Otto I, Count of Guelders
Encyclopedia
Otto I of Guelders was a Count of Guelders from 1182 until his death in 1207. He was a son of Duke Hendrik of Guelders and Agnes of Arnstein. He married Richardis of Bavaria in 1184. Richardis was a daughter of Otto I Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria
.
(1189–1192) during which he aided the Crusader army in the taking of Iconium. After the death of Frederick I Barbarossa, some of the crusaders in the army left for home but Otto joined one of the groups that went on towards Syria and Palestine. After arriving in the Holy Land, Otto joined the army of Guy of Lusignan
, the King of Jerusalem, who was besieging the city of Acre
. Further hardships decimated the army of the late Frederick, and by the spring of 1191 most of them had left for home. Otto is the only survivor of the Low Countries, and returns home in 1190.
He is mentioned as the first Count of the combined area of Guelders
and Zutphen in 1190. One of his sons, confusingly also called Otto I of Guelders (b. 1195), was Bishop of Utrecht from 1212 until 1213.
He married Richardis of Bavaria in 1184. Richardis was a daughter of Otto I Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria
and Agnes van Looz. Otto and his wife Richardis had 5 children:
Otto I Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria
Otto I , called the Redhead , was Duke of Bavaria from 1180 until his death. He was the first Bavarian ruler from the House of Wittelsbach, a dynasty which reigned until the abdication of King Ludwig III of Bavaria in the German Revolution of 1918.-Biography:Duke Otto I was probably born at...
.
Life
Otto I of Guelders joined his Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa on the Third CrusadeThird Crusade
The Third Crusade , also known as the Kings' Crusade, was an attempt by European leaders to reconquer the Holy Land from Saladin...
(1189–1192) during which he aided the Crusader army in the taking of Iconium. After the death of Frederick I Barbarossa, some of the crusaders in the army left for home but Otto joined one of the groups that went on towards Syria and Palestine. After arriving in the Holy Land, Otto joined the army of Guy of Lusignan
Guy of Lusignan
Guy of Lusignan was a Poitevin knight, son of Hugh VIII of the prominent Lusignan dynasty. He was king of the crusader state of Jerusalem from 1186 to 1192 by right of marriage to Sibylla of Jerusalem, and of Cyprus from 1192 to 1194...
, the King of Jerusalem, who was besieging the city of Acre
Acre, Israel
Acre , is a city in the Western Galilee region of northern Israel at the northern extremity of Haifa Bay. Acre is one of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in the country....
. Further hardships decimated the army of the late Frederick, and by the spring of 1191 most of them had left for home. Otto is the only survivor of the Low Countries, and returns home in 1190.
He is mentioned as the first Count of the combined area of Guelders
Guelders
Guelders or Gueldres is the name of a historical county, later duchy of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Low Countries.-Geography:...
and Zutphen in 1190. One of his sons, confusingly also called Otto I of Guelders (b. 1195), was Bishop of Utrecht from 1212 until 1213.
Family
Otto I of Guelders was a son of Duke Hendrik of Guelders and Agnes of Arnstein.He married Richardis of Bavaria in 1184. Richardis was a daughter of Otto I Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria
Otto I Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria
Otto I , called the Redhead , was Duke of Bavaria from 1180 until his death. He was the first Bavarian ruler from the House of Wittelsbach, a dynasty which reigned until the abdication of King Ludwig III of Bavaria in the German Revolution of 1918.-Biography:Duke Otto I was probably born at...
and Agnes van Looz. Otto and his wife Richardis had 5 children:
- Hendrik of Guelders (?–1198). Was betrothed to Aleidis of Holland in 1197, the daughter of Dirk VII, Count of Holland. Hendrik died in 1198 before the wedding could take place.
- Gerard III, Count of GueldersGerard III, Count of GueldersGerard III of Guelders was the Count of Guelders and Zutphen from 1207 until his death in 1229. He was a son of Count Otto I of Guelders, and is sometimes called Gerard IV or Gerard V...
(1185–1229). - Adelheid of Guelders (?–1218), married William I, Count of HollandWilliam I, Count of HollandWilliam I , Count of Holland from 1203 to 1222. He was the younger son of Floris III and Ada of Huntingdon.-Life:...
. - Otto I of Guelders (1193–1213), was Bishop of Utrecht
- Irmgard of Guelders, married Adolf, Count of Altena and Mark, son of Frederick I, Count of Berg-Altena and his wife Alveradis.
- Margaret of Guelders, married Lothar III, Count of Hochstadt
- Mechtild of Guelders, married Henry II, Count of Nassau.