Otto (Father) Holland is an English knight, the 3rd son of Robert Holland, 1st Baron Holland, and Maud de La Zouch. Otto took part in the Hundred Years' War, and in 1348 became one of the 26 founding knights of the Order of the Garter. In 1359, he was appointed keeper of the Channel Islands, but died soon after.
Otto came from the knightly Holland family, known since the XIII century. The Hollands were not very large landowners in Lancashire. One of his representatives, Robert Holland of Upholand, enjoyed the great favor of Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster, thanks to which he significantly increased his possessions, which eventually amounted to 25 estates with an annual income of about 550 pounds. In addition, he married Maud de la Zouche (died 1349), one of the heiresses of the wealthy Leicestershire magnate Alan de la Zouche, who inherited after her father's death in 1314 most of her father's possessions with an annual income of almost 720 pounds. It is likely that it was because of this marriage that Robert rose from the knighthood, receiving a summons to parliament as a baron in 1314. During Lancaster's rebellion against King Edward II in March 1322, Holland defected to the king, but eventually lost his possessions and spent 5 years in prison. Although after the overthrow of Edward II in 1327, he received freedom and lands, but in 1328 he was captured by people most likely associated with Henry, Earl of Lancaster, and executed for betraying their master's brother.
Robert and Maud had 4 sons, Robert (II), Thomas, Alan and Otto (Otes), and 3 daughters, Isabella, Margaret and Matilda.
Biography
Otto was the third of the sons born in the marriage of Robert Holland and Maud de la Zouch. The main heir to his father's possessions was his older brother, Robert. The three youngest sons, Thomas, Otto and Alan, being landless knights, chose a military career in which both Thomas and Otto greatly succeeded.
After the Hundred Years' War with France began, Otto, like his older brother Thomas, took part in various military campaigns of the English King Edward III. In 1346, the brothers went to Normandy as part of the royal army. Thomas especially distinguished himself during the capture of Caen, when he captured the Constable of France, Raoul II de Brienne, Count d'E. Later, the king bought the constable from Thomas for 80 thousand florins and handed him over to Otto's protection on the condition that the prisoner would not be allowed to leave England and publicly carry weapons until a full ransom was paid for him. Nevertheless, Otto, going to Calais, took the constable with him, where he was seen at large and armed. As a result, Otto was forced to answer the charges in the court of the King's Bench, where he admitted them, but took advantage of the king's favor, getting off with a reprimand from the marshal.
In 1348, Edward III announced the foundation of a new secular order of knights, called the Order of the Garter. At the head of it was the king himself and his heir, Edward the Black Prince. In total, there were 26 founding knights in the order, including Thomas and Otto Holland, who performed well in the French campaign of 1346.
In 1355, Otto and his brother participated in a campaign in France, where, together with Sir Thomas Beaumont, he was captured in a battle near Le Grand-Serre in Dauphine. He was later bought out.
In 1356 Thomas Holland was appointed keeper of the Channel Islands. During this period, Otto, who served with him as a lieutenant, recaptured the Cornet castle from the French. In 1359, Otto himself was appointed keeper of the islands, but on September 3, 1359, he died in Normandy.
It is not known whether Otto was married, but he had no children. The heirs of his estates were the brothers Robert and Thomas.
