Otto III, Duke of Swabia
Encyclopedia
Otto III called the White and known as Otto of Schweinfurt, was the margrave
Margrave
A margrave or margravine was a medieval hereditary nobleman with military responsibilities in a border province of a kingdom. Border provinces usually had more exposure to military incursions from the outside, compared to interior provinces, and thus a margrave usually had larger and more active...

 of the Nordgau
Nordgau
The Nordgau can refer to two distinct areas:* Nordgau , the Alsatian Nordgau, the medieval County of Nordgau, the northern part of Alsace...

 (1024–1031) and duke of Swabia
Duke of Swabia
The following is a list of Dukes of Swabia in southwest Germany.Swabia was one of the five stem duchies of the medieval German kingdom, and its dukes were thus among the most powerful magnates of Germany. The most notable family to hold Swabia were the Hohenstaufen, who held it, with a brief...

 (1048–1057). He was the son of Henry of Schweinfurt
Henry of Schweinfurt
Henry of Schweinfurt was the Margrave of the Nordgau from 994 until 1004. He was called the "glory of eastern Franconia" by his own cousin, the chronicler Thietmar of Merseburg....

, margrave of the Nordgau, and Gerberga of Henneberg
Henneberg
Henneberg may refer to:*the House of Henneberg, German nobility*County of Henneberg, a mediæval state in the Holy Roman Empire*Henneberg, Thuringia, a municipality in Thuringia, Germany*Mary Jane Henneberg, b. 1973, TV reporter...

. He was one of the most powerful East Franconian princes by inheritance: having extensive land in the Radenzgau and Schweinfurt
Schweinfurt
Schweinfurt is a city in the Lower Franconia region of Bavaria in Germany on the right bank of the canalized Main, which is here spanned by several bridges, 27 km northeast of Würzburg.- History :...

. In 1014, he first appears as count of Lower Altmühl
Altmühl
The Altmühl is a river in Bavaria, Germany. It is a left tributary of the Danube and is approximately 230 km in length.The source of the Altmühl is located close to the city of Ansbach. From here the river runs southeastwards as a narrow brook to enter the Altmühlsee north of Gunzenhausen...

 (or Kelsgau) and, in 1024, he inherits his father's march. In 1034, he became count of the Lower Naab
Naab
The Naab is a river in Bavaria, Germany, and is a left tributary of the Danube. It is approx. long, including its main source river Waldnaab....

. From then on to his appointment to Swabia, he takes part in many imperial expeditions into Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...

, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...

, and Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

.

At Ulm
Ulm
Ulm is a city in the federal German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the River Danube. The city, whose population is estimated at 120,000 , forms an urban district of its own and is the administrative seat of the Alb-Donau district. Ulm, founded around 850, is rich in history and...

 in January 1048, the Emperor Henry III appointed him duke of Swabia after a brief vacancy following the death of Otto II
Otto II, Duke of Swabia
Otto II was Count Palatine of Lotharingia , then Duke of Swabia , and all the while Count in Deutz and Auelgau . He was the son of Ezzo and Matilda , and a member of the Ezzonian dynasty...

. He was loyal to Henry. He was engaged to marry Matilda, daughter of Boleslaus I of Poland, in 1035, but this was put off in favour of a marriage to Ermengard, a daughter of Ulric Manfred, Margrave of Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...

, as part of Henry's Italian plans. He was otherwise inactive and died after nine years rule and was buried in Schweinfurt.

Family

By his marriage to Ermengard (died 29 April 1078), he had:
  • Bertha or Alberada (died 1 April 1103), married firstly Herman II, Count of Kastl
    Kastl
    Kastl may refer to the following places in Bavaria, Germany:*Kastl, Upper Bavaria, in the district of Altötting*Kastl, Amberg-Sulzbach, in the district of Amberg-Sulzbach*Kastl, Tirschenreuth, in the district of Tirschenreuth...

    , and married secondly Frederick, Count of Kastl
  • Gisela, inherited Kulmbach
    Kulmbach
    Kulmbach is the capital of the district of Kulmbach in Bavaria in Germany. The town is famous for Plassenburg Castle, which houses the largest tin soldier museum in the world, and for its famous sausages, or Bratwürste.-Location:...

     and Plassenburg
    Plassenburg
    Plassenburg is a castle in the city of Kulmbach in Bavaria. It is one of the most impressive castles in Germany and a symbol of the city. It was first mentioned in 1135. The Plassenberg family were ministerial of the counts of Andechs and used as their seat the Plassenburg...

    , married Berthold III, Count of Andechs
    Andechs
    The Benedictine abbey of Andechs is a place of pilgrimage on a hill east of the Ammersee in the Landkreis of Starnberg in Germany, in the municipality Andechs. Andechs Abbey is famed for its flamboyant Baroque church and its brewery...

  • Judith (died 1104), married firstly Conrad I, Duke of Bavaria
    Conrad I, Duke of Bavaria
    Conrad I , also known as Cuno or Kuno, was the duke of Bavaria from 1049 to 1053. He was of the Ezzonen family, his parents being Liudolf, Count of Zütphen and eldest son of Ezzo, Count Palatine of Lorraine, and Matilda...

    , and secondly Botho, Count of Pottenstein
    Pottenstein
    Pottenstein is a town in the district of Bayreuth, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated 23 km southwest of Bayreuth, and 26 km east of Forchheim.-History:During World War II, a subcamp of Flossenburg concentration camp was located here....

  • Eilika, abbess of Niedermünster
  • Beatrice (1040–1140), inherited Schweinfut, married Henry II, Count of Hildrizhausen
    Hildrizhausen
    Hildrizhausen is a town in the district of Böblingen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany.-Geography:The village is located on a clearing of the forest "Schönbuch" and about 9 kilometres southern of Böblingen. In Hildrizhausen there is one of the two sources of the river "Würm".-History:Hildrizhausen...

     and Margrave of the Nordgau
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