Otto III, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Encyclopedia
Otto III, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (c. 1296 – 1352) was Prince of Lüneburg from 1330 to 1352.
and his wife Matilda of Bavaria
, and was introduced to the business of government by his father as early as 1314. The stipulation by his father in 1315 that the principality was to be divided after his death between Otto III and his brother, William II
, was ignored however by the brothers and they took over joint rule of the undivided state in 1330. The focus of their rule in the early years was the territorial consolidation of the principality. For example they succeeded in increasing their estate considerably in the area of Gifhorn
through the acquisition of the village of Fallersleben
and the counties of Papenheim and Wettmarshagen. Another field of attention was their political support of economically growing towns. For example, Lüneburg trade flourished as a result of work to make the Ilmenau navigable between Lüneburg
and Uelzen
as well as trade agreements between the Lüneburg princes
and the dukes of Saxe-Lauenburg
. Otto III died on 19 August 1352 without an heir because his only son had already drowned as a child in the River Ilmenau.
Life
Otto was born about 1296 as the second son of Otto the StrictOtto II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Otto II, Duke of Brunswick and Lüneburg , also known as Otto the Strict , came from the House of Welf and was Prince of Lüneburg from 1277 to 1330.-Life:...
and his wife Matilda 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 was introduced to the business of government by his father as early as 1314. The stipulation by his father in 1315 that the principality was to be divided after his death between Otto III and his brother, William II
William II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
William II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg was the Prince of Lüneburg from 1330 to 1369.- Life :William was born around the year 1300 as the fourth child of Otto the Strict and his wife, Matilda of Bavaria....
, was ignored however by the brothers and they took over joint rule of the undivided state in 1330. The focus of their rule in the early years was the territorial consolidation of the principality. For example they succeeded in increasing their estate considerably in the area of Gifhorn
Gifhorn
Gifhorn is a town and capital of the district Gifhorn in the east of Lower Saxony, Germany. It has a population of about 42,000 and is mainly influenced by the small distance to the industrial and commercially important cities nearby, Brunswick and Wolfsburg...
through the acquisition of the village of Fallersleben
Fallersleben
Fallersleben is a district in the City of Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany, with a population of 11,269 . The village of Fallersleben was first mentioned in 942 under the name of Valareslebo. Fallersleben became a city in 1929, and was incorporated into Wolfsburg in 1972. Before 1972, it belonged...
and the counties of Papenheim and Wettmarshagen. Another field of attention was their political support of economically growing towns. For example, Lüneburg trade flourished as a result of work to make the Ilmenau navigable between Lüneburg
Lüneburg
Lüneburg is a town in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is located about southeast of fellow Hanseatic city Hamburg. It is part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region, and one of Hamburg's inner suburbs...
and Uelzen
Uelzen
Uelzen is a town in northeast Lower Saxony, Germany, and capital of the county of Uelzen. It is part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region, a Hanseatic town and an independent municipality....
as well as trade agreements between the Lüneburg princes
Principality of Lüneburg
The Principality of Lüneburg was a territorial division of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg within the Holy Roman Empire, immediately subordinate to the emperor. It existed from 1269 until 1705 and its territory lay within the modern-day state of Lower Saxony in Germany...
and the dukes of Saxe-Lauenburg
Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg
The Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg between the 14th and 17th centuries), later also known as the Duchy of Lauenburg, was a reichsfrei duchy that existed 1296–1803 and 1814–1876 in the extreme southeast region of what is now Schleswig-Holstein...
. Otto III died on 19 August 1352 without an heir because his only son had already drowned as a child in the River Ilmenau.
Succession
Otto had the following children from his marriage to Matilda of Mecklenburg (1293–1358):- Matilda (died 7 September 1357) married Count Otto II of Waldeck
- Otto
- Elisabeth (died 20 February 1386)