The towns and castles the count holds himself: Dole on the Doubs, the comital residence; Gray on the Saone; Vesoul; Arbois and Poligny in the wine and salt country under the Jura; and Clerval on the upper Doubs, whose fortress Otto built.
Besancon is the archbishop's city, not the count's; Salins belongs to its own lords. Otto's power rests as much on his brother's crown and on violence as on this demesne.
Who he is
- Name
- Otto I of Hohenstaufen
- Title
- Count palatine of Burgundy
- Since
- 1184 or 1188-1189 (see the realm record)
- Born
- June or July 1170
- Family
- See the realm record. Heiress: Joan, born 1191.
- Confidence
- high
de.wikipedia, fr.wikipedia, en.wikipedia on Otto I; castles from standard histories of the county
Overlord
The king of the Romans, his brother Philip.
What it holds
- Dole: castle and town on the Doubs, the count's usual residence
- Gray: castle and river port on the Saone
- Vesoul: castle
- Arbois and Poligny: castles and the wine and salt villages under the Jura
- Clerval: fortress built by Otto on the Doubs
- Comital rights in the salt of Salins (extent not pinned)
- Overlordship of the county's lords (Salins, Joux, Faucogney and the rest), disputed by Auxonne and Montbeliard
How it was acquired
His mother Beatrice's inheritance.
Allies and rivals
Ally: Philip of Swabia; the archbishop of Besancon. Enemies: Stephen II of Auxonne, Richard of Montbeliard, the Ferrette kin, the bishop of Strasbourg (reconciled to Philip but not to Otto), Odo III of Burgundy, Berthold V of Zahringen.
How things stand that morning
Otto holds the demesne listed; Stephen of Auxonne and Richard of Montbeliard are in arms against him; his own death on 13 January will leave it to Joan, aged 8, under Margaret of Blois.
Wealth
Salt (Salins and the Jura springs), Saone and Doubs river traffic at Gray and Dole, Jura wine, the road toll to the Vaud. No figures.
Military
Castles of Dole, Gray, Vesoul, Arbois, Poligny, Clerval. A man of violence: three killings of great men in three years (Amadeus of Montbeliard 1195; the bishop of Strasbourg's brother, put to death in the feud begun in 1196, dated 1196-1197 or 1198 by different accounts; Ulrich of Ferrette 1197). No numbers.
Threats
- Murder or death (13 January 1200).
- Auxonne and Montbeliard raids; the duke of Burgundy through Auxonne.
What the year holds
What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.
- 13 January 1200Otto dies at Besancon (murder in most accounts); Joan succeeds under her mother.Depends on: No change to his movements. Stopped by: A warning or change of residence.
Places of note
- Castle of Dole: Comital residence
- Castle of Gray: Saone castle
- Fortress of Clerval: Built by Otto
Where the sources disagree
- Manner of death: murder (en.wikipedia, GM brief) or long illness (fr.wikipedia). See the realm record.
Evidence: Otto's acts are attested; the list of demesne castles follows standard histories and is not each pinned to 1200.
On the map: Only castle towns are drawn; the rest of the county is filled by its lords and by anchors.
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.