He was born about 1180 the eldest son of Duke
Berthold of Merania and his wife
Agnes of Rochlitz. On the death of his father in 1204, he succeeded him as Duke of
Merania, while the margravial titles in Istria and Carniola were inherited by his younger brother
Henry II. On 21 June 1208, Otto married
Beatrice II, Countess of Burgundy of House Hohenstaufen, daughter of late Count
Otto I of Burgundy. At the wedding ceremony in
Bamberg, the Hohenstaufen king
Philip of Swabia was murdered, whereafter Otto approached his
Welf rival
Otto IV. However, the position of the Andechs dynasty was significantly weakened. Otto's brother Henry II was accused of having been involved in Philip's assassination and his estates were seized by Duke
Ludwig I of Bavaria. Otto assumed the rule in the
County of Burgundy, which was contested by the local Counts of
Auxonne and in the long-time struggle, Otto even had to give the Burgundian lands in pawn to Count
Theobald IV of Champagne. In 1217 Otto had joined the
Babenberg duke
Leopold VI of Austria and his brother-in-law King
Andrew II of Hungary in the
Fifth Crusade. In 1222, a dispute arose with
Gerard I de Rougemont, the
Archbishop of Besançon over the building of a castle which violated a vow taken by his predecessor,
Otto I of Burgundy (d.1200). When Otto failed to raze the castle or give an explanation for his actions, the archiepiscopal court excommunicated him and placed his lands under interdict. He immediately turned to his brother
Ekbert, Bishop of Bamberg for help in
Bamberg. On 20 October 1223, Otto issued five charters consisting of lavish donations to religious communities. In 1228 he inherited the Marches of Istria and Carniola, which his brother Henry II had regained shortly before. On Beatrice's death in 1231, he ceased to be Count and was succeeded by his son as Otto III. On his own death in 1234, he was further succeeded by his son as
Otto II, Duke of Merania. ==Marriage and children==