Otto Henry, Elector Palatine

Otto-Henry, Elector Palatine
Georg Pencz: Portrait of Prince-elector Otto Henry
Spouse(s)	Susanna of Bavaria
Noble family	House of Wittelsbach
Father	Ruprecht of the Palatinate
Mother	Elizabeth of Bavaria-Landshut
Born	10 April 1502 Amberg
Died	12 February 1559 (aged 56) Heidelberg

Otto-Henry, Elector Palatine, (German: Ottheinrich; 10 April 1502, Amberg^[1] – 12 February 1559, Heidelberg)^[2] a member of the Wittelsbach dynasty was Count Palatine of Palatinate-Neuburg from 1505 to 1559 and prince elector of the Palatinate from 1556 to 1559. He was a son of Rupert, Count Palatine, third son of Philip, Elector Palatine; and of Elizabeth of Bavaria-Landshut, daughter of George of Bavaria.

Life

As grandson of George of Bavaria, the young Otto Henry became regent of the new duchy of Palatinate-Neuburg after the Palatinate had lost the Landshut War of Succession against Albert IV, Duke of Bavaria. Otto Henry ordered to upgrade the Neuburg Castle, patronised the arts^[3] and was involved in several conflicts, due to his expensive holding of court a huge burden of debts caused his bankruptcy until he inherited the Electoral Palatinate in 1556. In the 1550s Otto Henry established the Bibliotheca Palatina.

In September 1546 Neuburg was occupied by the troops of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor as Otto Henry had supported the Schmalkaldic League. In 1552 in occasion of the Peace of Passau Otto Henry could return to Neuburg. As Elector from 1556 he then re-introduced the Protestant Reformation.

Otto Henry married Susanna of Bavaria (1502–43), daughter of Albert IV, Duke of Bavaria, on October 16, 1529 in Neuburg an der Donau.^[2] He was her second husband after Casimir, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth. They had no children, but Susanna brought five of her eleven children to the marriage. She left him a widower 14 years later in 1543.^[4]

Otto Henry died in Heidelberg in 1559. He is buried in the Heiliggeistkirche in Heidelberg.^[2]

Ancestors

Ancestors of Otto Henry, Elector Palatine

16. Louis III, Elector Palatine               8. Louis IV, Elector Palatine                       17. Matilda of Savoy               4. Philip, Elector Palatine                             18. Amadeus VIII of Savoy               9. Margaret of Savoy                       19. Mary of Burgundy               2. Ruprecht of the Palatinate                                   20. Henry XVI, Duke of Bavaria               10. Louis IX, Duke of Bavaria                       21. Margaret of Austria               5. Margaret of Bavaria                             22. Frederick II, Elector of Saxony               11. Amalia of Saxony                       23. Margaret of Austria               1. Otto Henry, Elector Palatine                                         24. Henry XVI, Duke of Bavaria (= 20)               12. Louis IX, Duke of Bavaria (= 10)                       25. Margaret of Austria (= 21)               6. George, Duke of Bavaria                             26. Frederick II, Elector of Saxony(= 22)               13. Amalia of Saxony (= 11)                       27. Margaret of Austria (= 23)               3. Elisabeth of Bavaria-Landshut                                   28. Jogaila               14. Casimir IV Jagiellon                       29. Sophia of Halshany               7. Hedwig Jagiellon                             30. Albert II of Germany               15. Elizabeth of Austria                       31. Elizabeth of Luxembourg

References

1. Andreas Edel, "Ottheinrich," in Neue Deutsche Biographie 19:655.
2. Schreiber, KH. "Otto Heinrich". Genealogie Mittelalter (in German). self. Retrieved 2009-10-22.
3. This included commissioning the lavishly illuminated 16th century Otthenreich Bible. Forbes, Andrew ; Henley, David (2012). Apocalypse: The Illustrated Book of Revelation (with illuminated illustrations from the Otthenreich Bible). Chiang Mai: Cognoscenti Books. ASIN: B008WAK9SS.
4. "Der Fürst". Die Reise des Pfalzgrafen Ottheinrich 1536/1537 (in German). Universitätsbibliothek Würzburg. Retrieved 2009-10-20.

External links

• Andreas Edel (1999), "Ottheinrich", Neue Deutsche Biographie (NDB) (in German) 19, Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, pp. 655–656
• Robert Salzer (1887), "Otto Heinrich", Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB) (in German) 24, Leipzig: Duncker & Humblot, pp. 713–719
• "Otto Henry, Elector Palatine". Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL) (in German).
• Hans Kilian, Drawings from Elector Ottheinrich's alchemical laboratory
• Digital exhibition of the Ottheinrich-Bible