Otto von Kerpen (died 1208) was the second Grand Master of the

Teutonic Knights The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians o ...

. Otto came from the Lords of Kerpen, a noble Rhenish ministerial family based in Kerpen Castle in the Eifel. He is named as one of the 40 knights who founded the Teutonic Order. Older sources therefore speculated that he came from Bremen. He participated in the Crusade of Henry VI in 1197. After the death of Grand Master Heinrich Walpot von Bassenheim sometime before 1208, Otto was elected Grand Master. While recent researchers assume that nothing is known about his work, it was believed in the first half of the 19th century to know that he made efforts during his tenure to give the order more independence and the same privileges like the older military orders, namely the

Templars , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...

and

Knights Hospitaller The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headq ...

. He died in 1209, and was buried in Acre.

References

Sources

* * 1208 deaths People from Vulkaneifel German untitled nobility Grand Masters of the Teutonic Order Year of birth unknown Christians of the Crusade of 1197 {{Germany-noble-stub