife Oda of Billung...
as duke after the latter's death in battle in 880. His family, named after his father, is called the Liudolfing, after the accession of his grandson Emperor Otto I
Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor
Otto I the Great , son of Henry I the Fowler and Matilda of Ringelheim, was Duke of Saxony, King of Germany, King of Italy, and "the first of the Germans to be called the emperor of Italy" according to Arnulf of Milan...
also the Ottonian dynasty.
By a charter of King Louis the Younger
Louis the Younger
Louis the Younger , sometimes Louis III, was the second eldest of the three sons of Louis the German and Emma. He succeeded his father as the King of Saxony on 28 August 876 and his elder brother Carloman as King of Bavaria from 880...
to Gandersheim Abbey
Gandersheim Abbey
Gandersheim Abbey is a former house of secular canonesses in the present town of Bad Gandersheim in Lower Saxony, Germany. It was founded in 852 by Duke Liudolf of Saxony, progenitor of the Liudolfing or Ottonian dynasty, whose rich endowments ensured its stability and prosperity.The "Imperial...
dated 26 January 877, the pago Suththuringa (region of South Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
) is described as in comitatu Ottonis (in Otto's county). In a charter of 28 January 897, Otto is described as marchio and the pago Eichesfelden (Eichsfeld
Eichsfeld
The Eichsfeld is a historical region in the southeast of Lower Saxony and northwest of Thuringia in the south of the Harz mountains...
) is now found to be within his county (march). He was also the lay abbot
Lay abbot
Lay abbot is a name used to designate a layman on whom a king or someone in authority bestowed an abbey as a reward for services rendered; he had charge of the estate belonging to it, and was entitled to part of the income.This custom existed principally in the Frankish Empire from the eighth...
of Hersfeld Abbey
Hersfeld Abbey
Hersfeld Abbey was an important Benedictine imperial abbey in the town of Bad Hersfeld in Hesse , Germany, at the confluence of the rivers Geisa, Haune and Fulda.-History:...
in 908. He was described as magni ducis Oddonis (great duke Otto) by Widukind of Corvey
Widukind of Corvey
Widukind of Corvey was a Saxon historical chronicler, named after the Saxon duke and national hero Widukind who had battled Charlemagne. Widukind the chronicler was born in 925 and died after 973 at the Benedictine abbey of Corvey in East Westphalia...
when describing the marriage of his sister, Liutgard
Liutgard
Liutgard of Saxony was the wife and Queen of Louis the Younger, the Frankish King of Saxony and East Francia....
, to King Louis.
Otto rarely left Saxony. He was a regional prince and his overlords, Louis the Younger and Emperor Arnulf of Carinthia
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:...
, with both of whom he was on good terms, rarely interfered in Saxony. In Saxony, Otto was king in practice and he established himself as tributary ruler over the neighbouring Slav
Polabian Slavs
Polabian Slavs - is a collective term applied to a number of Lechites tribes who lived along the Elbe river, between the Baltic Sea to the north, the Saale and the Limes Saxoniae to the west, the Ore Mountains and the Western Sudetes to the south, and Poland to the east. They have also been known...
tribes, such as the Daleminzi
Glomacze
The Glomacze, also Golomacze or Dolomici - were Polabian Slavs inhabiting areas in the middle Elbe valley. Other West Slavic tribes such as the Milceni settled east of them. About 850 the Bavarian Geographer located their settlement area east of the Sorbs...
.
According to Widukind of Corvey, Otto was offered the kingship of East Francia after the death 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....
in 911, but did not accept it on account of his advanced age, instead suggesting Conrad of Franconia
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...
. The truthfulness of this report is considered doubtful.
Otto's wife was Hathui of Babenberg
Hedwiga
Hedwiga was the daughter of Henry of Franconia and his wife Ingeltrude. She married Otto I, Duke of Saxony . They had three sons, Henry , Thankmar and Liudolf , as well as a daughter, Oda. Oda married Zwentibold, King of Lotharingia....
(Hedwiga, †903), daughter of Henry of Franconia
Henry of Franconia
Henry , a son of Count Poppo of Grapfeld, one of the first Babenbergs, was the most important East Frankish general during the reign of Charles the Fat. He was variously titled Count or Margrave of Saxony and Duke of Franconia....
. Otto was and is buried in the church of Gandersheim Abbey. He had two sons, Thankmar and Liudolf, who predeceased him, but his third son Henry succeeded him as duke of Saxony and was later elected king. His daughter Oda married the Carolingian King Zwentibold of Lotharingia
Zwentibold
Zwentibold was the illegitimate son of the Carolingian Emperor Arnulf of Carinthia. In 895 his father, then king of East Francia, granted him the Kingdom of Lotharingia, which he ruled until his death.After his death he was declared a saint and martyr by the Catholic Church.- Life :Zwentibold...
.
Sources
- Reuter, Timothy. Germany in the Early Middle Ages 800–1056. New York: Longman, 1991.