Otto von Freising (Otto Frisingensis) (c. 1114 in Klosterneuburg – September 22, 1158) was a German bishop and chronicler. Klosterneuburg is a city in Lower Austria, Austria with a population of 24442 Events 66 - Emperor Nero creates the Legion I Italica. 1236 - The Lithuanians Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight
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Life
He was the fifth son of Leopold III, margrave of Austria, by his wife Agnes, daughter of the emperor Henry IV. Saint Leopold III (1073 &ndash November 15, 1136) was the Margrave of Austria in 1095-1136 This is a list of Margraves Dukes Archdukes and Emperors of Austria. Agnes of Germany (1072 &ndash September 24, 1143) was the daughter of Henry IV Holy Roman Emperor and Bertha of Savoy. Henry IV ( November 11, 1050 &ndash August 7, 1106) was King of Germany from 1056 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1084 until By her first husband, Frederick I of Hohenstaufen, duke of Swabia, Agnes was the mother of the German king Conrad III, and grandmother of the emperor Frederick I. Frederick I von Staufen (1050&ndash July 21 1105) was Duke of Swabia from 1079 to his death The following is a list of Dukes of Swabia in southwest Germany This article lists the German monarchs, ruling over the territory of Germany from the creation of a separate Eastern Frankish Kingdom in 843 until the end of monarchy Conrad III may refer to Conrad III of Germany Conrad III of Provence (Conrad I of Burgundy Conrad III of Dachau Frederick I Barbarossa (1122 &ndash 10 June 1190) was elected King of Germany at Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned Also, Otto's sister Judith or Ita was married to the Marquess William V of Montferrat. Judith of Babenberg (c late 1110s/1120 &ndash after 1168 (Jutta sometimes called Julitta or Ita in Latin sources was a daughter of Agnes of Germany and William V of Montferrat (occ/piem Guilhem, it Guglielmo) (c 1115 &ndash 1191 also known as William the Old to distinguish him from his eldest son He was thus related to the most powerful families in Germany and Northern Italy.
The notices of his life are scanty and the dates somewhat uncertain. He studied in Paris, where he took an especial interest in philosophy, is said to have been one of the first to introduce the philosophy of Aristotle into Germany, and he served as provost of a new foundation in Austria. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence knowledge truth beauty justice validity mind and language Aristotle (Greek Aristotélēs) (384 BC – 322 BC was a Greek philosopher a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich
Having entered the Cistercian order, Otto convinced his father to found Heiligenkreuz Abbey in 1133, thus bringing literacy and sophisticated agriculture (including wine making) to the region that would become Vienna. Heiligenkreuz Abbey ( Stift Heiligenkreuz, Closter Heiligen Creyz or Santa Crux) is a Cistercian monastery in the village of Heiligenkreuz Wine is an Alcoholic beverage made from the fermentation of Grape juice Vienna ( in Wien; see also other names) is the Capital of Austria, and is also one of the nine States of Austria. He became abbot of the Cistercian monastery of Morimond in Burgundy about 1136, and soon afterwards was elected bishop of Freising. Morimond Abbey, situated in the present Parnoy-en-Bassigny, Haute-Marne department in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, was the fourth Burgundy (Bourgogne Burgund is a region historically situated in modern-day France and Switzerland, inhabited in turn by Celts ( Gauls) This diocese, and indeed the whole of Bavaria, was then disturbed by the feud between the Welfs and the Hohenstaufen, and the church was in a deplorable condition; but a great improvement was brought about by the new bishop in both ecclesiastical and secular matters. Bavaria ( German:, with an area of 70553 Km² (27241 square miles and almost 12 See also Elder House of Welf The House of Welf (or House of Guelph) is a European Dynasty that has included many German and British
In 1147 he took part in the disastrous crusade of Conrad III. The Second Crusade (1147&ndash1149 was the second major Crusade launched from Europe, called in 1145 in response to the fall of the County of Edessa the The section of the crusading army led by the bishop was decimated, but Otto reached Jerusalem, and returned to Bavaria in 1148 or 1149. Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the He enjoyed the favour of Conrad's successor, Frederick I; was probably instrumental in settling the dispute over the duchy of Bavaria in 1156; was present at the famous diet at Besançon in 1157, and, still retaining the dress of a Cistercian monk, died at Morimond on 22 September 1158. The following is a list of rulers during the History of Bavaria. Besançon (bəzɑ̃ˈsɔ̃ in French and Arpitan; German: Bisanz) is the capital and principal city of the Franche-Comté Events 66 - Emperor Nero creates the Legion I Italica. 1236 - The Lithuanians In 1857 a statue of the bishop was erected at Freising.
