Henry (VII) of Germany
Encyclopedia
Henry (1211 – 12 February ? 1242) was King of Sicily from 1212, Duke of Swabia
from 1216, and King of Germany (formally Rex Romanorum
) from 1220. He was the son and co-king of Emperor Frederick II
and elder brother of Conrad IV of Germany
. He was the seventh Henry to rule Germany, but in order to avoid confusion with Henry VII, Holy Roman Emperor
, he is usually numbered Henry (VII).
and his first wife, Constance of Aragon. His maternal grandparents were Alfonso II of Aragon
and Sancha of Castile.
He was born in 1211 in Sicily
. When Frederick sought the crown of Germany, he had his son crowned King of Sicily in February 1212 by Pope Innocent III
, since an agreement between Frederick and the Pope stated that the kingdoms of Germany and Sicily should not be united under one ruler. For this, the regency of the Kingdom went to his mother and not to his father.
However, after the death of the Pope in 1216, Frederick called his son to Germany and again assumed the title of King of Sicily in 1217. Henry's mother remained as regent in Sicily, now on behalf of her husband, until 1220.
In Germany, Frederick II entrusted him with the Duchy of Swabia
. After the end of the Zähringen line in 1219 Henry also received the title of Rector of Burgundy
, though that title disappeared again when Henry was elected king.
On 20/26 April 1220, the German princes assembled at Frankfurt-am-Main elected him King, for which the Emperor issued Confoederatio cum principibus ecclesiasticis
, favoring the lords spiritual. The election had been a condition to Frederick II redeeming his Crusade promises of 1215, because the succession question, in case of the emperor's death on the crusade, was clarified by them. However, Pope Honorius III
did not recognize the election and also deprived him of his rights over the Sicilian Kingdom, because he (just as his predecessor) wanted to prevent the union of both countries. Also numerous German princes had rejected the election in the first moment.
After Frederick II returned to Italy
in 1220, Henry was placed under the tutelage of Archbishop Engelbert I
of Cologne
, who crowned him as German King on May 8, 1222, in Aachen
. Despite the fact that Henry was formally betrothed to Agnes of Bohemia
, Engelbert planned his marriage with one of the daughters of the King John of England; however, this union never took place. After Engelbert's death in 1225, Louis I
, Duke of Bavaria
, took over the guardianship. The young King was mostly in the care of imperial Ministerialis
. They also acted as administrators over his Duchy of Swabia. In the meanwhile, the betrothal between Henry and the Bohemian princess was cancelled.
In Nürnberg on 29 November 1225, by order of his father, Henry married a woman seven years older than he was, Margaret
, the daughter of Duke Leopold VI of Austria. Sixteen months later, on 23 March 1227, she was crowned German Queen in Aachen
. This union produced two sons: Henry (who died young ca. 1242/1245) and Frederick.
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Henry seems to have been a lively, cultured ruler and kept many Minnesänger
at his court. It is possible he wrote some Minnelieder (courtly love poetry) himself. He was physically robust, although lame, and about 1.66 m (5' 4½") tall.
on May 1, 1231 the Statutum in favorem principum
, in favour of the princes and directed against the cities, and by their complaints turned Frederick II against his son — the Emperor was dependent on the support of the princes for his Italian policies. Among other things who augmented the discord between father and son, Frederick lifted several regulations on Henry during his minority years who reduce his authority, and on the other side, the action of Count Egeno V of Freiburg, an staunch enemy of the Emperor, who became in the most important of Henry's advisers.
In 1232, Henry swore obedience to his father in Cividale. In the same year, Henry renewed the league between the Hohenstaufen and the French royal house of Capet, and in the following year, subdued Otto II
of the Palatinate, the son of Duke Louis of Bavaria. In 1233/34, however, he made his father angry again, when he intervened against the inquisitor
Conrad of Marburg, while his father was trying to bring Pope Gregory IX
into an alliance against the Lombards
.
Frederick II reacted strongly and outlawed his son on 5 July 1234. Henry revolted and formed an alliance with the Lombards in December. However, he was forced to submit to his father on 2 July 1235 in Wimpfen, forsaken by most of his followers. Frederick II and the nobles tried Henry on 4 July 1235 in Worms and dethroned him. His younger brother Conrad
was appointed Duke of Swabia and also elected King.
Henry's allies were pardoned as far as possible. Frederick II reacted to the weakening of the royal power originated by his dispute with his son, among other things, with the Imperial Meeting (German: Reichsversammlung) in Mainz
on 25 August 1235, on which for first time a Country Peace Law (German: Landfriedensgesetz) was remitted and the Regalia
right was reformed fundamentally.
