Otto III, Duke of Bavaria
Encyclopedia
Otto III of Bavaria member of the Wittelsbach
dynasty, was Duke of Lower Bavaria
from 1290 to 1312 and disputably King of Hungary
and Croatia between 1305 and 1307 as Béla V.
, the son of Henry XIII, Duke of Bavaria
, and Elizabeth of Hungary. His maternal grandparents were Béla IV of Hungary
and Maria Laskarina
.
and Stephen I
. He was in opposition to Habsburg
and tried to regain Styria which Bavaria had lost in 1180. The Hungarian crown was offered to Otto who was a grandson of Béla IV of Hungary
in 1301 but he did not accept before 1305.
In August 1305, his opponent, Wenceslaus III of Bohemia
, who had inherited Bohemia from his father, renounced his claim to Hungary on behalf of Otto III. Otto arrived to Hungary soon and he was crowned with the Holy Crown of Hungary in Székesfehérvár
by the Bishops of Veszprém and Csanád on 6 December. He named himself Béla V after his grandfather. However, Otto was not able to strengthen his rule. In the course of 1306, Otto's second opponent Charles of Anjou
occupied Esztergom
, Szepes/Spiš Castle, Zólyom/Zvolen and some other fortresses in the northern parts of the kingdom, and in the next year he also occupied Buda
. In June 1307, Duke Otto III visited the powerful Voivode of Transylvania, Ladislaus Kán, but the latter arrested him. On 10 October 1307, the magnates presented at the assembly in Rákos
proclaimed Charles king, but the most powerful aristocrats (Máté Csák, Amadé Aba
and Ladislaus Kán) ignored him as well. At the end of the year, Ladislaus Kán set Otto free who then left the country, but the Voivode of Transylvania still denied to hand over the Holy Crown of Hungary to Charles, whose legitimacy could be questioned without the coronation with the Holy Crown.
Otto abdicated the Hungarian throne in 1308. Otto's involvement in Austrian and Hungarian affairs weakened his position in Bavaria and finally led to failure due to financial problems. In Hungarian historiography he is noted as an anti-king during the interregnum
of 1301–1310.
During his presence in Hungary 1305–1308 Lower Bavaria was ruled by his brother Stephen I.
Otto was succeeded in Lower Bavaria by his son Henry XV
, who shared power with his cousins, Henry XIV
and Otto IV
, both sons of Stephen I. John I
, a son of Henry XIV, was the last duke of Lower Bavaria before Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor
inherited the country and reunited the duchy in 1340.
. She was a daughter of Rudolph I of Germany
and Gertrude of Hohenburg
. They would have two children:
Katharina died on 4 April 1282. Otto remained a widower for twenty-three years. On 18 May 1309, Otto married his second wife Agnes of Glogau. She was a daughter of Henry III, Duke of Silesia-Glogau
, and Matilda of Brunswick-Lüneburg
. They had two children:
Otto died in Landshut
.
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, was Duke of Lower Bavaria
Lower Bavaria
Lower Bavaria is one of the seven administrative regions of Bavaria, Germany, located in the east of the state.- Geography :Lower Bavaria is subdivided into two regions - Landshut and Donau-Wald. Recent election results mark it as the most conservative part of Germany, generally giving huge...
from 1290 to 1312 and disputably King of Hungary
King of Hungary
The King of Hungary was the head of state of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1000 to 1918.The style of title "Apostolic King" was confirmed by Pope Clement XIII in 1758 and used afterwards by all the Kings of Hungary, so after this date the kings are referred to as "Apostolic King of...
and Croatia between 1305 and 1307 as Béla V.
Family
Otto was born in BurghausenBurghausen
Burghausen 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...
, the son of Henry XIII, Duke of Bavaria
Henry XIII, Duke of Bavaria
Henry 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 :...
