Editing Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor

{{Short description|Holy Roman Emperor from 1209 to 1218}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{redirect|Otto IV}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name            = Otto IV
| title           =  [[Holy Roman Emperor|Emperor of the Romans]]
| image           = Ottta4Brunsvicky.jpg
| caption         = Seal of Otto IV
| succession      = [[Holy Roman Emperor]]
| reign           = 1209–1218
| predecessor     = [[Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry VI]]
| successor       = [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II]]
| coronation      = 4 October 1209, [[Rome]]
| succession1     = [[King of the Romans]]
| reign1          = 1198–1209
| predecessor1    = [[Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry VI]]
| successor1      = [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II]]
| coronation1     = 12 July 1198, [[Aachen]]
| succession2     = [[King of Italy]]
| reign2          = 1208–1212
| predecessor2    = [[Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry VI]]
| successor2      = [[Henry VII, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry VII]]<ref>Although [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II]] was crowned [[King of the Romans]], [[King of Sicily]], [[King of Jerusalem]] and [[Holy Roman Emperor]], he was never crowned [[King of Italy]] at [[Pavia]], [[Monza]] or [[Milan]] during his lifetime – see Sismondi's ''History of the Italian Republics in the Middle Ages'', (1906), pp. 143, 147; and Kington-Oliphant's, ''History of Frederick the Second, Emperor of the Romans, Vol I'', (1862), p. 195, which specifically state that the Milanese refused to crown Frederick with the [[Iron Crown of Lombardy|Iron Crown]]. Neither is his coronation as King of Italy mentioned in any modern source, such as Abulafia's, ''The New Cambridge Medieval History, Vol. V: c. 1198 – c. 1300'', (1999)</ref>
| succession3     = [[King of Burgundy]]
| reign3          = 1208–1215
| predecessor3    = [[Philip of Swabia]]
| successor3      = Frederick II
| spouses         = {{plainlist|
* {{longitem|[[Beatrice of Hohenstaufen]] ({{married-in|1209 or 1212}}; {{died-in|1212}})}}
* {{marriage|[[Maria of Brabant, Holy Roman Empress|Maria of Brabant]]|1214}}
}}
| house           = [[House of Welf|Welf]]
| father          = [[Henry the Lion]]
| mother          = [[Matilda of England, Duchess of Saxony|Matilda of England]]
| birth_date      = 1175
| birth_place     = 
| death_date      = 19 May 1218 (aged 42–43)
| death_place     = [[Harzburg]]
| date of burial  = 
| place of burial = [[Brunswick Cathedral]]
}}
[[File:Blason duché ni Brunswick.svg|thumb|upright=0.45|right|Coat of arms of the House of Welf-Brunswick (Braunschweig)]]
[[File:Arms of Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor.svg|thumb|upright=0.45|right|Arms of Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor]]
[[File:Coat of arms of Otto IV of Brunswick as Holy Roman Emperor (Chronica Maiora).svg|thumb|upright=0.45|right|Arms of Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor (''Chronica Majora'')]]

'''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 [[German throne dispute|ten years of civil war]]. The death of his rival, [[Philip of Swabia]], in 1208 left him sole king of Germany.

In 1209, Otto [[Italienzug|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 [[Battle of Bouvines|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 [[Braunschweig|Brunswick]]. He was the only German king of the [[House of Welf|Welf dynasty]].

==Career==
===Early life===
Otto was the third son of [[Henry the Lion]], [[Duke of Bavaria]] and [[Duke of Saxony]], by his wife [[Matilda of England, Duchess of Saxony|Matilda of England]].<ref name="Bryce, pg. 206">Bryce, p. 206</ref> His exact birthplace is not given by any original source.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Heering |first=aart |date=October 2009 |title=Al trono per caso |journal=Medioevo |page=58}}</ref><ref>The Catholic Encyclopedia {{cite Catholic Encyclopedia |wstitle=Otto IV |volume=11 |first=Franz |last=Kampers}} gives his birthplace as [[Argentan]] in [[Normandy]], which was one of the royal courts of Matilda's father, [[Henry II of England]]. This is based upon Otto's birthdate being circa 1182, and placing it during his father's exile from Germany at the court of his father-in-law.</ref> He grew up in England<ref name="Abueafia, pg. 378">Abulafia, p. 378</ref> in the care of his maternal grandfather, King [[Henry II of England]]. Otto was fluent in French as well as German.{{sfn|Huffman|2000|pp=157–58}} He became the foster son of his maternal uncle King [[Richard I of England]]. In 1190, after he left England to join the [[Third Crusade]], Richard appointed Otto as [[Earl of York]]. This grant's authenticity (or authority) was doubted by the vassals of Yorkshire, who prevented Otto from taking possession of his earldom.{{sfn|Norgate|1887|p=373 n. 1}} Still, he probably visited Yorkshire in 1191,{{sfn|Huffman|2000|pp=157–58}} and he continued to claim the revenues of the earldom after becoming king of Germany, although he never secured them.{{sfn|McLynn|2007|p=390}} Neither did he succeed in getting the 25,000 silver marks willed to him by his uncle in 1199.{{sfn|Keefe|1983|pp=100–01}}

