Otto II (Oldenburg-Delmenhorst)

Otto II. Von Oldenburg – Delmenhorst (* probably after 1250 ; † February 2, 1304 ) was Count of Oldenburg and later the founder of the independent line of the Counts of Delmenhorst .

Origin and Regency

Otto's parents were Count Johann I von Oldenburg (around 1204 – around 1270) and his wife Richza von Hoya .

After the father's death around 1270, Otto's uncle Otto von Oldenburg , abbot of the Rastede monastery , was the regent of Oldenburg for the underage sons. In 1272 Otto II followed this together with his older brother Christian III. (around 1268–1285) as Count of Oldenburg. Around 1278 the county of Oldenburg was divided and a separate rule was established in Delmenhorst. The castle there had previously been completed by the father Johann I. Otto II took over the rule there and is therefore considered to be the founder of the so-called Elder Line of Delmenhorst , whose members called themselves Counts of Oldenburg and Delmenhorst since 1309, and later Counts in Delmenhorst . This line existed for five generations until 1436.

In addition to Delmenhorst and Hasbergen , the domain of the Counts of Delmenhorst also included the parishes of Bardewisch (near Lemwerder ), Berne , Ganderkesee , Holle , Schönemoor and Stuhr .

Only a few details have survived about Otto's reign. In order to strengthen the reputation of his new royal seat , Otto founded the collegiate foundation “St.” on November 26, 1286 with the consent of the Oldenburg count family. Marien “, the second monastery in the Oldenburger Land after the Alexander monastery in Wildeshausen , he also decreed the appointment of eight canons . The minstrel Heinrich von Meißen is said to have visited Otto II's court.

Otto II was married to Oda (called Countess von Sternberg ), with whom he had the following sons:

Johann I (1294-1347)
Christian the Elder (1294-1355)

After their father's death, the sons ruled the Delmenhorst estate together.

Remarks

↑ The German National Library gives the date of birth as 1238. This seems unlikely, since Otto would have been of legal age when his father died and the appointment of a guardian would have been unnecessary.

literature

Dieter Rüdebusch: Otto II, Count of Oldenburg-Delmenhorst. In: Hans Friedl u. a. (Ed.): Biographical manual for the history of the state of Oldenburg . Edited on behalf of the Oldenburg landscape. Isensee, Oldenburg 1992, ISBN 3-89442-135-5 , p. 548 ( online ).

predecessor	Office	successor
Johann I. ( Otto von Oldenburg as guardian regent)	Count of Oldenburg together with Christian III. 1272-1278	Christian III
-	Count of Delmenhorst 1278–1304	Johann I together with Christian the Elder

personal data
SURNAME	Otto II.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Otto II of Oldenburg – Delmenhorst
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Count of Oldenburg and Delmenhorst
DATE OF BIRTH	around 1250
DATE OF DEATH	February 2, 1304

[1] The German National Library gives the date of birth as 1238. This seems unlikely, since Otto would have been of legal age when his father died and the appointment of a guardian would have been unnecessary.