Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor

How are you related to Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor?

Connect to the World Family Tree to find out

Share your family tree and photos with the people you know and love

  • Build your family tree online
  • Share photos and videos
  • Smart Matching™ technology
  • Free!

Otto II "the Red" of Saxony, Holy Roman Emperor

German: Otto II. "der Rote" der Liudolfinger, römisch-deutscher Kaiser, French: Otton II "le Roux" Ludolphides, empereur du Saint-Empire, Italian: Ottone II di Sassonia, imperatore dei Romani, Greek: Όθων Β΄ "ο ερυθρός" Λιουντολφιδών, Ρωμαίο αυτοκράτορα
Also Known As: "der Rote"
Birthdate:
Birthplace: Saxony, Germany
Death: December 07, 983 (27-28)
Rome, Lazio, Italy
Place of Burial: St.Peter's Basilica, Vatican City
Immediate Family:

Son of Otto I, Holy Roman emperor and Saint Adelaide of Italy
Husband of Theophanu, Empress Consort
Father of Adelheid I, Abbess of Quedlinburg; Sophie I, Abbess of Gandersheim; Mathilde of Germany, countess Palatine of Lotharingia and Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor
Brother of Heinrich, duke of Bavaria; Bruno von Sachsen and Mathilde, Abbess Of Quedlinburg
Half brother of Emma of Italy; Wilhelm von Sachsen, Archbishop Mainz; Liudolf, Duke of Swabia and Liutgarde

Occupation: King of Germany (961-983), Holy Roman Emperor (973-983), King of Italy (980-983)
Managed by: Joyce Darlene Tharp
Last Updated:

About Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor

  • The Peerage
  • Geneall
  • Wikipedia [58 languages]
  • Holy Roman Emperor Reign 25. December 967 – 7. December 983
  • King of Germany(formally King of the Franks) Reign 26. May 961– 7.December 983
  • King of Italy(formally King of the Lombards) Reign 980-7. December 983

Predecessor: Otto I Successor: Otto III

BIOGRAPHY: b. 955

d. Dec. 7, 983, Rome

German king from 961 and Holy Roman emperor from 967, sole ruler from 973, son of Otto I and his second wife, Adelaide.

Otto continued his father's policies of promoting a strong monarchy in Germany and of extending the influence of his house in Italy. In 961 he was crowned co-regent king of Italy and Germany with his father and was made co-regent emperor in 967. On April 14, 972, he married the Byzantine princess Theophano. At his father's death in 973 he was accepted without opposition as successor, although revolts in the duchy of Bavaria and in Lorraine occupied the early years of his reign. Bavaria, the most independent of the duchies, rebelled in 974, under the leadership of its duke, Henry II the Quarrelsome, Otto's cousin. It was not until 978 that Bavaria was pacified, the same year that Lothair, king of France, invaded Lorraine. In 979 Otto received the submission of Bohemia and Poland, and in 980 Lothair renounced his claim to Lorraine. Having thus secured his German dominions, Otto marched into Italy in 980, where German rule had been maintained by an imperial party headed by Hugh, marquis of Tuscany. Otto invaded southern Italy and was decisively defeated there by the Arabs in 982. In 983 he summoned a diet at Verona, where his young son, Otto III, was crowned German king. Otto II died in 983 while attempting to bring Venice under imperial control. His absence from Germany had occasioned revolts along its borders, and after his defeat in Calabria in 982 the German position east of the Elbe collapsed because of a revolt by the Danes and an invasion by the Slavs. Nonetheless, Otto left a firmly established realm to his son and successor Otto III.

Copyright © 1994-2001 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.


6. OTTO (end 955-Rome 7 Dec 983, bur Rome St Peter's[292]). Regino records the birth of "Otto filius regis" at the end of 955[293]. "Ottone fratre [Machtild unica filia…patre Otto imperatore et matre Athelheida imperiatrice]" was recorded by Annalista Saxo[294]. He was elected associate King of Germany at Worms and crowned at Aachen 26 May 961. He was crowned associate Emperor 25 Dec 967 at Rome[295]. He was elected OTTO II "Rufus"[296] King of Germany at Worms early May 973, crowned at Aachen 26 May 973... ... ...


Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.

Leo: The Normans in Sicily , Norwich, John Julius, Reference: Biographical details.

Leo: Europäische Stammtafeln, J.A. Stargardt Verlag, Marburg, Schwennicke, Detlev (Ed.), Reference: 1.1 10.

Leo: Europäische Stammtafeln, Band I, Frank Baron Freytag von Loringhoven, 1975, Isenburg, W. K. Prinz von, Reference: Page 3.


multilingual FIX intervention April 2020

Waiting for the possibility to add as many display names as you want, without however having to remove visibility to the main languages of the family node, list here, ready to be put back with a possible simple cut and paste:

  • Nederlands: Otto II, Rooms-Duits koning en keizer
  • Portugues: Otão II, imperador Romano-Germânico
  • Russian: Отто́н II, император Священной Римской империи
  • Bulgarian: Ото II, император на Свещената Римска Империя ("Лиудолфинг , Рижия")
  • Dansk: Otto 2. Kejser af Det Tysk-Romerske Rige
  • Espanol: Otón II, emperador del Sacro Imperio ("el Rojo")
  • Svenska: Otto II, tysk-romersk kejsare


view all 12

Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor's Timeline

955
955
Saxony, Germany
973
973
- 983
Age 18
Emperor
973
Age 18
Germany - Saxon King & Emperor
977
December 977
978
978
979
June 979
Saxony, Germany
980
June 23, 980
Kessel, Goch, Düsseldorf, NRW, Germany
983
December 7, 983
Age 28
Rome, Lazio, Italy
983
Age 28
St.Peter's Basilica, Vatican City (Holy See (Vatican City State))