Otto, Duke of Austria
Encyclopedia
Otto IV, the Merry was a Duke of Austria
and the youngest son of Albert I of Germany
and Elisabeth of Tirol
.
Otto was born in Vienna
. He had two brothers, namely Frederick the Handsome
and Albert II. From 1330 onwards, he ruled jointly with Albert.
After the death of Henry of Carinthia, Emperor Louis the Bavarian
gave Carinthia and the southern part of the Tyrol
as an imperial fief on May 2, 1335, in Linz
. Otto was enthroned as duke in accordance with the old Carinthian rite
on the Zollfeld
, and, from that time onwards, took care of Carinthia rather than of the Duchy of Austria. He founded the Neuberg Abbey
at Neuberg an der Mürz
in Styria and the Chapel of Saint George in the Augustine Church in Vienna
. In February of 1335, he married Anna, the sister of Emperor Charles IV
in Znojmo
. In 1337 he founded the knightly order Societas Templois for the crusade against the pagan
Prussians and Lithuanians
. His nickname the Merry refers to the festive life at his court.
Otto died at Neuberg an der Mürz
in 1339. His son and titular successor was Leopold II, Duke of Austria; however, Leopold died before coming of age, and the line became extinct.
and Jutta of Schweidnitz
. They had two children:
Elizabeth of Bavaria died on 25 March 1330. Otto remained a widower for almost five years. On 16 February 1335, Otto married his second wife Anna of Bohemia
. She was a daughter of John I of Bohemia
and his first wife Elisabeth of Bohemia (1292–1330). They would have no children. She died on 3 September 1338.
Otto had four illegitimate sons who appear in genealogies. The identities of their mother or mothers and their later fates are unknown:
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and the youngest son of Albert I of Germany
Albert I of Germany
Albert I of Habsburg was King of the Romans and Duke of Austria, the eldest son of German King Rudolph I of Habsburg and his first wife Gertrude of Hohenburg.-Life:...
and Elisabeth of Tirol
Elisabeth of Tirol
Elisabeth of Gorizia-Tyrol from the House of Meinhardin was Queen of the Romans, Queen of Germany and Duchess of Austria by marriage...
.
Otto was born in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. He had two brothers, namely Frederick the Handsome
Frederick I of Austria (Habsburg)
Frederick the Handsome or the Fair , from the House of Habsburg, was Duke of Austria and Styria from 1308 as Frederick I as well as King of Germany from 1314 as Frederick III until his death.-Biography:He was the second son of King Albert I of Germany with his wife Elisabeth of...
and Albert II. From 1330 onwards, he ruled jointly with Albert.
After the death of Henry of Carinthia, Emperor Louis the Bavarian
Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Louis IV , called the Bavarian, of the house of Wittelsbach, was the King of Germany from 1314, the King of Italy from 1327 and the Holy Roman Emperor from 1328....
gave Carinthia and the southern part of the Tyrol
County of Tyrol
The County of Tyrol, Princely County from 1504, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire, from 1814 a province of the Austrian Empire and from 1867 a Cisleithanian crown land of Austria-Hungary...
as an imperial fief on May 2, 1335, in Linz
Linz
Linz is the third-largest city of Austria and capital of the state of Upper Austria . It is located in the north centre of Austria, approximately south of the Czech border, on both sides of the river Danube. The population of the city is , and that of the Greater Linz conurbation is about...
. Otto was enthroned as duke in accordance with the old Carinthian rite
Rite
A rite is an established, ceremonious, usually religious act. Rites in this sense fall into three major categories:* rites of passage, generally changing an individual's social status, such as marriage, baptism, or graduation....
on the Zollfeld
Zollfeld
Zollfeld is a slightly ascending plain in Carinthia, Austria. It is one of the oldest cultural landscapes in the East Alpine region.-Geography:...
, and, from that time onwards, took care of Carinthia rather than of the Duchy of Austria. He founded the Neuberg Abbey
Neuberg Abbey
Neuberg Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery in Neuberg an der Mürz in Styria, Austria, and is one of the few extant set of monastic buildings in Austria to have retained its medieval character to any great extent.-History:...
at Neuberg an der Mürz
Neuberg an der Mürz
Neuberg an der Mürz is a municipality in the district of Mürzzuschlag in Styria, Austria....
in Styria and the Chapel of Saint George in the Augustine Church in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. In February of 1335, he married Anna, the sister of Emperor Charles IV
Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles IV , born Wenceslaus , was the second king of Bohemia from the House of Luxembourg, and the first king of Bohemia to also become Holy Roman Emperor....
in Znojmo
Znojmo
Znojmo is a city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic, near the border with Lower Austria, connected to Vienna by railway and road . The royal city of Znojmo was founded shortly before 1226 by King Ottokar I on the plains in front of Znojmo Castle...
. In 1337 he founded the knightly order Societas Templois for the crusade against the pagan
Paganism
Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....
Prussians and Lithuanians
Lithuanians
Lithuanians are the Baltic ethnic group native to Lithuania, where they number around 2,765,600 people. Another million or more make up the Lithuanian diaspora, largely found in countries such as the United States, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Russia, United Kingdom and Ireland. Their native language...
. His nickname the Merry refers to the festive life at his court.
Otto died at Neuberg an der Mürz
Neuberg an der Mürz
Neuberg an der Mürz is a municipality in the district of Mürzzuschlag in Styria, Austria....
in 1339. His son and titular successor was Leopold II, Duke of Austria; however, Leopold died before coming of age, and the line became extinct.
Marriages and children
On 15 May 1325, Otto married his first wife Elizabeth of Bavaria. She was a daughter of Stephen I, Duke of BavariaStephen I, Duke of Bavaria
Stephen I. was duke of Lower Bavaria from 1290 until 1310 as co-regent of his older brothers Otto III and Louis III .-Biography:...
and Jutta of Schweidnitz
Swidnica
Świdnica is a city in south-western Poland in the region of Silesia. It has a population of 60,317 according to 2006 figures. It lies in Lower Silesian Voivodeship, being the seventh largest town in that voivodeship. From 1975–98 it was in the former Wałbrzych Voivodeship...
. They had two children:
- Frederick II, Duke of Austria (Habsburg) (10 February 1327 – 11 December 1344). Co-ruler with his younger brother.
- Leopold II, Duke of Austria (1328 – 10 August 1344). Co-ruler with his older brother.
Elizabeth of Bavaria died on 25 March 1330. Otto remained a widower for almost five years. On 16 February 1335, Otto married his second wife Anna of Bohemia
Anne of Bohemia (1323–1338)
Anne of Bohemia , also known as Anna of Luxembourg, was a daughter of John of Bohemia and his first wife, Elizabeth of Bohemia. Anne was a member of the House of Luxemburg.- Early Life and Family :...
. She was a daughter of John I of Bohemia
John I of Bohemia
John the Blind was the Count of Luxembourg from 1309 and King of Bohemia from 1310 and titular King of Poland. He was the eldest son of the Holy Roman Emperor Henry VII and his wife Margaret of Brabant...
and his first wife Elisabeth of Bohemia (1292–1330). They would have no children. She died on 3 September 1338.
Otto had four illegitimate sons who appear in genealogies. The identities of their mother or mothers and their later fates are unknown:
- Otto.
- Leopold.
- Johann.
- Leopold.
Ancestry
External links
- His listing along with his siblings in "Medieval lands" by Charles Cawley. The project "involves extracting and analysing detailed information from primary sources, including contemporary chronicles, cartularies, necrologies and testaments."
- A listing of descendants of Rudolph I of Germany, including Otto and his children