In 1195, Richard began negotiations to marry Otto to [[Margaret of Scotland, Countess of Kent|Margaret]], daughter and heir presumptive of King [[William the Lion]] of Scotland.{{sfn|Norgate|1887|p=341}}{{sfn|Keefe|1983|pp=100–01}}<ref>W. W. Scott: ''Margaret, countess of Kent'', in: ''[[Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]]'', vol. 36 (2004), p. 633</ref> [[Lothian]], as Margaret's dowry, would be handed over to Richard for safekeeping and the counties of [[Northumberland]] and [[Cumberland]] (Carlisle) would be granted to Otto and turned over to the king of Scotland. The negotiations dragged on until August 1198, when the birth of a son and heir to William rendered them unnecessary. Having failed to secure Otto an English earldom or a Scottish kingdom in September 1196, Richard, as duke of Aquitaine, enfeoffed Otto with the [[county of Poitou]].{{sfn|Norgate|1887|p=341}} There is some disagreement over whether Otto received Poitou in exchange for or in addition to the earldom of York.{{sfn|Huffman|2000|pp=157–58}}

Otto was in Poitou from September 1196 until mid-1197, when he joined Richard in Normandy to confer over the appointment of bishops to the vacant sees of [[Diocese of Poitiers|Poitiers]], [[Diocese of Limoges|Limoges]] and [[Diocese of Périgueux|Périgueux]]. He then participated in the war against [[Philip II of France]] on the side of Richard. In October, he returned to Poitou. The German historian Jens Ahlers, considering Otto's life before 1198, believes that he might have been the first foreign king of Germany.{{sfn|Huffman|2000|pp=157–58}}<ref name="SchneidmüllerWeinfurter2003">{{Cite book |last1=Bernd Schneidmüller |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DbytLiPcn4oC&pg=PA272 |title=Die deutschen Herrscher des Mittelalters: historische Portraits von Heinrich I. bis Maximilian I. (919–1519) |last2=Stefan Weinfurter |publisher=C.H.Beck |year=2003 |isbn=978-3-406-50958-2 |pages=272–}}</ref>

===Conflict with Philip of Swabia===
{{main|German throne dispute}}
After the death of [[Emperor Henry VI]], the majority of the princes of the Empire, situated in the south, [[March 1198 imperial election|elected Henry's brother]] [[Philip, Duke of Swabia|Philip]] king in March 1198, after receiving money and promises from Philip in exchange for their support.<ref name="Comyn, pg. 275">Comyn, p. 275</ref> But those princes opposed to the [[Hohenstaufen]] dynasty decided, on the initiative of Richard of England, [[June 1198 imperial election|to elect instead a member of the House of Welf]]. Otto's elder brother, [[Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine|Henry]], was participating in the [[Crusade of 1197]] at the time, and so the choice fell to Otto. Otto, soon recognized throughout the northwest and the lower Rhine region,<ref name="Abueafia, pg. 378"/>  was elected king by his partisans in [[Cologne]] on 9 June 1198.<ref name="Abueafia, pg. 378" />

Otto took control of [[Aachen]], the place of coronation, and was crowned by Archbishop [[Adolf of Altena|Adolf]] of Cologne on 12 July 1198.<ref name="Abueafia, pg. 378" /> This was of great symbolic importance, since the [[archbishop of Cologne]] alone could crown the [[king of the Romans]].<ref name="Comyn, pg. 275" /> The coronation was done with fake [[imperial regalia]], because the actual materials were in the hands of the Hohenstaufen.<ref name="Özlem2009">{{Cite book |last=Duranöz Özlem |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kWdvc5t5HuYC |title=Die Doppelwahl von 1198 und seine diversen Wahlgänge: Philipp von Schwaben gegen Otto von Braunschweig |publisher=GRIN Verlag |year=2009 |isbn=978-3-640-31571-0}}</ref>

