de:Ottonen Ottonian dynasty is a name sometimes given to a ruling dynasty of German kings, sometimes regarded as the first dynasty of the Holy Roman Empire. Also known as the Saxon dynasty. Although never Emperor, Henry I the Fowler, Duke of Saxony, was arguably the founder of the dynasty, since his election as German king made it possible for his son, Otto the Great to take on the imperium. The family itself is also sometimes known as the Liudolfings, after one of its early members and primary leading-names.