Person

Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor

c. 1175–1218 · 13th century · Also known as Otto of Brunswick

Otto IV, of the Welf dynasty, was king of Germany from 1198 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1209. A son of Henry the Lion and nephew of Richard I of England, he fought the Staufer Philip of Swabia for the crown and later broke with Pope Innocent III. His defeat with his English and Flemish allies at the Battle of Bouvines in 1214 ended his power, and Frederick II replaced him.

Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Image: Otto Posse (1847-1921) · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
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APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/otto-iv-holy-roman-emperor
MLA
“Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/otto-iv-holy-roman-emperor. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/otto-iv-holy-roman-emperor.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/otto-iv-holy-roman-emperor (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