Otto I. (Geldern)

Otto I von Geldern (* around 1150 ; † after April 30, 1207 ) was Count of Geldern and Zutphen from 1182 to 1207 .

Life

Otto was the son of Count Heinrich I von Geldern and Agnes von Arnstein . Around 1185 he married Richardis von Scheyern-Wittelsbach (* 1173; † 1231), the daughter of Duke Otto I of Bavaria.

He took part in the crusade of his emperor Friedrich Barbarossa and distinguished himself in particular during the conquest of Iconium . After the sudden death of the emperor, the crusader army disintegrated and a number of crusaders returned home. Otto, however, traveled on with a group to Syria and Palestine. In the Holy Land he joined Guido von Lusignan , king of Jerusalem , who was currently besieging the city of Acre . When the loss-making siege of Akkon dragged on, Otto traveled back home in 1190. He is the only Dutch nobleman whose living return from the Third Crusade is attested.

Otto often quarreled with the county of Holland and was pushed back in the diocese of Utrecht . He often stood against Brabant , allied himself with Limburg and was temporarily imprisoned. He fought against the Frisians and largely held his positions. In the German war of the throne (from 1198) he was on the side of the Staufers .

Otto I. von Geldern is buried in the Kamp monastery .

progeny

Otto had the following children with his wife Richardis:

• Adelheid (* 1187; † 1218) ⚭ 1197 Wilhelm I , Count of Holland
• Gerhard IV. (* Around 1185; † 1229), Count of Geldern
• Otto I (* 1195; † 1215), Bishop of Utrecht
• Ludwig, Provost of the Cathedral of Utrecht
• Irmgard († after 1230) ⚭ 1210 Adolf I , Count von der Mark
• Henry III. († 1198), co-regent in Geldern ⚭ 1198 Adelheid von Holland (* around 1186; † before 1203)
• Margaretha († 1264) ⚭ Lothar II, Count of Are-Hochstaden
• Mathilde († October 28, 1247 or later) ⚭ before December 11, 1215 Heinrich II , Count of Nassau

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Jonathan Riley-Smith : The Crusades - A Short History The Athlone Press Ltd., London 1990, pp. 112-113

literature

• Ralf G. Jahn : The genealogy, the bailiffs, counts and dukes of money. In: Johannes Stinner, Karl-Heinz Tekath (ed.): Gelre - Geldern - Gelderland. History and culture of the Duchy of Geldern (= Duchy of Geldern. Vol. 1 = Publications of the State Archives of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. Series D: Exhibition catalogs of the State Archives. Vol. 30). Verlag des Historisches Verein für Geldern and the surrounding area, Geldern 2001, ISBN 3-9805419-4-0 , pp. 29–50.
• Pieter Lodewijk Muller :  Otto I., Count of Geldern and Zütphen . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 24, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1887, p. 690.
• HGA Obreen: Otto I . In: Nieuw Nederlandsch Biografisch Woordenboek . Volume 2, AW Sijthoff's Uitgevers Maatschappij, Leiden 1912, Sp. 1038-1039.

predecessor	Office	successor
Heinrich I.	Count of Geldern Count of Zutphen 1182–1207	Gerhard III.