Otto I the Illustrious of Saxony

  General Notes:

Born: Cir 836
Marriage: Hedvig of Babenberg about 869
Died: 30 Nov 912 at age 76
General Notes:
Han var først greve i Sydthüringen. Han ble hertug av Sachsen i 880, idet han etterfulgte sin bror Bruno ifølge en forordning av Ludvig III.The Germanic Thuringians appeared after about AD 350 and were conquered by the Huns in the second quarter of the 5th century; but by 500 they had established a large kingdom stretching from the Harz mountains to the Danube. As a result of the defeat of their king, Irminfrid, at Burgscheidungen on the Unstrut River by the Frankish kings Theodoric I and Chlotar I in 531, their territory was reduced to the Harz mountains and Thuringian Forest region and was governed by Frankish dukes. In the early 8th century the duchy was divided into countships to reassert royal authority, and St. Boniface converted the Thuringians to Christianity. In 908 the Thuringian March (frontier district), set up by Charlemagne against the Slavs, was seized by Otto, duke of Saxony, whose son, Henry I, duke and German king, halted a Magyar invasion of Thuringia at Riade in 933 and strengthened the defenses of the region. After the Saxon royal dynasty had died out in 1024, the Ludowing family, through Louis the Bearded, controlled Thuringia. Louis' grandson was made landgrave of Thuringia by King Lothair III in 1130.
Noted events in his life were:
• Acceded: Duke of Saxony, 880.
Otto married Hedvig of Babenberg, daughter of Heinrich of Babenberg and Baba of Spoleto, about 869. (Hedvig of Babenberg was born circa 850 and died on 24 Dec 903.)

Otto married Hedvig of Babenberg, daughter of Heinrich of Babenberg and Baba of Spoleto, about 869. (Hedvig of Babenberg was born about 850 and died on 24 Dec 903.)