Otto II (Palatinate-Mosbach)
Otto II of Pfalz-Mosbach (born June 22, 1435 - † April 8, 1499 in Neumarkt ), also called Otto Mathematicus , was Count Palatine and Duke of Pfalz-Mosbach-Neumarkt .
Life
Otto II was born the third of nine children of Otto I von Mosbach-Neumarkt and his wife Johanna von Bayern-Landshut. He grew up in the Neumarkt residence and took over the reign of Neumarkt and the Upper Palatinate after the death of his father on July 5, 1461. After his uncle Johann von Neumarkt (whose son Christoph had Neumarkt administered by a governor) and his father, Otto II was the third Count Palatine in Neumarkt, and also the second representative of the Wittelsbach line Pfalz-Mosbach.
Political activity
Otto II spent his reign mainly in Neumarkt. There he succeeded in resolving the longstanding dispute over Wolfstein Castle and the associated areas of rule. The Neumarkt count palatine tried again and again to incorporate the Wolfstein possessions. In 1435, Emperor Sigismund had assured the Wolfsteiners the same rights as the royal seat of Neumarkt had. But Otto I had already increased the pressure on the Wolfsteiners again, so that they were forced to hand over the castle and the lands to the Bohemian king as a fief, who soon passed the castle on to the Vizthum von Neuschönenberg in Bohemia. Otto II then succeeded in acquiring Wolfstein and thus integrating the castle into the territory of the Palatinate.
In 1460 he made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land with his entourage and was knighted by the Holy Sepulcher in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher on the night of July 3rd to 4th, 1460 . His companion Hans Bernhard von Eptingen (1432–1484) wrote a travel report about this pilgrimage .
At the Landshut wedding in 1475 Otto II appeared as the bride's guide. Together with his brother Johann he led the pageant to Landshut and on November 14, 1475 he gave Hedwig of Poland as bride to his cousin, Duke Georg the rich of Bavaria-Landshut .
Otto II handed over his lands to Germersheim on October 4, 1490 by donation act to the Palatinate Elector Philip for joint co-government because he was childless and his only surviving brother Albrecht (1440–1506) lived as a Strasbourg bishop in the clergy.
The astronomer
The Count Palatine got his nickname Mathematicus because of his scientific interests, especially in the areas of mathematics and astronomy. He had a small observatory built at the Neumarkt residence, the so-called mathematicians tower, which has not been preserved. After he had ceded his official duties to Elector Philipp in 1490, Otto withdrew more and more and devoted himself entirely to his astronomical observations.
death
On April 8, 1499 Otto II von Neumarkt died childless in the Palatine Palace, the Palatinate-Mosbach line had died out and officially fell back to the Electoral Palatinate under Elector Philipp. He is the only regent from Neumarkt who is buried there. His marble high grave is in the court church .
literature
- Andreas Kraus: History of the Upper Palatinate and the Bavarian Empire up to the end of the 18th century. Volume 3. CH Beck Verlag, Munich 1995, ISBN 3-406-39453-1 , pp. 115-117. (Digital scan)
Web links
- Website about the Palatinate Wittelsbachers (see under: Otto II. Von Mosbach)
- Website for the city of Neumarkt in the Upper Palatinate, with its own section on Count Palatine Otto II.
- Historical website on the history of the Upper Palatinate, with a picture of Otto II from his tumba plate
Individual evidence
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Otto I. |
Duke of Palatinate-Mosbach-Neumarkt 1461–1499 |
Philip of the Palatinate |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Otto II. |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Otto Mathematicus |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Duke and Count Palatine of Mosbach-Neumarkt |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 22, 1435 |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 8, 1499 |
| Place of death | Neumarkt |