Otto I, Landgrave of Hesse
Encyclopedia
Otto I of Hesse Landgrave of Hesse.
He was a son of Henry I, Landgrave of Hesse
and his first wife Adelheid of Brunswick-Lunenburg. Following the death of his father in 1308, he inherited Upper Hesse, the "Land on the Lahn
", which included Marburg
, Giessen, Grünberg
and Alsfeld
. After his half-brother John died in 1311, he also became landgrave of Lower Hesse
. This included the area below Fulda
, Eder
, Schwalm
, Werra
, and the upper reaches of the Weser, with the residence of Kassel
, as well as the towns of Homberg (Efze)
, Melsungen
, and Rotenburg an der Fulda
.
After Otto inherited the whole Landgraviate, he resided alternately in Kassel and Marburg. Otto had a long conflict with the Archbishop of Mainz, Matthias von Bucheck. In 1324 Mainz won the battle in the Lahnberg with help from troops from Amöneburg
. In 1327, Mainz adopted Giessen with the help of troops from the Electorate of Trier, but the citizens of the town quickly enabled Otto to regain control. Only after Otto's victory at Wetzlar and with the mediation of King John of Luxembourg in 1328 was conciliation made possible.
Otto died on 17 January 1328 in Kassel and was buried in the Ahnaberg monastery.
to Adelheid of Ravensberg, daughter of Count Otto III of Ravensberg and had the following children:
He was a son of Henry I, Landgrave of Hesse
Henry I, Landgrave of Hesse
Henry I of Hesse "the Child" was the first Landgrave of Hesse. He was the son of Henry II, Duke of Brabant and Sophie of Thuringia.-Life:...
and his first wife Adelheid of Brunswick-Lunenburg. Following the death of his father in 1308, he inherited Upper Hesse, the "Land on the Lahn
Lahn
The Lahn River is a -long, right tributary of the Rhine River in Germany. Its course passes through the federal states of North Rhine-Westphalia , Hesse , and Rhineland-Palatinate ....
", which included Marburg
Marburg
Marburg is a city in the state of Hesse, Germany, on the River Lahn. It is the main town of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district and its population, as of March 2010, was 79,911.- Founding and early history :...
, Giessen, Grünberg
Grünberg
Grünberg is a town in the district of Gießen, in Hesse, Germany.- Neighbouring communities :To the north Grünberg borders the municipality Rabenau and the town Homberg , to the east the municipality Mücke , to the south the town Laubach and to the west the municipality Reiskirchen.- Constituent...
and Alsfeld
Alsfeld
Alsfeld is a town in the center of Hesse, somewhere in Germany. Large towns nearby are Bad Hersfeld about 33 km to the east, Fulda 36 km to the southeast, Gießen 47 km to the west and Marburg an der Lahn about 36 km to the northwest...
. After his half-brother John died in 1311, he also became landgrave of Lower Hesse
Lower Hesse
Lower Hesse a historic designation for an area in northern Hesse, Germany.The term Lower Hesse originated in the Middle Ages for the so-called "lower principality" of Hesse, which was separated until 1450 from the so-called "upper principality" by the area Ziegenhain...
. This included the area below Fulda
Fulda
Fulda is a city in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district .- Early Middle Ages :...
, Eder
Eder
The Eder is a 177 km long river in Germany, and a tributary of the Fulda River. It was first mentioned by the Roman historian Tacitus as the Adrana in the territory of the Chatti....
, Schwalm
Schwalm
The Schwalm is a river in Hesse, Germany, right tributary of the Eder. It rises on the north side of the Vogelsberg Mountains. It flows north through Alsfeld, Schwalmstadt and Borken...
, Werra
Werra
The Werra is a river in central Germany, the right-source river of the Weser. The Werra has its source near Eisfeld in southern Thuringia. After 293 km the Werra joins the river Fulda in the town of Hann. Münden, forming the Weser....
, and the upper reaches of the Weser, with the residence of Kassel
Kassel
Kassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...
, as well as the towns of Homberg (Efze)
Homberg (Efze)
Homberg is a small town in northern state of Hesse in central Germany with about 15,000 inhabitants. It is the seat of the Schwalm-Eder district.-Geography:...
, Melsungen
Melsungen
Melsungen is a small climatic spa in the Schwalm-Eder district in northern Hesse, Germany.-Geography:Melsungen lies on the river Fulda in the North Hesse Highland. The brooks Pfieffe and Kehrenbach flow into the Fulda here...
, and Rotenburg an der Fulda
Rotenburg an der Fulda
Rotenburg an der Fulda is a town in Hersfeld-Rotenburg district in northeastern Hesse, Germany lying, as the name says, on the river Fulda.- Geography :- Location :...
.
After Otto inherited the whole Landgraviate, he resided alternately in Kassel and Marburg. Otto had a long conflict with the Archbishop of Mainz, Matthias von Bucheck. In 1324 Mainz won the battle in the Lahnberg with help from troops from Amöneburg
Amöneburg
Amöneburg is a town in the Marburg-Biedenkopf district in Hesse, Germany. It lies on a mountain and is built around the castle of the same name, Burg Amöneburg.- Location :...
. In 1327, Mainz adopted Giessen with the help of troops from the Electorate of Trier, but the citizens of the town quickly enabled Otto to regain control. Only after Otto's victory at Wetzlar and with the mediation of King John of Luxembourg in 1328 was conciliation made possible.
Otto died on 17 January 1328 in Kassel and was buried in the Ahnaberg monastery.
Family and children
He was married 1297 in Saint Elisabethkirche, MarburgElisabeth Church (Marburg)
St. Elisabeth's Church is a religious building in Marburg, Germany, built by the Order of the Teutonic Knights in honour of Elisabeth of Hungary...
to Adelheid of Ravensberg, daughter of Count Otto III of Ravensberg and had the following children:
- Henry II the IronHenry II, Landgrave of HesseHenry II of Hesse called "the Iron" was Landgrave of Hesse from 1328 - 1376.Henry was the son of Otto I, Landgrave of Hesse and Adelheid of Ravensburg...
(d. 3 June 1376, KasselKasselKassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...
). - Otto (1301–1361, WolmirstedtWolmirstedtWolmirstedt is a town in the Börde district in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is located 14 km north of Magdeburg, on the river Ohre.-History:*1009 first documentary mention*1274 Ruthger von Blumenthal appointed Vogt of Wolmirstedt...
), Archbishop of Magdeburg. - Louis the Junker (d. 2 February 1345). Father of Hermann II of HesseHermann II, Landgrave of HesseHermann II of Hesse was Landgrave of Hesse from 1376 to 1413.Hermann II, called "the Learned" was born in 1345 in Grebenstein castle, the son of Louis the Junker. He studied in Paris and in Prague. After the death of Otto, the intended heir to the throne, Henry II appointed his own nephew...
. - Hermann I the Elder (d. 1368/70).
- Elisabeth (d. 30 May 1373), married before 8 May 1336 to Duke Rudolf II of Saxony.