Otto, Count of Louvain
Otto of Louvain | |
|---|---|
| Count of Louvain | |
| Reign | 1038–1040 |
| Predecessor | Henry I |
| Successor | Lambert II |
| Born | Second or third decade of the 11th century |
| Died | c. 1040 |
| Noble family | House of Reginar |
| Father | Henry I |
| Mother | Unknown |
Otto of Louvain (French: Otton de Louvain) was a Flemish nobleman who served as Count of Louvain from 1038 until his death around 1040.
Origins
According to the Chronicon Sigeberti, preserved in the Recueil des historiens des Gaules et de la France. Tome 11, Otto was the son of Henry I, Count of Louvain.[1] His mother’s name and ancestry are unknown.[2]
Henry I, according to the Gesta Episcoporum Cameracensium, liber III, was the son of Lambert I.[3]
Lambert I married Gerberga of Lorraine, who, according to the Genealogica comitum Buloniensium, was the daughter of Charles, Duke of Lower Lorraine.[4] Charles was married to Adelaide of Troyes, daughter of Robert of Vermandois.[5]
Biography
Very little information is available about Otto. The only source that mentions him is the Chronicon Sigeberti, preserved in the Recueil des historiens des Gaules et de la France. Tome 11, where he is identified as the son and successor of Henry I.[1]
Henry I died in 1038, as confirmed by the same chronicle,[6] having been killed by a man named Herman, who had been his prisoner.[1] Otto succeeded him as count.[7]
The Chronicon Sigeberti further reports that Otto died suddenly and prematurely, and that he was succeeded by his paternal uncle Lambert II, called Balderic.[1] According to some historians, Lambert II seized power by usurping Otto’s rightful authority.[2] By contrast, the Vita Gudilae (written between 1048 and 1051) states that Lambert II succeeded directly after his brother Henry I.
Issue
No records exist of a wife or offspring of Otto of Louvain.[8]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "Recueil des historiens des Gaules et de la France. Tome 11, pp. 421–422" [Collection of the Historians of Gaul and France, Volume 11] (in Latin). Retrieved December 19, 2025.
- ^ a b "Foundation for Medieval Genealogy: BRABANT, LOUVAIN – HENRI de Louvain" [Foundation for Medieval Genealogy: Brabant, Louvain – Henry of Louvain]. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
- ^ "Monumenta Germanica Historica, Scriptores, tomus VII: Gesta Episcoporum Cameracensium III, §9, p. 469" [Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Writers, Volume VII: Deeds of the Bishops of Cambrai] (in Latin). Archived from the original on September 29, 2018. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
- ^ "Monumenta Germanica Historica, Scriptores, tomus IX: Genealogica comitum Buloniensium, §1, p. 301" [Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Writers, Volume IX: Genealogy of the Counts of Boulogne] (in Latin). Archived from the original on September 28, 2018. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
- ^ "Monumenta Germanica Historica, Scriptores, tomus IX: Hugonis Floriacensis, Historia Francorum Senonensis, year 956, p. 368" [Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Writers, Volume IX: Hugh of Fleury, History of the Franks of Sens] (in Latin). Archived from the original on June 17, 2018. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
- ^ "Recueil des historiens des Gaules et de la France. Tome 11, p. 421" [Collection of the Historians of Gaul and France, Volume 11] (in Latin). Retrieved December 19, 2025.
- ^ "Recueil des historiens des Gaules et de la France. Tome 11, p. 422" [Collection of the Historians of Gaul and France, Volume 11] (in Latin). Retrieved December 19, 2025.
- ^ "Foundation for Medieval Genealogy: BRABANT, LOUVAIN – OTHON" [Foundation for Medieval Genealogy: Brabant, Louvain – Otto]. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
Bibliography
Primary sources
- Recueil des historiens des Gaules et de la France. Tome 11 [Collection of the Historians of Gaul and France, Volume 11] (in Latin). Paris: Imprimerie nationale.
- Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Scriptores, tomus VII [Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Writers, Volume VII] (in Latin).
- Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Scriptores, tomus IX [Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Writers, Volume IX] (in Latin).
Other sources
- "BRABANT, LOUVAIN – OTHON" [Brabant, Louvain – Otto]. Foundation for Medieval Genealogy. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
- "Dukes of Brabant and Landgraves of Hesse – Otto" [Dukes of Brabant and Landgraves of Hesse – Otto]. Genealogy.eu. Retrieved December 19, 2025.