Otto V (''c.'' 1340 – 15 November 1379), was a

Duke of Bavaria The following is a list of rulers during the history of Bavaria. Bavaria was ruled by several dukes and kings, partitioned and reunited, under several dynasties. Since 1949, Bavaria has been a democratic state in the Federal Republic of Germ ...

and Elector of Brandenburg as Otto VII. Otto was the fourth son of Holy Roman Emperor Louis IV by his second wife Margaret II of Avesnes, Countess of Hainaut and

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...

Biography

Jointly duke of

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...

with his five brothers in 1347, he and his brothers Louis V and Louis VI became joint dukes of Upper Bavaria after the partition of Bavaria in 1349. In 1351, he and Louis VI gave up their rights in Bavaria to Louis V in return for the Margraviate of Brandenburg. In 1356 Louis VI and Otto were invested with the

electoral dignity The prince-electors (german: Kurfürst pl. , cz, Kurfiřt, la, Princeps Elector), or electors for short, were the members of the electoral college that elected the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. From the 13th century onwards, the prince ...

. Otto, still a minor, grew up in his mother's lands in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

under tutelage of his brother Louis V. In 1360 Otto came to age. With the death of Louis VI in 1365, Otto became sole Elector of Brandenburg. On 19 March 1366, Otto married

Katharine of Bohemia Catherine of Bohemia ( cs, Kateřina Lucemburská, german: Katharina von Böhmen; 19 August 1342 – 26 April 1395) also known as Catherine of Luxembourg was Electress of Brandenburg, the second daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV ...

(1342–86), daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV and widow of

Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria Rudolf IV (1 November 1339 – 27 July 1365), also called Rudolf the Founder (german: der Stifter), was a scion of the House of Habsburg who ruled as duke of Austria (self-proclaimed archduke), Styria and Carinthia from 1358, as well as co ...

. The childless dukes Louis VI and Otto had already promised Charles the succession in Brandenburg in 1364. These arrangements were considered revenge for a conflict with their brother Stephen II concerning the Bavarian succession after the death of Meinhard III of Gorizia-Tyrol, son of Louis V. Charles IV invaded Brandenburg in 1371, however, since Otto neglected his government. Two years later Otto officially resigned in consideration of a huge financial compensation and retired in Bavaria. This was the end of the

Wittelsbach The House of Wittelsbach () is a German dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including Bavaria, the Palatinate, Holland and Zeeland, Sweden (with Finland), Denmark, Norway, Hungary (with Romania), Bohemia, the Electorate ...

rule in Brandenburg. Otto kept the electoral dignity for the rest of his life. He was accepted as nominal co-regent by his brother Stephen II, also as Otto also had been compensated by Charles with land in the former Bavarian

Nordgau The Nordgau (from the Germanic for "northern region") can refer to two distinct areas: * Nordgau (Alsace), the Alsatian Nordgau, the medieval County of Nordgau, the northern part of Alsace * Margraviate of the Nordgau The Margraviate of the Nordg ...

he now contributed. Otto then spent his time in Wolfstein castle in Landshut with amusements.

External links

*
Map of the Holy Roman Empire in 1347
, - {{Authority control 1340s births 1379 deaths 14th-century dukes of Bavaria Prince-electors of Brandenburg House of Wittelsbach Medieval child rulers Sons of emperors Children of Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor Sons of kings