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Otto III of Montferrat
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Otto III Palaeologus (also Otho or Ottone; died 16 December 1378) was the Margrave of Montferrat from 1372 to his death, the third of the Greek Palaeologan dynasty. He was known as Secondotto, the second Otto to rule Montferrat in his own right.
The date of his birth is not certain, but it was probably sometime between 1358 and 1361. He was the eldest son of John II and Isabella of Majorca. He succeeded as a child and ruled originally under the co-regency of his uncle Otto of Brunswick-Grubenhagen and Amadeus VI of Savoy. Otto left for Naples in 1376 to marry Queen Joan I.
Weak and inept, Secondotto could not carry the weight of government which devolved on his shoulders with the absence of his uncle. Secondotto thus decided to marry Violante (2 August 1377), the daughter of Gian Galeazzo Visconti, and affirm an alliance with that family against the House of Savoy, Piedmont, and Achaea.
When Otto of Brunswick's brother attacked and seized Asti, Secondotto called in the aid of his father-in-law, who, with a huge force, retook Asti and maintained it under Milanese control. Secondotto realised at that juncture the danger of his Milanese alliance, but by then it was too late. He gathered a force and led it against the Milanese troops and was defeated. Probably out of fear, he retreated to an unknown destination. He was assassinated at Langhirano in the vicinity of Parma.
When his uncle received news of his death, he returned at once to the margraviate to handle the succession. He placed Secondotto's brother John III on the Montferrat throne.
| Preceded by John II |
Margrave of Montferrat 1372 – 1378 |
Succeeded by John III |