Information AboutOtto Iv |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT OTTO IV, HOLY ROMAN EMPEROR | |
| holy roman emperors | |
| german kings | |
| kings of burgundy | |
| house of welf | |
| people from lower saxony | |
| 1170s births | |
| 1218 deaths | |
| SHOPPER'S DELIGHT | |
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BIOGRAPHY Otto was born in Braunschweig , the son of Henry The Lion , Duke Of Bavaria and Saxony , and Matilda Plantagenet . He grew up in England under the care of his grandfather King Henry II . Otto became a friend of Richard Lionheart , who attempted to make him Earl Of York , and — through a marriage — King Of Scotland . Both of these attempts failed, and so in 1196 , he was made Count Of Poitou . He participated in the war against France on the side of Richard. After the death of Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor , some of the princes of the Empire elected his brother, Philip, Duke Of Swabia , as king in March 1198 . Those princes opposed to the Staufen dynasty decided, on the initiative of Richard Lionheart, to elect a member of the House of Welf as king, motivated by the ongoing rivalry between the two houses. Otto's elder brother, Henry , was on a crusade at this time, and so the choice fell to Otto. He was elected king of the Holy Roman Empire by the princes of northern Germany in Cologne on 9 June 1198 . Otto took control of Aachen , the place of coronation, and was crowned king by Adolf, Archbishop Of Cologne , on 12 July 1198 . The coronation was done with fake Regalia , because the real regalia were in the hands of the Staufen. Otto's election pulled the Empire into the conflict between England and France, since Philip allied himself with France, and Otto was being supported by England. In 1200 / 1201 , Pope Innocent III announced that he recognized Otto as the only legitimate king. In return, Otto promised to support the Pope's interests in Italy. In the following years, Otto's situation worsened because after England's defeat against France he lost his financial support from England. Many of his allies changed sides to Philip — even his brother Henry. Otto was defeated and wounded in battle by Philip on 27 July 1206 near Wassenberg , and as a consequence also lost the support of the Pope. Otto had to retire to his possessions near Braunschweig. However, Philip was murdered two years later — on 8 June 1208 . After Philip's death, Otto made amends with the Staufen party and became engaged with Philip's daughter Beatrix. In an election in Frankfurt on 11 November 1208 , he gained the support of all the princes. He was crowned emperor by Pope Innocent on 4 October 1209 . In contradiction to his earlier promises, Otto worked to restore imperial power in Italy, and was excommunicated by the Pope for this in 1210 . In 1211 , he tried to conquer Sicily , which was held by the Staufen king Frederick Roger . While Otto was in southern Italy, several princes of the Empire, instigated by King Philip II Of France and with the consent of the Pope, elected Frederick Roger king of the Empire at the Diet Of Nuremberg . Otto returned to Germany to deal with this situation. After Otto's wife Beatrix died in Summer 1212 , and Frederick arrived with his army in Germany in September 1212, most of the former Staufen supporters deserted Otto and switched sides to Frederick. On 5 December 1212 , Frederick was elected king for a second time, now by a majority of the princes. However, Frederick did not manage to defeat Otto until 1214 , when Otto, who was allied with King John Of England , decisively lost the Battle Of Bouvines ( 27 July 1214 ) to the forces of Philip II of France. Otto had to withdraw to his private possessions around Brunswick, and died at Harzburg castle on 19 May 1218 . He is entombed in Brunswick Cathedral . FAMILY Otto married twice and had no children. # – 1212 ), daughter of King Philip Of The Holy Roman Empire and Irene Angelina . # ), daughter of Henry I, Duke Of Brabant and Maud Of Boulogne .
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