Otto II (after 1147 – July 4, 1205), called The Generous , was the third Margrave of Brandenburg from 1184 until his death.

Life

Otto II was born into the House of Ascania as the eldest son of Otto I

Otto I, Margrave of Brandenburg

Otto I was the second Margrave of Brandenburg, from 1170 until his death.-Life:Otto I was born into the House of Ascania as the eldest son of Albert I , who founded the Margraviate of Brandenburg in 1157, and his wife Sophie von Winzenburg...

 and Judith

Judyta

Judith of Poland , was a Polish princess member of the House of Piast and by marriage Margravine of Brandenburg.She was the daughter of Bolesław III Wrymouth, Duke of Poland, by his second wife Salomea, daughter of Henry, Count of Berg.-Early years:...

, a daughter of the Piast

Piast dynasty

The Piast dynasty was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. It began with the semi-legendary Piast Kołodziej . The first historical ruler was Duke Mieszko I . The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of king Casimir the Great...

 Duke of Poland

Dukes of Greater Poland

The Duchy of Greater Poland was a historical state of Poland, which existed from 1138 until 1320.-History:At the death of Polish duke Boleslaus III the Wrymouth , according to his testament, his country was divided by his will into 4-5 hereditary provinces distributed among his sons, and the royal...

 Bolesław III Wrymouth.

After succeeding his father, he improved the defense and settlement of Brandenburg and waged campaigns against the Slavs and Canute VI of Denmark

Canute VI of Denmark

Canute VI was King of Denmark . Canute VI was the eldest son of King Valdemar I and Sophia of Polotsk.-Life:...

. In the winter of 1198–99 he devastated Danish-occupied Pomerania

Duchy of Pomerania

The Duchy of Pomerania was a duchy in Pomerania on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, ruled by dukes of the House of Pomerania ....

 and consolidated his territorial gains in the subsequent year with a campaign that pressed to Rügen

Rügen

Rügen is Germany's largest island. Located in the Baltic Sea, it is part of the Vorpommern-Rügen district of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.- Geography :Rügen is located off the north-eastern coast of Germany in the Baltic Sea...

 and threatened Hamburg

Hamburg

-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...

. In 1200 and 1203, he supported the Hohenstaufen

Hohenstaufen

The House of Hohenstaufen was a dynasty of German kings in the High Middle Ages, lasting from 1138 to 1254. Three of these kings were also crowned Holy Roman Emperor. In 1194 the Hohenstaufens also became Kings of Sicily...

 king Philip of Swabia

Philip of Swabia

Philip of Swabia was king of Germany and duke of Swabia, the rival of the emperor Otto IV.-Biography:Philip was the fifth and youngest son of Emperor Frederick I and Beatrice I, Countess of Burgundy, daughter of Renaud III, count of Burgundy, and brother of the emperor Henry VI...

 against the Welfen Holy Roman Emperor

Holy Roman Emperor

The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...

, Otto IV

Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor

Otto IV of Brunswick was one of two rival kings of the Holy Roman Empire from 1198 on, sole king from 1208 on, and emperor from 1209 on. The only king of the Welf dynasty, he incurred the wrath of Pope Innocent III and was excommunicated in 1215.-Early life:Otto was the third son of Henry the...

.

After his death, his brother Albert II

Albert II, Margrave of Brandenburg

Albert II, Margrave of Brandenburg was a member of the House of Ascania. He was Margrave of Brandenburg from 1205 until his death in 1220.- Life :...

inherited the margraviate.