Otto von Northeim

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Otto von Northeim (* around 1020 ; † January 11, 1083 ) from the family of the Counts of Northeim was from 1061 to 1070 as Otto II Duke of Bavaria . He was the leader of the rebellious Saxons in the Saxon War against Heinrich IV.

Life

Origin and advancement

Otto was born around 1020 as the only son of the Saxon Count Bernhard von Northeim and the Countess Eilika. As Otto I, he followed his father as Count von Northeim around 1049 and was one of the most influential personalities in eastern Saxony, alongside the Billungers and the Counts of Stade ( Udonen ).

In 1061 he was appointed Duke of Bavaria as Otto II by Empress Agnes , but in the following year he stood in opposition to her as one of the leading figures in the " Kaiserswerth coup ". In the same year he undertook a campaign in Hungary on behalf of the imperial government to reinstate King Solomon, who had been driven out there. He also took part in embassies to Italy in 1064/1068 and in the winter of 1068/1069 in Henry IV's campaign against the Abodrites under their new velvet ruler Kruto .

Conflict with Henry IV.

Up to this point, despite the events in Kaiserswerth, he had a good relationship with King Heinrich IV. However, this changed when he began to expand his extensive property on the southern edge of the Harz . As a result, he got into a conflict of interest with Heinrich, who wanted to secure his crown property on the Harz. So in 1070 there was the dubious accusation of planning an assassination attempt on the king. The instigators of the plot, probably with knowledge or even at the suggestion of the king, were the Hessian Counts Giso II and Adalbert von Schauenburg (both were slain in 1073 by Otto's followers in revenge). When Otto refused to appear in the court duel against the accusing noble Egeno von Konradsburg in Goslar because of a lack of security guarantees , he was deposed as Bavarian duke, robbed of his Saxon property and ostracized in absentia on August 2, 1070 . Otto fled and stayed with the Abodritic branch prince Budivoj until May 1071 . At Pentecost 1071 he submitted to the king, who kept him in custody until July 1072. Then Otto received all of his property back, but not the extensive fiefs.

revolt

In the summer of 1073 Otto took the lead in the Saxon uprising and was the strongest advocate of Saxon tribal and aristocratic interests against the Salian kingship and its kingdom policy. In the Peace of Gerstungen in 1074 he was able to formally regain his title as Duke of Bavaria, but practically not exercising it. In the conflict that broke out again after the Harzburg was sacked, Otto again took on the leading role, but was defeated by Heinrich's Imperial Army on June 9, 1075 in the Battle of Homburg an der Unstrut and a little later finally capitulated. Surprisingly, Heinrich pardoned him again and even made him imperial administrator of Saxony, which increasingly alienated him from his former Saxon comrades in arms. He also received his imperial fiefs back, with the exception of Bavaria.

On the Princely Day of Tribur in October 1076, Otto again sided with the opposition. Although a potential candidate himself at any time, the princes did not elect him, but in 1077 in Forchheim Rudolf von Rheinfelden and later Hermann von Salm as the opposing kings. This was primarily due to the lack of support from the Saxon princes and Otto's continued pursuit of the Duchy of Bavaria. Nevertheless, Otto's influence on opposition politics remained great. He also continued to excel militarily, in the battles near Mellrichstadt , Flarchheim and on the Elster , he fought in the front line.

death

Otto died on January 11, 1083. He was buried in the Nikolai chapel in Northeim . His grave was not rediscovered until 1977. His extensive ownership later passed to Lothar von Süpplingenburg , who was married to Otto's granddaughter Richenza . The St. Blasien Northeim monastery was founded even before his death .

Marriage and offspring

Otto was married to Richenza from around 1050 , who was his first marriage to Count Hermann III. von Werl had been married. Richenza was presumed to be the daughter of Duke Otto of Swabia and thus an Ezzonin , but was more likely to have been an heir to the Billung Wichmann line. The marriage had seven children:

literature

Remarks

  1. ^ Sabine Borchert: Duke Otto von Northeim (around 1025-1083). Reich politics and personal environment. Hanover 2005, p. 99.
  2. ↑ Helmut Naumann: The donation of the Schluchsee estate to St. Blasien. In: German Archive for Research into the Middle Ages, Vol. 23 (1967), pp. 358–404, here: p. 388 ( digitized version ).
predecessor Office successor
Agnes Duke of Bavaria
1061-1070 		Welf I.
personal data
SURNAME Otto von Northeim
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Otto II of Northeim
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Duke of Bavaria (1061-1070)
DATE OF BIRTH around 1020
DATE OF DEATH January 11, 1083