Otto of Freising

Otto of Freising (frī`zĭng), b. after 1111, d. 1158, German chronicler, bishop of Freising. He was a son of Leopold III of Austria, a half brother of Emperor Conrad III, and an uncle of Emperor Frederick I. His history of the world to 1146, usually called The Two Cities (tr. by C. C. Mierow, 1928), is modeled on St. Augustine's City of God and pessimistically foretells the end of the world. Because of the extensive information included, the chronicle is one of the most notable of medieval histories. He also began a more optimistic biography of Frederick I (financed by Frederick) but wrote only two books; two more were added by his assistant, Rahewin.