Otto I, Count of Burgundy facts for kids

Otto I was an important count who lived a long time ago, from around 1167 to 1200. He was the Count of Burgundy for ten years, starting in 1190. For a short time, from 1196 to 1197, he was also the Count of Luxembourg. Otto was the fourth son of a very powerful ruler, Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor, also known as Frederick Barbarossa. His mother was Beatrice I, Countess of Burgundy.

Otto I's Time as Count

Becoming Count of Burgundy

When Otto's mother, Countess Beatrice I of Burgundy, passed away in 1184, his father, Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, gave him the county of Burgundy. This made Otto a very important noble, known as a count palatine.

Challenges and Conflicts

Otto was a proud ruler and soon found himself in many disagreements. He had problems with other powerful families, like the lords of Auxonne and Mâcon, who also wanted a share of his mother's land. He also had conflicts with the counts of Montbéliard, Duke Odo III of Burgundy, and Duke Berthold V of Zähringen.

Otto's coat of arms (right), Georg Rüxner c. 1530, 17th century reprint

During these times, Otto was involved in serious disputes. In 1195, a negotiation turned violent, and Count Amadeus II of Montfaucon died. Later, in 1197, another noble, Count Ulric of Ferrette, was killed. In 1198, a brother of the bishop of Strasbourg was also executed. These events show how challenging and sometimes dangerous life was for rulers back then.

Ruling Luxembourg Briefly

In 1196, Count Henry IV of Luxembourg died without any sons. Because of this, his county of Luxembourg went back to his overlord, who was Otto's brother, Emperor Henry VI. Emperor Henry VI then gave Luxembourg to Otto. However, the very next year, Count Theobald I of Bar, who was Henry IV's son-in-law, worked out a deal with Otto. Otto agreed to give up his claim to Luxembourg.

Otto's Political Role

Otto's many local conflicts started to cause problems for his powerful family, the Hohenstaufens. He was seen as someone who spent too much time solving his own local issues. When his brother, Emperor Henry VI, died in 1197, Otto's younger brother Philip of Swabia was chosen to be the next king, even though Otto was older. Otto remained loyal to Philip.

After Philip became King of the Romans in 1198, he tried to help Otto sort out his many disagreements. In the year 1200, Otto was sadly assassinated in Besançon. His death helped to calm some of the political tensions at the time. Otto was buried at St Stephen's Cathedral, which is now the site of the Citadel of Besançon.

Otto I's Family

In 1190, Otto married Margaret, Countess of Blois. She was the daughter of Count Theobald V of Blois. After Otto's death, his brother-in-law King Philip made Margaret the ruler of Burgundy. She ruled as a regent, meaning she governed for her young daughter, Joan I, Countess of Burgundy.

When Joan I passed away in 1205, Otto's second daughter, Beatrice II, Countess of Burgundy, became the countess. King Philip then arranged for Beatrice II to marry Duke Otto I of Merania.

Some stories say Otto had an illegitimate son named Hugo. In 1203, Hugo supposedly gave up any claim to the county to his stepmother, Margaret. However, we only know about this from a book written in the 1500s.

See also

In Spanish: Otón I de Borgoña para niños