Otto's election pulled the empire into the conflict between [[Kingdom of England|England]] and [[Kingdom of France|France]]. Philip had allied himself with the French king, [[Philip II of France|Philip II]], while Otto was supported at first by Richard I, and after he died in 1199 by his brother [[John of England|John]].<ref name="Comyn, pg. 278">Comyn, p. 278</ref>

The papacy meanwhile, under [[Innocent III]], determined to prevent the continued unification of [[Kingdom of Sicily|Sicily]] and the [[Holy Roman Empire]] under one monarch<ref>Schulman, Jana, ''The rise of the medieval world, 500–1300'', Greenwood, 2002, p. 329</ref> seized the opportunity to extend its influence. Therefore, Innocent III favoured Otto, whose family had always opposed the house of Hohenstaufen.<ref name="Bryce, pg. 206" /> Otto also seemed willing to grant any demands that Innocent would make. The confusion in the empire allowed Innocent to drive out the imperial feudal lords from [[Ancona]], [[Spoleto]], and [[Perugia]], who had been installed by Emperor Henry VI.<ref name="Comyn, pg. 277">Comyn, p. 277</ref>

At the same time, Innocent encouraged the cities in [[March of Tuscany|Tuscany]] to form a league, called the [[League of San Genesio]], against imperial interests in Italy. The cities placed themselves under Innocent's protection.<ref name="Comyn, pg. 277" /> In 1201, Innocent announced that he recognized Otto as the only legitimate king. In return, Otto promised to support the pope's interests in Italy. Otto also had the support of [[Ottokar I of Bohemia]], who, although at first siding with Philip of Swabia, eventually threw in his lot with Otto.<ref name="Dunham, pg. 195">Dunham, p. 195</ref> Otto's cause was further strengthened by the support of [[Valdemar II of Denmark]]. Philip achieved a great deal of success in the civil war that followed, allowing him in 1204 to be again crowned king, this time by the archbishop of [[Cologne]].<ref name="Dunham, pg. 195" />

In the following years, Otto's situation worsened because, after England's defeat by France, he lost England's financial support. Many of his allies changed sides to Philip, including his brother Henry. Otto was defeated and wounded in battle by Philip on 27 July 1206, near [[Wassenberg]], and as a consequence, he also lost the support of the pope, who began to favour the apparent winner in the conflict.{{citation needed|date=August 2018}} Otto was forced to retire to his possessions near [[Braunschweig|Brunswick]], leaving Philip virtually uncontested as German king.<ref name="Winkelmann1873">{{Cite book |last=Eduard August Winkelmann |url=https://archive.org/details/philippvonschwa01winkgoog |title=Philipp von Schwaben und Otto IV. von Braunschweig |publisher=Duncker & Humblot |year=1873}}</ref>

Innocent III forced the two warring parties into negotiations at [[Cologne]], and in exchange for renouncing his claim to the throne, Philip promised Otto the hand of his daughter Beatrix in marriage, together with the [[Duchy of Swabia]] and an enormous dowry.<ref name="Comyn, pg. 278" /> Otto refused, and as the civil war was again about to recommence, Philip was murdered on 21 June 1208.

After Philip's death, Otto made amends with the Staufen party and became engaged to Philip's daughter Beatrix.<ref name="Comyn, pg. 279">Comyn, p. 279</ref> In the [[1208 imperial election]] in [[Frankfurt]] on 11 November 1208, he gained the support of all the electoral princes, as he promised he would not make hereditary claims to the imperial crown on behalf of any children he might father.<ref name="Dunham, pg. 195" /> Now fully reconciled with Innocent, Otto made preparations to be crowned [[Holy Roman Emperor]]. To secure Innocent's support, he promised to restore to the Papal States all territory that it had possessed under [[Louis the Pious]], including the [[March of Ancona]], the [[Duchy of Spoleto]], the former [[Exarchate of Ravenna]], and the [[Pentapolis]].<ref name="Comyn, pg. 279" />

