Otto, Count of Ballenstedt, called Otto the Rich (c. 1070 – 9 February 1123), was the first Ascanian prince to call himself count of Anhalt, and was also briefly named duke of Saxony. He was the father of Albert the Bear,[1] who later conquered Brandenburg from the Slavs and called himself its first margrave.
Otto was the eldest son of Adalbert II, Count of Ballenstedt and Adelaide of Weimar-Orlamünde, daughter of Otto I, Margrave of Meissen.[1] After the death of his father-in-law, Magnus, Duke of Saxony, in 1106, Otto inherited a significant part of Magnus' properties, and hoped to succeed him as duke. However, Lothar of Supplinburg was named duke in his stead.[2] In 1112, after Lothar had been banned, Otto was appointed duke of Saxony by Emperor Henry V; but in the same year, he came into a dispute with the emperor and was stripped of his ducal title. He now allied himself with Lothar, and helped Lothar defeat Hoyer I, Count of Mansfeld, who had been named duke of Saxony by the Emperor, in 1115.
Otto conquered the areas around Zerbst and Salzwedel from Slavs, and maintained Lothar's support once Lothar became king in 1125. He also claimed the County of Weimar-Orlamünde, of which his mother was the heir. It was during this campaign, which made Otto famous across Germany, as the story goes:
In 1115, Count Otto of Ballenstadt, with 60 German warriors, fought 2,800 Slavs, of whom 1,700 were left dead on the field!
Fuhrmann, Horst (1995). Germany in the High Middle Ages: C.1050-1200. Translated by Reuter, Timothy. Cambridge University Press.
Loud, Graham A.; Schenk, Jochen, eds. (2017). The Origins of the German Principalities, 1100-1350: Essays by German Historians. Routledge.
December 18, 2023
otto, count, ballenstedt, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, m. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Otto Count of Ballenstedt news newspapers books scholar JSTOR March 2011 Learn how and when to remove this template message Otto Count of Ballenstedt called Otto the Rich c 1070 9 February 1123 was the first Ascanian prince to call himself count of Anhalt and was also briefly named duke of Saxony He was the father of Albert the Bear 1 who later conquered Brandenburg from the Slavs and called himself its first margrave Otto Count of BallenstedtBornc 1070Died 1123 02 09 9 February 1123Noble familyHouse of AscaniaSpouse s Eilika of SaxonyIssueAlbert the BearAdelaide of BallenstedtFatherAdalbert II Count of BallenstedtMotherAdelaide of Weimar OrlamundeOtto was the eldest son of Adalbert II Count of Ballenstedt and Adelaide of Weimar Orlamunde daughter of Otto I Margrave of Meissen 1 After the death of his father in law Magnus Duke of Saxony in 1106 Otto inherited a significant part of Magnus properties and hoped to succeed him as duke However Lothar of Supplinburg was named duke in his stead 2 In 1112 after Lothar had been banned Otto was appointed duke of Saxony by Emperor Henry V but in the same year he came into a dispute with the emperor and was stripped of his ducal title He now allied himself with Lothar and helped Lothar defeat Hoyer I Count of Mansfeld who had been named duke of Saxony by the Emperor in 1115 Otto conquered the areas around Zerbst and Salzwedel from Slavs and maintained Lothar s support once Lothar became king in 1125 He also claimed the County of Weimar Orlamunde of which his mother was the heir It was during this campaign which made Otto famous across Germany as the story goes In 1115 Count Otto of Ballenstadt with 60 German warriors fought 2 800 Slavs of whom 1 700 were left dead on the field James Westfall Thompson Feudal Germany p 371Family editOtto married Eilika the daughter of Magnus Duke of Saxony before 1095 2 They had the following children Albert the Bear 1100 1170 Adelaide died after 1139 married Henry IV Count of Stade and in 1139 Werner Count of OsterburgReferences edit a b Loud amp Schenk 2017 p xxvi a b Fuhrmann 1995 p 99 Sources editFuhrmann Horst 1995 Germany in the High Middle Ages C 1050 1200 Translated by Reuter Timothy Cambridge University Press Loud Graham A Schenk Jochen eds 2017 The Origins of the German Principalities 1100 1350 Essays by German Historians Routledge Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Otto Count of Ballenstedt amp oldid 1189737477, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
