After the death of Frederick I Barbarossa, some of the crusaders in the army left for home but Otto joined one of the groups that went on towards Syria and Palestine.
After arriving in the Holy Land, Otto joined the army of Guy of Lusignan, the King of Jerusalem, who was besieging the city of Acre.
Further hardships decimated the army of the late Frederick, and by the spring of 1191 most of them had left for home.
[1] He is mentioned as the first Count of the combined area of Guelders and Zutphen in 1190.
Richardis was a daughter of Otto I Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria and Agnes of Loon.