Otto IV - A Short Biography
Count of York and Marche Duke of Brunswick Count of Poitou Regent of Aquitainia King of Rome - King of Germany - Roman Emperor - Deposed as an Emperor He was so much of the liking of Richard that he made him a regent in Aquitania. As the youngest of the sons of Henry the Lion Otto was enfeoffed , his brothers inheriting the possessions in Saxony. After his election Otto took control of Aachen, the place of coronation, and was crowned by Adolf, Archbishop of Cologne, on 12 July This was of great symbolic importance, since the Archbishop of Cologne alone could crown the King of the Romans.
Nevertheless, the coronation was done with fake regalia, because the actual materials were in the hands of the Staufen.
This is based upon Otto's birthdate being circa , and placing it during his father's exile from Germany at the court of his father-in-law. You may find it helpful to search within the site to see how similar or related subjects are covered. On a wedding-chest, probably made for the occasion, are the arms of Otto IV and his allies. Die Kronen Europas und ihre Schicksale. This section does not cite any sources. With the county Otto inherited the title of Duke of Aquitaine.
Otto's election pulled the empire into the conflict between England and France. Philip had allied himself with the French king, Philip II, while Otto was supported at first by Richard I, and after his death in by his brother John. In , he announced that he recognized him as the only legitimate king. But Philip achieved a great deal of success in a civil war, allowing him in to be again crowned king, this time by the archbishop of Cologne.
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In the following years, Otto's situation worsened because after England's defeat by France he lost England's financial support. Many of his allies changed sides to Philip, including his brother Henry. Otto was defeated and wounded in battle by Philip on 27 July , and was forced to retire to his possessions near Braunschweig, leaving Philip virtually uncontested as German king.
Innocent III forced the two warring parties into negotiations at Cologne, and in exchange for renouncing his claim to the throne, Philip promised Otto the hand of his daughter Beatrix in marriage, together with the Duchy of Swabia and an enormous dowry.
Early life
Otto refused, and as the civil war was again about to recommence, Philip was murdered on 8 June After Philip's death, Otto made amends with the Staufen party and became engaged to Philip's daughter Beatrix. In an election in Frankfurt on 11 November , he gained the support of all the electoral princes, and as a result, Otto could make preparations to be crowned Holy Roman Emperor.
In Rome he was taken to St. After abandoning Rome Otto set on to restore imperial power in Italy. This earned him a prompt excommunication in Nevertheless he s ubsequently tried to conquer Sicily. But, as a commander was urgently requested by the German princes in the north, they elected Frederick Hohenstaufen of Sicily as their king instead of him at the Diet of Nuremberg in Otto returned to Germany to deal with the situation, hopeful to salvage something from the looming disaster but all to no avail.
Instead on 5 December , Frederick was elected king for a second time by a majority of the princes. On 27 July , the army of Otto IV and the english army met with the french army at Bouvines but the ensuing battle was lost by Otto and his allies. As a result Otto was forced to withdraw to his private possessions around Brunswick and had to abdicate in He died there on 19 May The year old king on his throne with crown, sceptre and orb.
The year old emperor on his throne with crown, sceptre and orb. On his dexter a sun and on his sinister a crescent. Soon after his coronation and wedding in Otto apparently grew a beard.
Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor
This can be seen on this sculpture of the couple in Magdburg Cathedral representing young Beatrix of Hohenstaufen at the age of about 14, shortly before her death, and Otto IV, in deposed as an emperor and consequently royally crowned. Magdeburg, about the middle of the 13th. Portrait of King Otto IV with beard. The man represented however is not an emperor but a king and resmbles very much some other representations of him. She is also represented on an other spot as the figure of Eve, and there also as a very young and slender woman. Seal of Empress Mary of Brabant, Watercolor in the Halleschen Heiltumsbuch.
The crown usually is considered to be of 10 th century manufacture but is certainly younger because the leaves are not soldered but sawed out like usual in later times. Also such crowns are very much late 12 th century and later. The setting with jewels may be, for the 13 th century, old-fashioned german work but generally the things having belonged to Otto IV are of a lesser quality than those of the Hohenstaufen, originating from sicilian workshops.
Apart of this Halle is situated in the territory of the Welfs where Otto retired after his deposure. The statue is a part of a series of royal statues. King resembling Otto IV. Due to war damage many names are reshuffled. After the excommunication and the defeat at Bouvines in , the representations of Otto IV seem to have posed a problem, reason perhaps why they were renamed in some cases, preferably in Henry II or another Otto. This is by no means unique because many other royal statues in Germany and elsewhere have been renamed quite randomly depending on the caprices of history and ignorance.