Travelling down via [[Verona]], [[Modena]], and [[Bologna]], he eventually arrived at [[Milan]], where he received the [[Iron Crown of Lombardy]] and the title of [[King of Italy]] in 1208. He was met at [[Viterbo]] by Pope Innocent and was taken to [[Old St. Peter's Basilica|St. Peter's Basilica]], where he was crowned emperor by Pope Innocent on 4 October 1209,<ref>{{cite book | last = Alexander | first = Michael | title = Three crises in early English history: personalities and politics during the Norman Conquest, the reign of King John, and the Wars of the Roses | publisher = University Press of America | location = Lanham, Md | year = 1998 | isbn = 9780761811886 | page=123}}</ref> before rioting broke out in Rome, forcing Otto to abandon the city.<ref>Comyn, p. 280</ref>

===Conflict with Innocent III===
Not content with his successes so far, Innocent also obtained from Otto further written concessions to the Papal See,{{citation needed|date=August 2018}} including allowing all elections of German bishops to be conducted according to Church ordinances and not to prevent any appeals to Rome.<ref name="Comyn, pg. 279" /> He also promised to hand over to the church all income from any vacant sees that had been flowing into the imperial treasury.<ref name="Comyn, pg. 279" />

[[File:Otto IV. und Papst Innocenz III. reichen sich vor den ankommenden Schiffen Friedrichs II. die Hände.jpg|thumb|Otto IV and [[Pope Innocent III]] shake hands]]
After abandoning Rome, Otto marched north, reaching [[Pisa]] by 20 November. Here, probably advised by Peter of Celano and [[Dipold, Count of Acerra]],<ref>Matthew, Donald, ''The Norman kingdom of Sicily'', Cambridge University Press, 1992, {{ISBN|978-0-521-26911-7}}, p. 308</ref> he was convinced to abandon his earlier promises. Otto immediately worked to restore imperial power in Italy.<ref>Bryce, p. 207</ref> After his consecration by the pope, he promised to restore the lands bequeathed to the church by the countess [[Matilda of Tuscany]] nearly a century before and not to move against [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick]], [[King of Sicily]].<ref name="Dunham, pg. 196">Dunham, p. 196</ref> He quickly broke all his promises.

He threw out the papal troops from Ancona and Spoleto, reclaiming the territory as imperial fiefs. He then demanded that Frederick of Sicily do homage for the duchies of [[Calabria]] and [[Apulia]], and when Frederick refused to appear, Otto declared those fiefs forfeited.<ref name="Dunham, pg. 196" /> Otto then marched on Rome. He commanded Innocent to annul the [[Concordat of Worms]] and to recognise the imperial crown's right to make nominations to all vacant benefices.<ref name="Dunham, pg. 196" />

Such actions infuriated Innocent, who promptly excommunicated Otto on 18 November 1210.<ref>{{Catholic|prescript=|wstitle=Pope Innocent III}}</ref><ref name="Abulafia, pg. 127">Abulafia, p. 127</ref> Subsequently, he tried to conquer [[Kingdom of Sicily|Sicily]],<ref name="Abulafia, pg. 131">Abulafia, p. 131</ref> which was held by the Staufen king [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick]], under the guardianship of Innocent III. Parallel to this, the German nobility grew increasingly frustrated with Otto. They felt that instead of wasting his time in Italy and playing power politics with the pope, it was his first duty to defend the northern provinces of the empire against [[Valdemar II of Denmark]], who had taken advantage of Otto's distractions by invading the northern provinces of the empire and possessing the whole [[Baltic region|Baltic]] coast from [[Holstein]] to [[Livonia]].<ref name="Dunham, pg. 196" /> So while Otto was in southern Italy, several princes of the empire, including the archbishops of [[Mainz]] and [[Magdeburg]],<ref name="Abulafia, pg. 381">Abulafia, pg. 381</ref> at the instigation of King [[Philip II of France]] and with the consent of the pope, elected Frederick King of the Romans at the [[Diet of Nuremberg]] in 1211.<ref>Comyn, p. 281</ref>

Otto's ambassadors from [[Milan]] appeared before the [[Fourth Lateran Council]], pleading the case for his [[excommunication]] to be lifted.<ref name="Abulafia, pg. 127" /> Although he claimed he had repented for his offences and declared his willingness to be obedient to the [[Pope]] in all things, Innocent III had already recognised Frederick as emperor-elect.<ref name="Abulafia, pg. 127" />