. His seclusion may have been dictated as much by his health as by his rebelliousness: analysis of his skeleton in 1998–1999 has shown that he was suffering from advanced leprosy
in his last years. This was perhaps the real cause which prevented the Emperor from forgiving him.
Possibly on 12 February 1242, Henry died near to Martirano
after a fall from his horse when he was moved there from Nicastro
. Some chroniclers report that it had been an attempted suicide. His father had him buried with royal honours in the cathedral of Cosenza
, in an antique Roman sarcophagus
.
Frederick, Henry's second and only surviving son, was deprived of the succession jointly with his father after his rebellion in 1235. However, his grandfather Frederick II, in his testament, entrusted him with the Duchy of Austria
and the Marquisate of Styria, but he could never take over the government of these lands and died few years later (ca. 1251/1252) unmarried and childless.
Among the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire, Henry is numbered only in parentheses, as he did not exercise the sole kingship. He is not to be confused with the later Emperor Henry VII of the House of Luxembourg.
Duke of Swabia
The following is a list of Dukes of Swabia in southwest Germany.Swabia was one of the five stem duchies of the medieval German kingdom, and its dukes were thus among the most powerful magnates of Germany. The most notable family to hold Swabia were the Hohenstaufen, who held it, with a brief...
from 1216, and King of Germany (formally Rex Romanorum
King of the Romans
King of the Romans was the title used by the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire following his election to the office by the princes of the Kingdom of Germany...
) from 1220. He was the son and co-king of Emperor Frederick II
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick II , was one of the most powerful Holy Roman Emperors of the Middle Ages and head of the House of Hohenstaufen. His political and cultural ambitions, based in Sicily and stretching through Italy to Germany, and even to Jerusalem, were enormous...
and elder brother of Conrad IV of Germany
Conrad IV of Germany
Conrad IV was king of Jerusalem , of Germany , and of Sicily .-Biography:...
. He was the seventh Henry to rule Germany, but in order to avoid confusion with Henry VII, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry VII, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry VII was the King of Germany from 1308 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1312. He was the first emperor of the House of Luxembourg...
, he is usually numbered Henry (VII).
Under custody
Henry was the only son of Frederick IIFrederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick II , was one of the most powerful Holy Roman Emperors of the Middle Ages and head of the House of Hohenstaufen. His political and cultural ambitions, based in Sicily and stretching through Italy to Germany, and even to Jerusalem, were enormous...
and his first wife, Constance of Aragon. His maternal grandparents were Alfonso II of Aragon
Alfonso II of Aragon
Alfonso II or Alfons I ; Huesca, 1-25 March 1157 – 25 April 1196), called the Chaste or the Troubadour, was the King of Aragon and Count of Barcelona from 1164 until his death. He was the son of Ramon Berenguer IV of Barcelona and Petronilla of Aragon and the first King of Aragon who was...
and Sancha of Castile.
He was born in 1211 in Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
. When Frederick sought the crown of Germany, he had his son crowned King of Sicily in February 1212 by Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III was Pope from 8 January 1198 until his death. His birth name was Lotario dei Conti di Segni, sometimes anglicised to Lothar of Segni....
, since an agreement between Frederick and the Pope stated that the kingdoms of Germany and Sicily should not be united under one ruler. For this, the regency of the Kingdom went to his mother and not to his father.
However, after the death of the Pope in 1216, Frederick called his son to Germany and again assumed the title of King of Sicily in 1217. Henry's mother remained as regent in Sicily, now on behalf of her husband, until 1220.
In Germany, Frederick II entrusted him with the Duchy of Swabia
Swabia
Swabia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany.-Geography:Like many cultural regions of Europe, Swabia's borders are not clearly defined...
. After the end of the Zähringen line in 1219 Henry also received the title of Rector of Burgundy
King of Burgundy
The following is a list of the Kings of the two Kingdoms of Burgundy, and a number of related political entities devolving from Carolingian machinations over family relations.- Kings of the Burgundians :...
, though that title disappeared again when Henry was elected king.
On 20/26 April 1220, the German princes assembled at Frankfurt-am-Main elected him King, for which the Emperor issued Confoederatio cum principibus ecclesiasticis
Confoederatio cum principibus ecclesiasticis
The Confoederatio cum principibus ecclesiasticis of 26 April 1220 is a source of law of the Holy Roman Empire on German territory.-Origin:...
, favoring the lords spiritual. The election had been a condition to Frederick II redeeming his Crusade promises of 1215, because the succession question, in case of the emperor's death on the crusade, was clarified by them. However, Pope Honorius III
Pope Honorius III
Pope Honorius III , previously known as Cencio Savelli, was Pope from 1216 to 1227.-Early work:He was born in Rome as son of Aimerico...
did not recognize the election and also deprived him of his rights over the Sicilian Kingdom, because he (just as his predecessor) wanted to prevent the union of both countries. Also numerous German princes had rejected the election in the first moment.
