Origins & Early Life

Otto IV (1175 – 19 May 1218) was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1209 until his death in 1218. Otto spent most of his early life in England and France. He was a follower of his uncle Richard the Lionheart, who made him Count of Poitou in 1196. With Richard's support, he was elected King of Germany by one faction in a disputed election in 1198, sparking ten years of civil war.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

The death of his rival, Philip of Swabia, in 1208 left him sole king of Germany. In 1209, Otto marched to Italy to be crowned emperor by Pope Innocent III. In 1210, he sought to unite the Kingdom of Sicily with the Empire, breaking with Innocent, who excommunicated him. He allied with England against France and participated in the alliance's defeat at Bouvines in 1214. He was abandoned by most of his supporters in 1215 and lived the rest of his life in retirement on his estates near Brunswick.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

He was the only German king of the Welf dynasty. Otto was the third son of Henry the Lion, Duke of Bavaria and Duke of Saxony, by his wife Matilda of England. His exact birthplace is not given by any original source. He grew up in England in the care of his maternal grandfather, King Henry II of...

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

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• Jayavarman VII — Contemporary (Died in 1218) (1218): Powerful Khmer monarch who championed Buddhism and built extensive welfare infrastructure.
• Simon de Montfort, 5th Earl of Leicester — Contemporary (Died in 1218) (1218): French nobleman and military commander, famed for the Albigensian Crusade.
• Abraham Pais — Shared historical date (05-19 · Born) (1918): Pioneering physicist and acclaimed science historian of modern physics.
• Alcuin — Shared historical date (05-19 · Died) (804): Leading scholar of the Carolingian Renaissance, influential teacher and clergyman.
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• Nizami Ganjavi — Historical peer (Died in 1209) (1209): Master romantic epic poet of Persian literature, celebrated for colloquial style.
• Basava — Historical peer (Died in 1196) (1196): Pioneering Lingayat reformer and poet who championed social equality in 12th-century India.
• Herrad of Landsberg — Historical peer (Died in 1196) (1196): 12th-century Alsatian nun, abbess, and author of the pictorial encyclopedia Hortus deliciarum.
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