Otto II, Margrave of Brandenburg

Otto II
Seal of Otto II
Margrave of Brandenburg
Reign	1184–1205
Predecessor	Otto I
Successor	Albert II
Born	after 1147
Died	(1205-07-04)4 July 1205
Spouse	Ada of Holland
House	House of Ascania
Father	Otto I
Mother	Judith of Poland

Otto II (after 1147 – July 4, 1205), called The Generous (German: der Freigiebige), was the third Margrave of Brandenburg from 1184 until his death.

Life

Otto II was born into the House of Ascania as the eldest son of Otto I and Judith, a daughter of the Piast Duke of Poland Bolesław III Wrymouth. Some time after his father died, Otto II married his father's widow, Ada of Holland. But he was childless.

Margrave of Brandenburg

After succeeding his father, he improved the defense and settlement of Brandenburg and waged campaigns against the Slavs and Canute VI of Denmark. In the winter of 1198–99 he devastated Danish-occupied Pomerania and consolidated his territorial gains in the subsequent year with a campaign that pressed to Rügen and threatened Hamburg. In 1200 and 1203, he supported the Hohenstaufen king Philip of Swabia against the Welfen Holy Roman Emperor, Otto IV.

Succession

After his death, his half-brother Albert II inherited the margraviate.

Sources

• Helmut, Assing (1997). Brandenburg, Anhalt und Thüringen im Mittelalter. Askanier und Ludowinger beim Aufbau fürstlicher Territorialherrschaften (in German). Cologne: Böhlau Verlag. ISBN 3-412-02497-X.
• Helmut, Assing (2002). Die frühen Askanier und ihre Frauen (in German). Bernburg.
• Lutz, Partenheimer (2001). Albrecht der Bär — Gründer der Mark Brandenburg und des Fürstentums Anhalt (in German). Cologne: Böhlau Verlag. ISBN 3-412-16302-3.
• Lyon, Jonathan R. (2013). Princely Brothers and Sisters: The Sibling Bond in German Politics, 1100–1250. Cornell University Press.