, and Elizabeth of Hungary. His maternal grandparents were Béla IV of Hungary
Béla IV of Hungary
Béla IV , King of Hungary and of Croatia , duke of Styria 1254–58. One of the most famous kings of Hungary, he distinguished himself through his policy of strengthening of the royal power following the example of his grandfather Bela III, and by the rebuilding Hungary after the catastrophe of the...
and Maria Laskarina
Maria Laskarina
Maria Laskarina was a daughter of Theodore I Laskaris and his first wife Anna Angelina.-Life:She was a younger sister of Irene Lascarina, first Empress consort of John III Doukas Vatatzes. Theodore married his eldest daughter to his designated heir in 1212...
.
Biography
Otto succeeded his father in 1290 as duke of Lower Bavaria, together with his younger brothers, Louis IIILouis III, Duke of Bavaria
Louis III. was duke of Lower Bavaria from 1290 until 1296 as co-regent with his brothers Otto III and Stephen I.-Biography:Louis was born in Landshut, the son of Henry XIII, Duke of Bavaria and Elizabeth of Hungary....
and Stephen I
Stephen 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:...
. He was in opposition to Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
and tried to regain Styria which Bavaria had lost in 1180. The Hungarian crown was offered to Otto who was a grandson of Béla IV of Hungary
Béla IV of Hungary
Béla IV , King of Hungary and of Croatia , duke of Styria 1254–58. One of the most famous kings of Hungary, he distinguished himself through his policy of strengthening of the royal power following the example of his grandfather Bela III, and by the rebuilding Hungary after the catastrophe of the...
in 1301 but he did not accept before 1305.
In August 1305, his opponent, Wenceslaus III of Bohemia
Wenceslaus III of Bohemia
Wenceslaus III Premyslid was the King of Hungary , King of Bohemia and the king of Poland ....
, who had inherited Bohemia from his father, renounced his claim to Hungary on behalf of Otto III. Otto arrived to Hungary soon and he was crowned with the Holy Crown of Hungary in Székesfehérvár
Székesfehérvár
Székesfehérvár is a city in central Hungary and is the 9th largest in the country. Located around southwest of Budapest. It is inhabited by 101,973 people , with 136,995 in the Székesfehérvár Subregion. The city is the centre of Fejér county and the regional centre of Central Transdanubia...
by the Bishops of Veszprém and Csanád on 6 December. He named himself Béla V after his grandfather. However, Otto was not able to strengthen his rule. In the course of 1306, Otto's second opponent Charles of Anjou
Charles I of Hungary
Charles I , also known as Charles Robert , was the first King of Hungary and Croatia of the House of Anjou. He was also descended from the old Hungarian Árpád dynasty. His claim to the throne of Hungary was contested by several pretenders...
occupied Esztergom
Esztergom
Esztergom , is a city in northern Hungary, 46 km north-west of the capital Budapest. It lies in Komárom-Esztergom county, on the right bank of the river Danube, which forms the border with Slovakia there....
, Szepes/Spiš Castle, Zólyom/Zvolen and some other fortresses in the northern parts of the kingdom, and in the next year he also occupied Buda
Buda
For detailed information see: History of Buda CastleBuda is the western part of the Hungarian capital Budapest on the west bank of the Danube. The name Buda takes its name from the name of Bleda the Hun ruler, whose name is also Buda in Hungarian.Buda comprises about one-third of Budapest's...
. In June 1307, Duke Otto III visited the powerful Voivode of Transylvania, Ladislaus Kán, but the latter arrested him. On 10 October 1307, the magnates presented at the assembly in Rákos
Rákoš
Rákoš is a village and municipality in Revúca District in the Banská Bystrica Region of Slovakia.-External links:*http://www.statistics.sk/mosmis/eng/run.html...
proclaimed Charles king, but the most powerful aristocrats (Máté Csák, Amadé Aba
Amade Aba
Amade Aba, sometimes Amadeus Aba was a Hungarian oligarch in the Kingdom of Hungary who ruled de facto independently the northern and north-eastern counties of the kingdom...
and Ladislaus Kán) ignored him as well. At the end of the year, Ladislaus Kán set Otto free who then left the country, but the Voivode of Transylvania still denied to hand over the Holy Crown of Hungary to Charles, whose legitimacy could be questioned without the coronation with the Holy Crown.