Works
Otto is most remembered for two important historical works.
Chronica de duabus civitatibus
The first of these is his Chronica sive Historia de duabus civitatibus (Chronicle or history of the two cities), a historical and philosophical work in eight books, which follows to some extent the lines laid down by Augustine and Orosius. Paulus Orosius (b circa 375 d 418? was a Christian Historian, theologian and disciple of St Written during the time of the civil war in Germany (1143-1145), it contrasts Jerusalem and Babel, the heavenly and the earthly kingdoms, but also contains much valuable information about the history of his own time. The chronicle, which was held in very high regard by contemporaries, goes down to 1146, and from this date until 1209 has been continued by Otto, abbot of St Blasius (d. St Blaise's Abbey in the Black Forest ( Kloster St Blasien) was a Benedictine monastery in the village of St 1223). In the Chronica, Otto reports a meeting he had with Bishop Hugh of Jabala, who told him of a Nestorian Christian king in the east named Prester John. Hugh of Jabala was the Bishop of the Syrian town of Jabala during the 12th century Nestorius Nestorius (c 386 &ndashc 451) was a pupil of Theodore of Mopsuestia in Antioch in Syria (modern The legends of Prester John (also Presbyter John) popular in Europe from the 12th through the 17th centuries told of a Christian Patriarch It was hoped this monarch would bring relief to the crusader states: this is the first documented mention of Prester John. The legends of Prester John (also Presbyter John) popular in Europe from the 12th through the 17th centuries told of a Christian Patriarch
Gesta Friderici Imperatoris
Better known is Otto's Gesta Friderici imperatoris (Deeds of Emperor Frederick), written at the request of Frederick I, and prefaced by a letter from the emperor to the author. The Gesta is in four books, the first two of which were written by Otto, and the remaining two, or part of them, by his pupil Ragewin, or Rahewin; it has been argued that the third book and the early part of the fourth were also the work of Otto. Beginning with the quarrel between Pope Gregory VII and the emperor Henry IV, the first book takes the history down to the death of Conrad III in 1152. Pope It is not confined to German affairs, as the author digresses to tell of the preaching of Bernard of Clairvaux, of his zeal against the heretics, and of the condemnation of Pierre Abélard; and discourses on philosophy and theology. Bernard of Clairvaux, OCist ( 1090 - August 20, 1153) was a French abbot and the primary builder of the reforming Cistercian monastic order The second book opens with the election of Frederick I in 1152, and deals with the history of the first five years of his reign, especially in Italy, in some detail. From this point (1156) the work is continued by Ragewin. Otto's Latin is excellent, and in spite of a slight partiality for the Hohenstaufen, and some minor inaccuracies, the Gesta has been rightly described as a "model of historical composition. "
References
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain. The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911 is a 29-volume reference work that marked the beginning of the Encyclopædia Britannica The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone
Further reading
- Mierow, Charles Christopher. Charles Christopher Mierow born in 19th century princeton PHD in classical languages and literature "Bishop Otto of Freising: Historian and Man", Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association, Vol. 80. (1949), pp. 393–402.
External links
- Article on his life (in German), with complete works (in Latin)
- Otto of Freising at The Latin Library
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