The first emblem which may have a connection with Otto IV as a german king can be found in the baptistery of St. It is a medaillion with a black eagle which is a part of the frescoes which were painted in the baptistery in the 12thth century. At that date Otto was a count of Poitou and a regent in Aquitaine since and still under the protection of Richard Lionheart. This, indeed, may have happened at his coronation as Philip of Swabia had been elected a German king some three months before and the arms with the black eagle of Germany were no longer vacant. On the other hand this may not have been a reason and the change was probably made after the death of Richard on 6 April to the memory of him or to demonstrate the regency of the Plantagenet possessions in France claimed by John Lackland and Arthur of Brittany.
In any case only the dimidiated arms are documented by Matthew Paris. They are confirmed by some other documents.
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Election of Otto IV as Emperor, Argentea - Aurea - Ferrea. In at the reelection of Otto, Walther von der Vogeweide wrote a poem to praise him. This poem is called the Ottenton and describes the arms of Otto:. Ir tragt zwei keisers ellen,.
Lord Emperor when you have. And reconcile all Christianity. That is to your credit and saddens the heathens very much. You possess two imperial qualities. That are the symbols of power on your shield;. Who could resist your valiance and generosity then? These eagle and lion s on his shield confirm the arms as documented by Matthew Paris. On a wedding-chest, probably made for the occasion, are the arms of Otto IV and his allies.
The arms of Otto IV are: Many of his allies changed sides to Philip, including his brother Henry. Otto was defeated and wounded in battle by Philip on 27 July , near Wassenberg , and as a consequence he also lost the support of the pope, who began to favour the apparent winner in the conflict. Innocent III forced the two warring parties into negotiations at Cologne , and in exchange for renouncing his claim to the throne, Philip promised Otto the hand of his daughter Beatrix in marriage, together with the Duchy of Swabia and an enormous dowry.
After Philip's death, Otto made amends with the Staufen party and became engaged to Philip's daughter Beatrix. He was met at Viterbo by Pope Innocent and was taken to St.
Peter's Basilica , where he was crowned emperor by Pope Innocent on 21 October , [18] before rioting broke out in Rome, forcing Otto to abandon the city. Not content with his successes so far, Innocent also obtained from Otto further written concessions to the Papal See, [ citation needed ] including to allow all elections of German bishops to be conducted according to Church ordinances, and not to prevent any appeals to Rome.
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After abandoning Rome, Otto marched north, reaching Pisa by 20 November. Here, probably advised by Peter of Celano and Dipold, Count of Acerra , [20] he was convinced to abandon his earlier promises, and Otto immediately worked to restore imperial power in Italy. He threw out the papal troops from Ancona and Spoleto, reclaiming the territory as imperial fiefs. He then demanded that Frederick of Sicily do homage for the duchies of Calabria and Apulia , and when Frederick refused to appear, Otto declared those fiefs forfeited.
Such actions infuriated Innocent and Otto was promptly excommunicated by the pope for this on 18 November Parallel to this, the German nobility by this time were growing ever more frustrated with Otto. Otto returned to Germany to deal with the situation, hopeful to salvage something from the looming disaster. Unfortunately, the three armies could not coordinate their efforts effectively. It was not until John, who had been disappointed in his hope for an easy victory after being driven from Roche-au-Moine and had retreated to his transports that the Imperial Army, with Otto at its head, assembled in the Low Countries.
Philip's army numbered some 15,, while the allied forces possessed around 25, troops, and the armies clashed at the Battle of Bouvines. It was a tight battle, but it was lost when Otto was carried off the field by his wounded and terrified horse, causing his forces to abandon the field. This defeat allowed Frederick to take Aachen and Cologne, [27] as Otto was forced again to withdraw to his private possessions around Brunswick, [30] and he was forced to abdicate the imperial throne in Historian Kantorowicz described the death as gruesome: Such was the end of the first and last Welf Emperor.
He is entombed in Brunswick Cathedral. Otto was related to every other King of Germany. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. For other uses, see Otto IV disambiguation. This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. November Learn how and when to remove this template message. Welf I, Duke of Bavaria 8. Henry IX, Duke of Bavaria Judith of Flanders 4. Henry X, Duke of Bavaria Magnus, Duke of Saxony 9.
Wulfhilde of Saxony Sophia of Hungary 2. Henry the Lion Gebhard of Supplinburg Hedwig of Formbach 5. Henry of Northeim, Margrave of Frisia Richenza of Northeim Gertrude of Brunswick 1. Fulk of Jerusalem Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou Ermengarde, Countess of Maine 6. Henry II of England Henry I of England Matilda of England