Otto II the Black (Czech:Ota II. Černý;c. 1085 – 18 February 1126), a member of thePřemyslid dynasty, ruled as aMoravian prince inOlomouc from 1107 and inBrno from 1123 until his death.
He was a younger son of PrinceOtto I of Olomouc and his wifeEuphemia, a daughter of theÁrpád kingBéla I of Hungary. He thereby was the grandson of theBohemian dukeBretislav I. His father ruled inOlomouc since about 1055, troubled by the centralist efforts of his elder brothersSpytihněv II andVratislav II ruling asBohemian dukes. When he died in 1087, Otto II and his elder brotherSvatopluk were expelled from Olomouc.
While the dynastical struggles within the Přemyslid family continued, Otto II and Svatopluk were able to return to Moravia in 1091. Svatopluk finally ascended the throne inPrague in 1107, having deposed his cousinBořivoj II. Otto temporarily acted as a Bohemian regent; in 1108/09 he and Savatopluk were taken hostage by KingHenry V of Germany. When Svatopluk was killed in September 1109, his brother Otto, though with considerable support by the Bohemian nobility, was not able to assert his claims to the Prague throne, which was taken by Otto's cousinVladislav I.
Around 1113 Otto married theSwabian countess Sophia, daughter of Count Henry I of Berg. Sophia's sisterRicheza of Berg had married Duke Vladislav I about 1111. Otto's marriage produced three children: Euphemia, Otto III of Olomouc (1122–1160), and Dětleb,Bishop of Olomouc.
Otto found himself in constant conflict with Duke Vladislav. Nevertheless, in 1123 he was able to succeed Vladislav's younger brotherSoběslav as Prince of Brno. When Duke Vladislav died in 1125, Otto again claimed the Bohemian throne according to the principle ofagnatic seniority. When Vladislav's brother Soběslav succeeded, Otto turned to KingLothair II who marched against Bohemia with a German army. Both sides met in theBattle of Chlumec on 18 February 1126: Lothair's forces were decisively defeated and Otto was killed in action. After the battle, Soběslav approached King Lothair and received the Bohemian duchy as anImperial fief.
Otto's widow Sophia returned to Swabia and probably retired toZwiefalten Abbey.
Otto II the Black Born:c. 1085 Died: 18 February 1126 | ||
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| Preceded by | Prince of Olomouc 1107–1126 | Succeeded by |