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On the north wall of Meissen Cathedral there are sculptures of Emperor Otto I and his wife Adelheid, created around 1260 by the Naumburg Master, an important but nameless sculptor and architect of the 13th century.
However, Otto the Great (912–973) was buried in Magdeburg Cathedral. “It also fits perfectly in genetic terms,” said Harald Meller, director of the State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology (LDA) of Saxony-Anhalt, in Magdeburg as he presented the latest research findings.
DNA samples from the remains in Magdeburg were compared with samples from bones in Bamberg Cathedral that are attributed to the Ottonian king Henry II. A method developed by participating archaeogeneticist Harald Ringbauer from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology for precisely determining degrees of kinship was used.
The analysis revealed a third-degree relationship. This can be explained either by a full sibling relationship or by shared ancestors on the paternal line. The result therefore matches exactly the kinship relationship between Otto I and Henry II as handed down in historical sources.
As part of the necessary restoration of the stone sarcophagus in Magdeburg, the mortal remains were exposed in 2025. Just a few days after the coffin was opened in June, the researchers reported that the bones pointed to a man of around 60 years of age. In addition, at roughly 1.80 metres tall he was above average height for the Middle Ages.
Even in his lifetime Otto I bore the epithets “the Great” and “Father of the Fatherland”. He stabilised the previously fragile East Frankish-German kingdom and, by uniting it with the Kingdom of Italy, once again linked it to the Roman imperial tradition. From this the “Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation” later emerged, which lasted until 1806.
Through marriage alliances, the founding of bishoprics and military successes, the Ottonian ruling house became one of the most powerful dynasties in Europe during his reign.
Otto I was first married to Edith of England, a daughter of the English king Edward the Elder. After her death he married Adelaide of Burgundy who, following his imperial coronation in 962, became empress and played an important political role in the empire.
The emperor had a particularly close connection to Magdeburg, which under his rule became a central political and religious location. The city served as his preferred imperial residence in the eastern part of his realm and developed into an important centre of power.
In 968 Otto I founded the Archdiocese of Magdeburg there, which was intended above all to serve the Christianisation of the Slavic territories east of the Elbe and significantly strengthened the city’s ecclesiastical importance.