After Frederick II returned to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
in 1220, Henry was placed under the tutelage of Archbishop Engelbert I
Engelbert II of Berg
Count Engelbert II of Berg, also known as Saint Engelbert, Engelbert of Cologne, Engelbert I, Archbishop of Cologne or Engelbert I of Berg, Archbishop of Cologne was Archbishop of Cologne and a saint; he was the victim of a notorious murder by a member of his own family.-Early life:Engelbert was...
of Cologne
Archbishopric of Cologne
The Electorate of Cologne was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire and existed from the 10th to the early 19th century. It consisted of the temporal possessions of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cologne . It was ruled by the Archbishop in his function as prince-elector of...
, who crowned him as German King on May 8, 1222, in Aachen
Aachen
Aachen has historically been a spa town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Aachen was a favoured residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the Kings of Germany. Geographically, Aachen is the westernmost town of Germany, located along its borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, ...
. Despite the fact that Henry was formally betrothed to Agnes of Bohemia
Agnes of Bohemia
Saint Agnes of Bohemia , or Agnes of Prague , was a medieval Bohemian princess who opted for a life of charity and piety over a life of luxury and comfort...
, Engelbert planned his marriage with one of the daughters of the King John of England; however, this union never took place. After Engelbert's death in 1225, Louis I
Louis I, Duke of Bavaria
Duke Louis I of Bavaria was the Duke of Bavaria in 1183 and Count Palatine of the Rhine in 1214. He was a son of Otto I and his wife Agnes of Loon. Louis was married to Ludmilla, a daughter of Duke Frederick of Bohemia.-Biography:Louis extended the duchy of Bavaria and founded many cities...
, Duke of Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, took over the guardianship. The young King was mostly in the care of imperial Ministerialis
Ministerialis
Ministerialis ; a post-classical Latin word, used in English, meaning originally servitor, agent, in a broad range of senses...
. They also acted as administrators over his Duchy of Swabia. In the meanwhile, the betrothal between Henry and the Bohemian princess was cancelled.
In Nürnberg on 29 November 1225, by order of his father, Henry married a woman seven years older than he was, Margaret
Margaret, Duchess of Austria
Margaret of Austria , was a Queen Consort of the Romans 1225–35, titular Duchess of Austria in 1252–60, and Queen consort of Bohemia 1253–60....
, the daughter of Duke Leopold VI of Austria. Sixteen months later, on 23 March 1227, she was crowned German Queen in Aachen
Aachen
Aachen has historically been a spa town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Aachen was a favoured residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the Kings of Germany. Geographically, Aachen is the westernmost town of Germany, located along its borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, ...
. This union produced two sons: Henry (who died young ca. 1242/1245) and Frederick.
Minnesang
Minnesang was the tradition of lyric and song writing in Germany which flourished in the 12th century and continued into the 14th century. People who wrote and performed Minnesang are known as Minnesingers . The name derives from the word minne, Middle High German for love which was their main...
at his court. It is possible he wrote some Minnelieder (courtly love poetry) himself. He was physically robust, although lame, and about 1.66 m (5' 4½") tall.
Majority and rebellion against his father
In 1228, he had a falling-out with Duke Louis of Bavaria, who was suspected of plotting with the Pope against Emperor Frederick II. Around Christmas of that year, Henry took over the rule for himself, forced Louis to submit, and then turned against the Bishop of Strassburg. The nobles, angered by his city-friendly policies, forced him however to issue in WormsWorms, Germany
Worms is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the Rhine River. At the end of 2004, it had 85,829 inhabitants.Established by the Celts, who called it Borbetomagus, Worms today remains embattled with the cities Trier and Cologne over the title of "Oldest City in Germany." Worms is the only...
on May 1, 1231 the Statutum in favorem principum
Confoederatio cum principibus ecclesiasticis
The Confoederatio cum principibus ecclesiasticis of 26 April 1220 is a source of law of the Holy Roman Empire on German territory.-Origin:...
, in favour of the princes and directed against the cities, and by their complaints turned Frederick II against his son — the Emperor was dependent on the support of the princes for his Italian policies. Among other things who augmented the discord between father and son, Frederick lifted several regulations on Henry during his minority years who reduce his authority, and on the other side, the action of Count Egeno V of Freiburg, an staunch enemy of the Emperor, who became in the most important of Henry's advisers.
