Otto II Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria
Encyclopedia
- Not to be confused with Duke Otto IIOtto of NordheimOtto of Northeim was Duke of Bavaria from 1061 until 1070. He was one of the leaders of the Saxon revolt against Emperor Henry IV....
1061-1070, Duke of Bavaria (as Otto II).
Otto II of Bavaria (7 April 1206, Kelheim
Kelheim
Kelheim is a municipality in Bavaria, capital of the district Kelheim. It is situated at the confluence of Altmühl and Danube. As of June 30, 2005, the town had a population of 15,667....
– 29 November 1253) was the Duke of Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
and Count Palatine of the Rhine (see Palatinate). He was a son of Louis I and Ludmilla of Bohemia
Ludmilla of Bohemia
Ludmilla of Bohemia was a daughter of Frederick, Duke of Bohemia and his wife, Elisabeth of Hungary. Ludmilla was a member of the Přemyslid dynasty. She was Duchess consort of Bavaria by her marriage to Louis I, Duke of Bavaria....
and a member of the Wittelsbach
Wittelsbach
The Wittelsbach family is a European royal family and a German dynasty from Bavaria.Members of the family served as Dukes, Electors and Kings of Bavaria , Counts Palatine of the Rhine , Margraves of Brandenburg , Counts of Holland, Hainaut and Zeeland , Elector-Archbishops of Cologne , Dukes of...
dynasty.
Biography
Otto was born at KelheimKelheim
Kelheim is a municipality in Bavaria, capital of the district Kelheim. It is situated at the confluence of Altmühl and Danube. As of June 30, 2005, the town had a population of 15,667....
.
At the age of sixteen, he was married to Agnes of the Palatinate
Agnes of the Palatinate
Agnes of the Palatinate was a daughter of Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine and his first wife Agnes, daughter of Conrad, Count Palatine of the Rhine . Agnes was Duchess of Bavaria by her marriage to Otto II Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria....
, a granddaughter of Duke Henry the Lion
Henry the Lion
Henry the Lion was a member of the Welf dynasty and Duke of Saxony, as Henry III, from 1142, and Duke of Bavaria, as Henry XII, from 1156, which duchies he held until 1180....
and Conrad of Hohenstaufen
Conrad of Hohenstaufen
Conrad of Hohenstaufen was the first hereditary Count Palatine of the Rhine.His parents were Frederick II of Swabia , Duke of Swabia, and his second wife Agnes of Saarbrücken...
. With this marriage, the Wittelsbach inherited Palatinate and kept it as a Wittelsbach possession until 1918. Since that time also the lion has become a heraldic symbol in the coat of arms for Bavaria and the Palatinate.
Otto acquired the rich regions of Bogen
Bogen, Germany
Bogen is a town in the district of Straubing-Bogen in Bavaria, Germany. It has a population of 10,105. Bogen is located between the southern slopes of the Bavarian Forest and the Danube River. The town lies on the foot of the Bogenberg, a hill directly placed by the Danube...
in 1240, and 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...
and Ortenburg in 1248 as possessions for the Wittelsbach and extended his power base in Bavaria this way. With the county of Bogen the Wittelsbach acquired also the white and blue coloured lozenge flag, since that time it has been the flag of Bavaria (and of the Palatinate).
After a dispute with emperor Frederick II
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick II , was one of the most powerful Holy Roman Emperors of the Middle Ages and head of the House of Hohenstaufen. His political and cultural ambitions, based in Sicily and stretching through Italy to Germany, and even to Jerusalem, were enormous...
was ended, he joined 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...
party in 1241. His daughter, Elizabeth, was married to Frederick's son Conrad IV
Conrad IV of Germany
Conrad IV was king of Jerusalem , of Germany , and of Sicily .-Biography:...
. Because of this, Otto was excommunicated by the pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
.
He died in Landshut
Landshut
Landshut is a city in Bavaria in the south-east of Germany, belonging to both Eastern and Southern Bavaria. Situated on the banks of the River Isar, Landshut is the capital of Lower Bavaria, one of the seven administrative regions of the Free State of Bavaria. It is also the seat of the...
in 1253. Like his forefathers, Otto was buried in the crypt of Scheyern Abbey
Scheyern Abbey
Scheyern Abbey, formerly also Scheyern Priory is a house of the Benedictine Order in Scheyern in Bavaria.-First foundation:...
.
Family and children
Otto married Agnes, daughter of Henry V, Count Palatine of the RhineHenry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine
Henry was count palatine of the Rhine from 6 August 1195 to 1213.Henry was the eldest son of Duke Henry the Lion, from his marriage to Matilda, eldest daughter of King Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine. He grew up in England and became count palatine of the Rhine through his 1193...
(a son of Henry the Lion
Henry the Lion
Henry the Lion was a member of the Welf dynasty and Duke of Saxony, as Henry III, from 1142, and Duke of Bavaria, as Henry XII, from 1156, which duchies he held until 1180....
) and Agnes von Staufen, in Worms
Worms, Germany
Worms is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the Rhine River. At the end of 2004, it had 85,829 inhabitants.Established by the Celts, who called it Borbetomagus, Worms today remains embattled with the cities Trier and Cologne over the title of "Oldest City in Germany." Worms is the only...
in 1222. Their children were:
- Louis II, Duke of BavariaLouis II, Duke of BavariaDuke Louis II of Bavaria was Duke of Bavaria and Count Palatine of the Rhine from 1253. Born in Heidelberg, he was a son of duke Otto II and Agnes of the Palatinate...
(13 April 1229, HeidelbergHeidelberg-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
–2 February 1294, Heidelberg). - Henry XIII, Duke of BavariaHenry XIII, Duke of BavariaHenry XIII of Bavaria, member of the Wittelsbach dynasty was Duke of Lower Bavaria. As Duke of Lower Bavaria he is also called Henry I.- Family :...
(19 November 1235, Landshut–3 February 1290, BurghausenBurghausenBurghausen may refer to several places in Germany:*Burghausen, Altötting, a town in southeastern Bavaria*Burghausen bei Münnerstadt, part of Münnerstadt in northern Bavaria*Burghausen bei Freising, part of Kirchdorf an der Amper in central Bavaria...
). - Elisabeth of Bavaria, Queen of GermanyElisabeth of Bavaria, Queen of GermanyElisabeth of Bavaria was the queen consort of Conrad IV of Germany.-Family:She was the eldest daughter of Otto II, Duke of Bavaria and Agnes of the Palatinate...
(c. 1227, Landshut–9 October 1273), married to:- 1246 in VohburgVohburgVohburg is a town in the district of Pfaffenhofen, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the right bank of the Danube, 14 km east of Ingolstadt....
to Conrad IV of GermanyConrad IV of GermanyConrad IV was king of Jerusalem , of Germany , and of Sicily .-Biography:...
; - 1259 in MunichMunichMunich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
to Count Meinhard II of Gorizia-Tyrol, Duke of Carinthia.
- 1246 in Vohburg
- Sophie (1236, Landshut–9 August 1289, Castle HirschbergHirschbergThe German word Hirschberg is composed of Hirsch and Berg . It may refer to:* several places in Europe, including:** Hirschberg, Thuringia, Germany.** Hirschberg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany....
), married 1258 to Count Gerhard IV of Sulzbach and Hirschberg. - Agnes (c. 1240–c. 1306).