Otto V, called the Victorious or the Magnanimous (1439 – 9 January 1471, german: Otto der Siegreiche, der Großmütige), was

Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ra ...

and Prince of Lüneburg from 1457 to his death. He shared the principality with his brother,

Bernard Bernard ('' Bernhard'') is a French and West Germanic masculine given name. It is also a surname. The name is attested from at least the 9th century. West Germanic ''Bernhard'' is composed from the two elements ''bern'' "bear" and ''hard'' "bra ...

, until Bernard's death in 1464. Otto and Bernard were the sons of

Frederick II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg Frederick II (german: Friedrich II.), also known as Frederick the Pious (german: der Fromme) (1418–1478) was the Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Prince of Lüneburg from 1434 to 1457 and from 1471 to 1478. Life After the death of his father B ...

, and succeeded him as ruling princes when Frederick retired. After Otto's death, his father returned to rule.

Life

Otto was the son of Frederick II of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Magdalena of Brandenburg. After his brother died without issue, Otto took over the Principality of Lüneburg in 1464. Otto's reign was marked by the monastic reform movements of his time which he tried to implement in the Lüneburg monasteries. He entered

Wienhausen Abbey Wienhausen Abbey or Convent (german: Kloster Wienhausen) near Celle in Lower Saxony, Germany, is a community of Evangelical Lutheran women, which until the Reformation was a Cistercian Catholic nunnery. The abbey owns significant artworks and ...

, removed a number of art treasures which, in Otto's opinion were contrary to the ideal of monastic simplicity, and sent the

abbess An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa''), also known as a mother superior, is the female superior of a community of Catholic nuns in an abbey. Description In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Copt ...

to be "re-educated in a monastery that was already reformed."Geckler, Christa (1986). ''Die Celler Herzöge – Leben und Wirken 1371–1705'', p. 73 According to a legend, Otto was killed at a tournament on the

Celle Celle () is a town and capital of the district of Celle, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The town is situated on the banks of the river Aller, a tributary of the Weser, and has a population of about 71,000. Celle is the southern gateway to the Lü ...

jousting field. Today, a horseshoe in plaster marks the spot where Duke Otto the Magnanimous is supposed to have had the accident in 1471.

Family

Otto married Anne of Nassau-Siegen in 1467. They had the following children: * William (died 1470) * Henry (c. 1467–1532)

Ancestors

References

Sources

* Geckler, Christa (1986). ''Die Celler Herzöge: Leben und Wirken 1371–1705''. Celle: Georg Ströher. . .

External links

Die Welfen
{{DEFAULTSORT:Otto 05, Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg 1439 births 1471 deaths Princes of Lüneburg Middle House of Lüneburg