Short Cross Sterlings

Continental Imitations

Otto II of Ravensberg

Otto II of Ravensberg († April 1, 1244) was Count of Ravensberg. After the division of the estate with his brother Ludwig he received in 1226 the areas around Vlotho and Vechta.
He was the son of Hermann II and Jutta of Thuringia. He himself married Sophia from the house of Oldenburg, daughter of Count Burchard von Wildeshausen. Their son Hermann died young and their daughter Jutta married in the first marriage the Earl Heinrich von Tecklenburg and in second marriage Walram III of Monschau.
Otto fought with his father and brothers at the beginning of the 13th century against the counts of Tecklenburg. Count Simon von Tecklenburg was killed in 1202 by one of the Ravensbergs. Otto and his father were taken captive. They had to recognize the Tecklenburg as fieds for parts of their possessions. Archbishop Adolf of Cologne mediated a reconciliation between the two parties.
After the death of his father, Otto II had the strongest position. His brother Ludwig was involved in the rule. There was a quarrel between the brothers. In 1226, both brothers, mediated by the Bishop of Paderborn and Hermann of Lippe, signed a sharing agreement (Herforder division). Ludwig got the castle Ravensberg, Bielefeld, the bailiwick over the pin Borghorst and other possessions. Otto received the greater part of the estate with the castles Vlotho and Vechta. There were also fiefs and fiefs of the archbishops of Cologne and Bremen, the bishops of Paderborn, Minden, Osnabrück, Utrecht and the monastery Corvey. Family property could be sold after the divorce only with the consent of the other brother.
After the murder of Archbishop Engelbert I of Cologne, Friedrich of Isenberg fled to the Tecklenburgers, who were related to him. These were also banned. It came to an alliance between archbishop Heinrich I of Cologne and the bishop of Osnabrück Konrad I of Velber against the Tecklenburger. Otto and Ludwig von Ravensberg also renewed the old feud. But this ended in the same year. The brothers Otto II and Ludwig concluded in 1231 with the Tecklenburgers once again an expiation contract. Various possessions came back to the Ravensberger and also the recognition of the feudal sovereignty of Tecklenburger was repealed.
After the end of the feud, wife Sophie donated the monastery Bersenbrück with the consent of his brother. In 1242 he made donations to the monastery.
In 1232 Otto took part in a Imperial Diet of King Henry in the presence of Emperor Frederick II in Worms.
In order to further consolidate the reconciliation with the Tecklenburgians, Otto vowed his still-young daughter Jutta, heiress of Vlotho and Vechta, in 1238 Heinrich von Tecklenburg as his wife, but Heinrich died shortly afterwards.
After his death Otto was buried in the monastery Bersenbrück. When the Tecklenburgers demanded the inheritance of his daughter Jutta, another feud arose with the now sole Count Ludwig.

Sterling, Otto II of Ravensberg, Vechta, ca. 1226-1244, Berghaus Vechta 2