Otto-William (; ; 958 – 21 September 1026 AD) was count of

Mâcon Mâcon (), historically Anglicization, anglicised as Mascon, is a city in east-central France. It is the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Saône-et-Loire in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. Mâcon is home t ...

Nevers Nevers ( , ; , later ''Nevirnum'' and ''Nebirnum'') is a city and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Nièvre Departments of France, department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in central France. It was the pr ...

, and

Burgundy Burgundy ( ; ; Burgundian: ''Bregogne'') is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. ...

Life

Otto was born in 958 during the joint reign of his grandfather, King

Berengar II of Italy Berengar II ( 900 – 4 August 966) was the king of Italy from 950 until his deposition in 961. He was a scion of the Anscarid and Unruoching dynasties, and was named after his maternal grandfather, Berengar I. He succeeded his father as ma ...

, and his father, King Adalbert. His mother was Gerberga. After Adalbert's death in 971/5, Gerberga married for a second time, to Henry I, Duke of Burgundy, the younger brother of King

Hugh Capet Hugh Capet (; ; 941 – 24 October 996) was the King of the Franks from 987 to 996. He is the founder of and first king from the House of Capet. The son of the powerful duke Hugh the Great and his wife Hedwige of Saxony, he was elected as t ...

. Gerberga and Henry had no children together. Since Henry had no legitimate son of his own, he adopted Otto-William making him a possible heir of the

Duchy of Burgundy The Duchy of Burgundy (; ; ) was a medieval and early modern feudal polity in north-western regions of historical Burgundy. It was a duchy, ruled by dukes of Burgundy. The Duchy belonged to the Kingdom of France, and was initially bordering th ...

. While the son of a king, Otto did not seek a royal wife.Constance Brittain Bouchard, ''Those of My Blood: Creating Noble Families in Medieval Francia'' (Philadelphia: The University of Pennsylvania Press, 2001), p. 50 In , he married Ermentrude of Roucy, whose maternal grandmother,

Gerberga of Saxony Gerberga of Saxony ( 913 – 5 May 968/9 or 984?) was the queen of West Francia by marriage to Louis IV of France between 939 and 954. She ruled as regent during the minority of their son Lothair in 954–959. She was a member of the Ottonian ...

, was a sister of

Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), known as Otto the Great ( ) or Otto of Saxony ( ), was East Francia, East Frankish (Kingdom of Germany, German) king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the eldest son o ...

, and by this marriage alliance created a web of

consanguinity Consanguinity (from Latin '':wikt: consanguinitas, consanguinitas'' 'blood relationship') is the characteristic of having a kinship with a relative who is descended from a common ancestor. Many jurisdictions have laws prohibiting people who are ...

between later kings of France, Germany, Burgundy and the

Carolingians The Carolingian dynasty ( ; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charles Martel and his grandson Charlemagne, descendants of the Arnulfing and Pippinid ...

. Even Otto's children's spouses, although from great families, came from widespread and scattered parts of France. This marriage brought to Otto-William the County of

as well as many other rights on the left bank of the

Saône The Saône ( , ; ; ) is a river in eastern France (modern Regions of France, region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté). It is a right tributary of the Rhône, rising at Vioménil in the Vosges (department), Vosges Departments of France, department an ...

in the province of

Besançon Besançon (, ; , ; archaic ; ) is the capital of the Departments of France, department of Doubs in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. The city is located in Eastern France, close to the Jura Mountains and the border with Switzerland. Capi ...

. The new

Count of Mâcon Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

consolidated there his political grip making what would be later be the

Free County of Burgundy The Free County of Burgundy (; ) was a medieval and early modern feudal polity ruled by a count from 982 to 1678. It became known as Franche-Comté (the ''Free County''), and was located in the modern region of Franche-Comté. It belonged to t ...

around Dole. From his mother Otto could have inherited the County of

before 990.W. Scott Jessee, ''Robert the Burgundian and the Counts of Anjou, Ca. 1025-1098'' (USA: The Catholic University of America Press. 2000), p. 15 However he left Nevers to his stepson Landric and rather claimed the County of

Beaune Beaune (; in Burgundian: ''Beane'') is widely considered to be the wine capital of Burgundy in the Côte d'Or department in eastern France. It is located between Lyon and Dijon. Beaune is one of the key wine centers in France, and a major ...

in which the dowry of Gerberga was. The Duchy of Burgundy was eventually annexed to the crown of France by King Robert II, nephew of Henry I, Duke of Burgundy, in 1005. On the left-bank of the Saône, determined to be sovereign ruler of his own lands, Otto revolted against the Emperor Henry II in 1016. This was after

Rudolph III of Burgundy Rudolph III (, ; 970 – 6 September 1032), called the Idle or the Pious, was the king of Burgundy from 993 until his death. He was the last ruler of an independent Kingdom of Burgundy, and the last legitimate male member of the Burgundian line ...

, the last king of Burgundy and Arles, had done homage to Henry at

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

, making him his guard and heir. On Otto's death, the Free County fell under the suzerainty of the German emperors. Otto died on 21 September 1026 at the age of 64 and was buried in St-Benigne of

Dijon Dijon (, ; ; in Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Digion'') is a city in and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Côte-d'Or Departments of France, department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in eas ...

Marriage and issue

Otto's first wife was Ermentrude of Roucy. She bore Otto's issue: * Guy (–1006) had been associated as count of Mâcon from 995. * Matilda, married Landri of Nevers, Count of Nevers * Gerberga, married William II, Count of Provence *

Reginald I, Count of Burgundy Reginald I was the second count of the Free County of Burgundy. Born in 986, Reginald was the son of Otto-William, the first count, and Ermentrude of Roucy. He was thus born as an heir to many key lands of the Kingdom of Arles and would remain a ...

(–1057). He was married to

Alice of Normandy Alice (Adeliza, Adelaide) ( 1002 – 1038) was a daughter of Richard II, Duke of Normandy (972–1026) and Judith of Brittany. She married Reginald I, Count of Burgundy and had the following children: *William I, Count of Burgundy William ...

. * Agnes of Burgundy, Duchess of Aquitaine Otto remarried late in life to a wife named Adelaide. Some scholars have identified her as the four-times widowed Adelaide-Blanche of Anjou, but the identity is not directly attested and has been disputed by some studying the question.Christian Settipani, ''La Noblesse du Midi Carolingien'' (Prosopographia et Genealogica 5, 2004), p. 313, note 2

References

Sources

* *101 * *

External links

* Baldwin, Stewart, FASG
Adélaïde/Alix alias Blanche of Anjou
Henry Project {{DEFAULTSORT:Otto-William, Count of Burgundy Anscarids People from the Kingdom of Arles Dukes of Burgundy Counts of Burgundy Counts of Mâcon 10th-century births 1026 deaths Year of birth uncertain Sons of kings

Life

Marriage and issue

See also

References

Sources

External links