The count palatine of Bavaria holds the house's ancestral castle of Wittelsbach near Aichach.
He appears rarely in the sources before the crime that makes him famous: on 21 June 1208 at Bamberg he will kill King Philip. In 1200 he is a young Wittelsbach in the Staufen camp, without known office at court.
Who he is
- Name
- Otto VIII of Wittelsbach
- Title
- Count palatine of Bavaria
- Since
- 1189, on the death of his father Otto VII (18 August 1189); first named as his successor in 1193
- Born
- Before 1180
- Family
- Wittelsbach: son of Otto VII, nephew of Archbishop Conrad of Mainz, cousin of Duke Louis I. Unmarried; in 1203 Philip will betroth him to his infant daughter Kunigunde, and break the betrothal in 1207.
- Confidence
- high
de.wikipedia (Otto VIII. von Wittelsbach).
Overlord
The duke of Bavaria and the king.
What it holds
- The castle of Wittelsbach, the family's ancestral seat
- Lands about Aichach (which line of the house held Aichach itself is not pinned)
- The palatine dignity of Bavaria and its rights (not pinned in detail)
How it was acquired
Inheritance from his father (1189).
Allies and rivals
His cousin the duke; his uncle the archbishop of Mainz.
How things stand that morning
Holds Wittelsbach on 1 January 1200; follows his house in backing Philip (not separately attested for 1199-1200; he appears among Philip's helpers only in 1203-1204 in the NDB).
Wealth
Family lands round the castle (not pinned).
Military
The castle of Wittelsbach (abandoned and dismantled after his outlawry in 1209).
Threats
- None recorded for 1200
Places of note
- Castle of Wittelsbach: Ancestral castle of the house.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: He is rarely mentioned before 1203; the extent of his lands is not pinned.
On the map: A small block round the castle; the house's wider lands lie east, beyond this sheet.
Primary sources for Bavaria
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- Annals of Schäftlarn and the Bavarian annals (12th and 13th centuries). Brief Bavarian annals. Read online
- The Austrian and Salzburg annals (kept in the 12th and 13th centuries, with continuations to the late 13th century). A family of monastic annals from Austria, Styria and Salzburg, printed together. Read online
- Chronicle of Otto of St Blasien, Otto of St Blasien (about 1209 to 1210). A Swabian continuation of Otto of Freising written from the Staufen side. Read online
- Regesta Imperii V: calendar of the acts of Philip, Otto IV and Frederick II, 1198 to 1272 (calendar of documents of 1198 to 1272, published 1881 to 1901). A dated calendar of every known act of King Philip and King Otto IV, with the acts of popes and princes that bear on the Empire. Read online
- Bavarian monuments: the charters of the Bavarian monasteries and bishoprics (charters from the 8th century onward, published 1763 to 1916). The great charter series of Bavaria, arranged by monastery and bishopric. Read online
- Charter book of the bishops of Trent (compiled 1207 to 1218; documents from the 11th century onward; edited 1852). The cartulary of the prince-bishops of Trent. Read online
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.