Otto returned to Germany to deal with the situation, hopeful of salvaging something from the looming disaster.<ref name="Abulafia, pg. 381" /> He found most of the German princes and bishops had turned against him and that Frederick, who had made his way up the Italian peninsula, had avoided Otto's men who were guarding the passes through the [[Alps]] and had arrived at [[Konstanz|Constance]].<ref name="Abulafia, pg. 381" /> Otto soon discovered that after Beatrix died in the summer of 1212 and Frederick arrived in Germany with his army in September 1212, most of his former Staufen supporters deserted him for Frederick, forcing Otto to withdraw to Cologne.<ref name="Abulafia, pg. 381" /> On 5 December 1212, Frederick was elected king for a second time by a majority of the princes.<ref name="Abulafia, pg. 382">Abulafia, p. 382</ref>

The support that Philip II of France gave to Frederick forced King John of England to throw his weight behind his nephew, Otto. The destruction of the French fleet in 1213 by the English saw John begin preparations for an invasion of France; in this, Otto saw a way of both destroying Frederick's French support and bolstering his prestige.<ref name="Abulafia, pg. 382" /> He agreed to join John in the invasion, and in February 1214, as John advanced from the [[Loire (river)|Loire]], Otto, together with the Count of Flanders, was supposed to make a simultaneous attack from Flanders. Unfortunately, the three armies could not coordinate their efforts effectively. It was not until John, who had been disappointed in his hope for an easy victory after being driven from [[Roche-au-Moine]], had retreated to his transports that the Imperial Army, with Otto at its head, assembled in the [[Low Countries]].<ref>[[Edward Smedley|Smedley, Edward]]. ''The History of France, from the final partition of the Empire of Charlemagne to the Peace of Cambray.'' 1836, p. 71</ref>

On 27 July 1214, the opposing armies suddenly discovered they were close to each other, on the banks of the little river Marque (a tributary of the river Deûle), near the Bridge of Bouvines. Philip's army numbered some 15,000, while the allied forces possessed around 25,000 troops; the armies clashed at the [[Battle of Bouvines]]. It was a tight battle, but it was lost when Otto was carried off the field by his wounded and terrified horse, causing his forces to abandon the field.<ref>Smedley, Edward. ''The History of France, from the final partition of the Empire of Charlemagne to the Peace of Cambray.'' 1836, p. 72</ref> It is said that Philip II had sent to Frederick the [[Imperial Eagle]], which Otto had left lying on the battlefield.<ref name="Abulafia, pg. 382" />

Because Otto was forced again to withdraw to his private possessions around Brunswick,<ref>Comyn, pg. 283</ref> this defeat allowed Frederick to take Aachen and Cologne,<ref name="Abulafia, pg. 382" /> and so Otto was deposed in 1215.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Otto IV {{!}} Holy Roman emperor |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Otto-IV |website=Encyclopedia Britannica |language=en |access-date=9 November 2019}}</ref> His cause of death is disputed, with some claims that he died of disease at [[Harzburg]] castle on 19 May 1218, requesting that he be mortally [[Propitiation|expiated]] in the atonement of his sins. However, Historian [[Ernst Kantorowicz|Kantorowicz]] described the death as ''gruesome'': "deposed, dethroned, he was flung full length on the ground by the Abbot, confessing his sins, while the reluctant priests beat him bloodily to death with rods. Such was the end of the first and last Welf Emperor."<ref>Kantorowicz, Ernst, ''Frederick II'', p. 66</ref>

He is entombed in [[Brunswick Cathedral]], where his parents are buried.

==Family==
[[File:Braunschweig Altstadtrathaus Otto IV. Maria von Brabant (2006).JPG|thumb|upright|Statues of Otto IV & Maria of Brabant, old city hall, Braunschweig, c. 1455.]]
Otto was [[Kings of Germany family tree|related to every other King of Germany]]. He married twice:
# 1209 or 1212 to [[Beatrice of Swabia]], daughter of the German King [[Philip of Swabia]] and [[Irene Angelina]].<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Beatrice of Swabia (1198–1235) |publisher=Gale |url=https://archive.org/details/womeninworldhist02comm |access-date=8 June 2017 |date=8 October 1999 |editor-last=Commire |editor-first=Anne |page=309 |isbn=978-0-7876-4061-3 |encyclopedia=Women in World History |via=Encyclopedia.com |url-access=registration}}</ref>
# 19 May 1214, in [[Aachen]] to [[Maria of Brabant, Holy Roman Empress|Maria of Brabant]], daughter of [[Henry I, Duke of Brabant]], and [[Matilda of Boulogne, Duchess of Brabant|Matilda of Boulogne]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Fryde |first=Natalie |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KyASBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA17 |title=Why Magna Carta?: Angevin England Revisited |publisher=LIT Verlag Münster |year=2001 |isbn=9783825856571 |pages=17}}</ref>

Neither marriage produced any children.