Otto abdicated the Hungarian throne in 1308. Otto's involvement in Austrian and Hungarian affairs weakened his position in Bavaria and finally led to failure due to financial problems. In Hungarian historiography he is noted as an anti-king during the interregnum
Interregnum
An interregnum is a period of discontinuity or "gap" in a government, organization, or social order...
of 1301–1310.
During his presence in Hungary 1305–1308 Lower Bavaria was ruled by his brother Stephen I.
Otto was succeeded in Lower Bavaria by his son Henry XV
Henry XV, Duke of Bavaria
Henry XV, duke of Bavaria, as duke of Lower Bavaria also called Henry III, .- Biography :...
, who shared power with his cousins, Henry XIV
Henry XIV, Duke of Bavaria
Henry XIV, duke of Bavaria, as duke of Lower Bavaria also called Henry II., .- Family :He was a son of Stephen I, Duke of Bavaria and Jutta of Schweidnitz....
and Otto IV
Otto IV, Duke of Lower Bavaria
Otto IV was a Duke of Lower Bavaria.-Family:He was a son of Stephen I, Duke of Bavaria and Jutta of Schweidnitz....
, both sons of Stephen I. John I
John I, Duke of Bavaria
John I of Bavaria , , he was the Duke of Lower Bavaria since 1339.John I was the son of Henry XIV, Duke of Lower Bavaria, and Margaret of Bohemia...
, a son of Henry XIV, was the last duke of Lower Bavaria before Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor
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....
inherited the country and reunited the duchy in 1340.
Marriages and children
In January, 1279, Otto married Katharine of HabsburgKatharine of Habsburg
Katharine of Habsburg was the daughter of Rudolph I of Germany and his first wife Gertrude of Hohenburg.- Life :She was born in Rheinfelden and was the fifth of nine children....
. She was a daughter of Rudolph I of Germany
Rudolph I of Germany
Rudolph I was King of the Romans from 1273 until his death. He played a vital role in raising the Habsburg dynasty to a leading position among the Imperial feudal dynasties...
and Gertrude of Hohenburg
Gertrude of Hohenburg
Gertrude of Hohenzollern was the first Queen consort of Rudolph I of Germany.-Family:She was born to Burckhard III of Hohenzollern, Count of Hohenberg and his wife Mechtild of Tübingen....
. They would have two children:
- Henry of Wittelsbach (1280). Twin brother of Rudolph. Died within the year of his birth.
- Rudolph of Wittelsbach (1280). Twin brother of Henry. Died within the year of his birth.
Katharina died on 4 April 1282. Otto remained a widower for twenty-three years. On 18 May 1309, Otto married his second wife Agnes of Glogau. She was a daughter of Henry III, Duke of Silesia-Glogau
Henry III, Duke of Silesia-Glogau
Henry III of Głogów was a Duke of Głogów from 1274 to his death and also Duke of parts of Greater Poland during 1306–1309....
, and Matilda of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Brunswick-Lüneburg
The Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg , or more properly Duchy of Brunswick and Lüneburg, was an historical ducal state from the late Middle Ages until the late Early Modern era within the North-Western domains of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, in what is now northern Germany...
. They had two children:
- Agnes of Wittelsbach (1310–1360).
- Henry XV, Duke of BavariaHenry XV, Duke of BavariaHenry XV, duke of Bavaria, as duke of Lower Bavaria also called Henry III, .- Biography :...
(28 August 1312 – 18 June 1333).
Otto 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...
.
Ancestors
External links
- Listing of Henry XIII along with his wife 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 Otto I, Count of Scheyern, including Henry XIII and his children