Otto I, Count of Guelders facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Otto I, Count of Guelders |
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| Spouse(s) | Richardis of Bavaria |
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| Noble family | House of Wassenberg |
| Father | Hendrik of Guelders |
| Mother | Agnes of Arnstein |
| Born | 1150 |
| Died | 1207 |
Otto I of Guelders (born 1150, died 1207) was an important ruler in the Middle Ages. He was the Count of Guelders and Zutphen from 1182 until he passed away in 1207. Otto was the son of Duke Hendrik of Guelders and Agnes of Arnstein. He married Richardis of Bavaria in 1184. Richardis was the daughter of Otto I Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria.
Life of Count Otto I
Count Otto I of Guelders joined a big adventure called the Third Crusade (1189–1192). He traveled with his Emperor, Frederick I Barbarossa, to the Holy Land. During this journey, Otto helped the Crusader army capture the city of Iconium.
After Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa died, some crusaders decided to go home. But Otto chose to continue his journey towards Syria and Palestine. Once he arrived in the Holy Land, Otto joined the army of Guy of Lusignan, who was the King of Jerusalem. This army was trying to take the city of Acre.
Life was very hard for the crusaders. Many of them got sick or decided to leave. By the spring of 1191, most of the remaining crusaders had gone home. Otto was one of the few who survived and returned to his home in 1190.
He is known as the first Count of the combined areas of Guelders and Zutphen. This happened in 1190. One of his sons, also named Otto, later became the Bishop of Utrecht from 1212 to 1213.
Otto I's Family
Otto I of Guelders was the son of Duke Hendrik of Guelders and Agnes of Arnstein.
In 1184, he married Richardis of Bavaria. Richardis was the daughter of Otto I Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria and Agnes of Loon. Otto and Richardis had several children together:
- Henry of Guelders (died 1198). He was supposed to marry Aleidis of Holland in 1197. She was the daughter of Dirk VII, Count of Holland. Sadly, Henry died in 1198 before the wedding could happen.
- Gerard III, Count of Guelders (1185–1229). He later became a Count himself.
- Adelaide of Guelders (died 1218). She married William I, Count of Holland.
- Otto (1193–1213). He became the Bishop of Utrecht.
- Irmgard of Guelders. She married Adolf, who was the Count of Altena and Mark.
- Margaret of Guelders. She married Lothar III, Count of Hochstadt.
- Matilda of Guelders. She married Henry II, Count of Nassau.