==Notes==
{{Reflist|2}}

==References==
* Abulafia, David, ''The New Cambridge Medieval History, Vol. V: c. 1198 – c. 1300'', Cambridge University Press, 1999
* Bryce, James, ''The Holy Roman Empire'', 1913
* Comyn, Robert. ''History of the Western Empire, from its Restoration by Charlemagne to the Accession of Charles V, Vol. I''. 1851
* Dunham, S. A., ''A History of the Germanic Empire, Vol. I'', 1835
* {{Cite book |last=Huffman |first=Joseph Patrick |title=The Social Politics of Medieval Diplomacy: Anglo-German Relations (1066–1307) |publisher=University of Michigan Press |year=2000 |pages=133–77 |chapter=Richard the Lionheart and Otto IV: Itinerant Kingship and the City of Cologne }}
* {{Cite book |last=Keefe |first=Thomas K. |url=https://archive.org/details/feudalassessment0000keef |title=Feudal Assessments and the Political Community Under Henry II and His Sons |publisher=University of California Press |year=1983 |isbn=9780520045828 |url-access=registration}}
* {{Cite book |last=McLynn |first=Frank |title=Lionheart and Lackland: King Richard, King John and the Wars of Conquest |publisher=Vintage |year=2007 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Norgate |first=Kate |url=https://archive.org/stream/englandunderange02norguoft |title=England Under the Angevin Kings |publisher=Macmillan |year=1887 |author-link=Kate Norgate}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite journal |last=Murray |first=Alan |year=1994 |title=Richard the Lionheart, Otto of Brunswick and the Earldom of York: Northern England and the Angevin Succession, 1190–91 |journal=Medieval Yorkshire |volume=23 |pages=5–12}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor}}
* {{DNB-Portal|118590774|NAME=Otto IV.|TYP=Literatur zu}}
* {{DDB|Person|118590774|TEXT=Werke über}}
* [http://opac.regesta-imperii.de/lang_de/suche.php?tags=118590774 Literature about Otto IV] in the OPAC of the ''Regesta Imperii''
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20131014151815/http://www.braunschweig.de/kultur_tourismus/stadtportraet/geschichte/welfengeschichte/kaiserstadt_otto.html Kaiserstadt Braunschweig – Otto IV]
* Deed by Otto IV for Salem Abbey, 14 July 1209, {{LBALink|10738}}
* [http://kulturerbe.niedersachsen.de/viewer/image/isil_DE-1811-HA_STAWO_2_Urk_1_Nr_1/2/#topDocAnchor Testament of Emperor Otto IV dated 1218] at kulturerbe.niedersachsen.de
* {{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Otto IV. |volume=20 |page=375 |short=1}}

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{{s-hou|[[House of Welf]] |1175||May 19|1218}}
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{{s-bef|rows=2|before=[[Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry VI]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[King of Germany]]|years=1198–1209|regent1=[[Philip of Swabia|Philip]] as contender|years1=1198–1208}}
{{s-aft|rows=2|after=[[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II]]}}
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{{s-ttl|title=[[Holy Roman Emperor]]|years=1209–1215|row=3|regent1=[[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II]] as anti-king|years1=1212–1215}}

{{s-bef|before=[[Richard I]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Count of Poitou]]|years=1196–1198}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Richard I]]}}
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{{Holy Roman Emperors}}
{{German monarchs}}
{{Antique Kings of Italy}}
{{Poitou Counts}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Otto 04, Holy Roman Emperor}}
[[Category:Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor| ]]
[[Category:1175 births]]
[[Category:1218 deaths]]
[[Category:13th-century Holy Roman Emperors]]
[[Category:12th-century Kings of the Romans]]
[[Category:People excommunicated by the Catholic Church]]
[[Category:House of Welf]]
[[Category:Deaths by beating in Europe]]
[[Category:Burials at Brunswick Cathedral]]