In 1232, Henry swore obedience to his father in Cividale. In the same year, Henry renewed the league between the Hohenstaufen and the French royal house of Capet, and in the following year, subdued Otto II
Otto II Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria
Otto II of Bavaria was the Duke of Bavaria and Count Palatine of the Rhine . He was a son of Louis I and Ludmilla of Bohemia and a member of the Wittelsbach dynasty.- Biography :...
of the Palatinate, the son of Duke Louis of Bavaria. In 1233/34, however, he made his father angry again, when he intervened against the inquisitor
Inquisition
The Inquisition, Inquisitio Haereticae Pravitatis , was the "fight against heretics" by several institutions within the justice-system of the Roman Catholic Church. It started in the 12th century, with the introduction of torture in the persecution of heresy...
Conrad of Marburg, while his father was trying to bring Pope Gregory IX
Pope Gregory IX
Pope Gregory IX, born Ugolino di Conti, was pope from March 19, 1227 to August 22, 1241.The successor of Pope Honorius III , he fully inherited the traditions of Pope Gregory VII and of his uncle Pope Innocent III , and zealously continued their policy of Papal supremacy.-Early life:Ugolino was...
into an alliance against the Lombards
Lombards
The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...
.
Frederick II reacted strongly and outlawed his son on 5 July 1234. Henry revolted and formed an alliance with the Lombards in December. However, he was forced to submit to his father on 2 July 1235 in Wimpfen, forsaken by most of his followers. Frederick II and the nobles tried Henry on 4 July 1235 in Worms and dethroned him. His younger brother Conrad
Conrad IV of Germany
Conrad IV was king of Jerusalem , of Germany , and of Sicily .-Biography:...
was appointed Duke of Swabia and also elected King.
Henry's allies were pardoned as far as possible. Frederick II reacted to the weakening of the royal power originated by his dispute with his son, among other things, with the Imperial Meeting (German: Reichsversammlung) in Mainz
Mainz
Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
on 25 August 1235, on which for first time a Country Peace Law (German: Landfriedensgesetz) was remitted and the Regalia
Regalia
Regalia is Latin plurale tantum for the privileges and the insignia characteristic of a Sovereign.The word stems from the Latin substantivation of the adjective regalis, 'regal', itself from Rex, 'king'...
right was reformed fundamentally.
Imprisonment and death
Henry was kept prisoner in various places in ApuliaApulia
Apulia is a region in Southern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east, the Ionian Sea to the southeast, and the Strait of Òtranto and Gulf of Taranto in the south. Its most southern portion, known as Salento peninsula, forms a high heel on the "boot" of Italy. The region comprises , and...
. His seclusion may have been dictated as much by his health as by his rebelliousness: analysis of his skeleton in 1998–1999 has shown that he was suffering from advanced leprosy
Leprosy
Leprosy or Hansen's disease is a chronic disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Named after physician Gerhard Armauer Hansen, leprosy is primarily a granulomatous disease of the peripheral nerves and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract; skin lesions...
in his last years. This was perhaps the real cause which prevented the Emperor from forgiving him.
Possibly on 12 February 1242, Henry died near to Martirano
Martirano
Martirano is a village and comune of the province of Catanzaro in the Calabria region of Italy.-History:Local historians believe that Martirano was built on the ruins of Mamertum, a city of the Roman Empire....
after a fall from his horse when he was moved there from Nicastro
Nicastro
Nicastro was a small town in the province of Catanzaro, in the Calabria region of southern Italy.Since 1968 it constitutes, together with Sambiase and Sant'Eufemia Lamezia, the city of Lamezia Terme.- Geography :...
. Some chroniclers report that it had been an attempted suicide. His father had him buried with royal honours in the cathedral of Cosenza
Cosenza
Cosenza is a city in southern Italy, located at the confluence of two historic rivers: the Busento and the Crathis. The municipal population is of around 70,000; the urban area, however, counts over 260,000 inhabitants...
, in an antique Roman sarcophagus
Sarcophagus
A sarcophagus is a funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved or cut from stone. The word "sarcophagus" comes from the Greek σαρξ sarx meaning "flesh", and φαγειν phagein meaning "to eat", hence sarkophagus means "flesh-eating"; from the phrase lithos sarkophagos...
.
Frederick, Henry's second and only surviving son, was deprived of the succession jointly with his father after his rebellion in 1235. However, his grandfather Frederick II, in his testament, entrusted him with the Duchy of Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and the Marquisate of Styria, but he could never take over the government of these lands and died few years later (ca. 1251/1252) unmarried and childless.
Among the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire, Henry is numbered only in parentheses, as he did not exercise the sole kingship. He is not to be confused with the later Emperor Henry VII of the House of Luxembourg.