Henry (VII) (1211 – 12? February 1242), a member of the
Hohenstaufen
The Hohenstaufen dynasty (, , ), also known as the Staufer, was a noble family of unclear origin that rose to rule the Duchy of Swabia from 1079, and to royal rule in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages from 1138 until 1254. The dynas ...
dynasty
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A ...
, was
King of Sicily from 1212 until 1217 and
King of Germany (formally ''
Rex Romanorum
King of the Romans ( la, Rex Romanorum; german: König der Römer) was the title used by the king of Germany following his election by the princes from the reign of Henry II (1002–1024) onward.
The title originally referred to any German k ...
'') from 1220 until 1235, as son and co-ruler of Emperor
Frederick II. He was the seventh Henry to rule Germany, but in order to avoid confusion with the
Luxembourg
Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...
emperor
Henry VII, he is usually numbered Henry (VII).
Under custody
Henry was born in
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
, population_note =
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, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 = Ethnicity
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographi ...
, the only son of King Frederick II and his first wife,
Constance of Aragon.
[Steven Runciman, ''The Sicilian Vespers'', (Cambridge University Press, 2000), 26.] He was the elder brother of
Conrad IV, who eventually succeeded him as king.
While Frederick sought to be
elected German king against his
Welf rival
Otto IV, he had his new-born son crowned King of Sicily (as Henry II) by
Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III ( la, Innocentius III; 1160 or 1161 – 16 July 1216), born Lotario dei Conti di Segni (anglicized as Lothar of Segni), was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 to his death in 16 ...
in March 1212, 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 Sicilian kingdom went to his mother Constance and not to his father.
However, after the death of the Pope in 1216, Frederick called his son to
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
, entrusted him with the
Duchy of Swabia,
['' Welfs, Hohenstaufen and Habsburgs'', Michael Toch, 384.] 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. After the extinction of the Swabian
Zähringen line in 1219 Henry also received their title of a ''Rector of
Burgundy'',
though that title disappeared when Henry was elected king.
On 20/26 April 1220, the German princes assembled at
Frankfurt
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on it ...
elected Henry King of the Romans, for which the Emperor issued ''
Confoederatio cum principibus ecclesiasticis
The ''Confoederatio cum principibus ecclesiasticis'' ("Treaty with the princes of the church") was decreed on 26 April 1220 by Frederick II as a concession to the German bishops in return for their co-operation in the election of his son Henry ...
'', favoring the
prince-bishops.
"The chief Princes present at Frankfort were the Archbishops of Mayence, Cologne, Treves, and Magdeburg, several Bishops, the Dukes of Bavaria and Brabant, the Landgrave of Thuringia, the Margraves of Namur and Baden, the Counts of Holland and Cleves, and the officials of Frederick's court." 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 (c. 1150 – 18 March 1227), born Cencio Savelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 18 July 1216 to his death. A canon at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, he came to hold a number of import ...
did not recognize the election and also deprived Henry 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 ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
in 1220, Henry was placed under the tutelage of Archbishop
Engelbert I of Cologne,
who crowned him German king on 8 May 1222, in
Aachen
Aachen ( ; ; Aachen dialect: ''Oche'' ; French and traditional English: Aix-la-Chapelle; or ''Aquisgranum''; nl, Aken ; Polish: Akwizgran) is, with around 249,000 inhabitants, the 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, and the 28th ...
. Despite the fact that Henry was formally betrothed to the
Přemyslid princess
Agnes of Bohemia
Agnes of Bohemia, O.S.C. ( cs, Svatá Anežka Česká, 20 January 1211 – 2 March 1282), also known as Agnes of Prague, was a medieval Bohemian princess who opted for a life of charity, mortification of the flesh and piety over a life of luxury ...
, daughter of King
Ottokar I of Bohemia
Ottokar I ( cs, Přemysl Otakar I.; c. 1155 – 1230) was Duke of Bohemia periodically beginning in 1192, then acquired the title of King of Bohemia, first in 1198 from Philip of Swabia, later in 1203 from Otto IV of Brunswick and in 1212 (a ...
, Engelbert planned his marriage with
Isabella of England
Isabella of England (1214 – 1 December 1241) was an English princess of the House of Plantagenet. She became Holy Roman Empress, Queen of Sicily, Italy and Germany from 1235 until her death as the third wife of Emperor Frederick II.
Life ...
, one of the daughters of King
John Lackland; however, this union never took place. After Engelbert's death in 1225, Duke
Louis I of Bavaria
en, Louis Charles Augustus
, image = Joseph Karl Stieler - King Ludwig I in his Coronation Robes - WGA21796.jpg
, caption = Portrait by Joseph Stieler, 1825
, succession=King of Bavaria
, reign =
, coronation ...
took over the guardianship. The young King was mostly in the care of imperial ''
ministeriales'', like
Conrad of Winterstetten Conrad of Winterstetten ( – February 1243) was a German royal official during the reign of the Emperor Frederick II. He held the court title of butler and was active mainly in Swabia. From 1221 until 1234, he was a close associate, originally th ...
. They also acted as administrators over his Swabian duchy. 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
Margaret of Babenberg, daughter of Duke
Leopold VI of Austria, a woman seven years older than he was.
Sixteen months later, on 23 March 1227, she was crowned
German queen
German queen (german: Deutsche Königin) is the informal title used when referring to the wife of the king of the Kingdom of Germany. The official titles of the wives of German kings were Queen of the Germans and later Queen of the Romans ( la, ...
in Aachen. The marriage produced two sons, Henry and Frederick, who both died at a young age.
Henry seems to have been a lively, cultured ruler and kept many ''
Minnesänger
(; "love song") was a tradition of lyric- and song-writing in Germany and Austria that flourished in the Middle High German period. This period of medieval German literature began in the 12th century and continued into the 14th. People who wr ...
'' 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
Pope Gregory IX
Pope Gregory IX ( la, Gregorius IX; born Ugolino di Conti; c. 1145 or before 1170 – 22 August 1241) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 March 1227 until his death in 1241. He is known for issuing the '' Decre ...
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 German princes, angered by his
city
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
-friendly policies, forced him however to issue in
Worms on 1 May 1231 the ''
Statutum in favorem principum
The ''Statutum in favorem principum'' ("Statute in favour of the princes") of 1231, reaffirmed in 1232, counts as one of the most important sources of law of the Holy Roman Empire on German territory.
In May 1231 Frederick II's son Henry, King ...
'', 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 against the Pope. Among other things which augmented the discord between father and son, Frederick lifted several regulations Henry had stipulated during his minority years to reduce his authority, and on the other side, the elevation of the Swabian count Egeno V of
Urach, a staunch enemy of the Emperor, who became the most important of Henry's advisers.
In 1232, Frederick came to terms with Pope Gregory, confirmed the ''Statutum'', and had Henry swear obedience in
Cividale. In the same year, Henry renewed the league between the Hohenstaufen and the French royal
Capetian dynasty. In the following year he entered into a conflict with the
House of Wittelsbach and subdued
Otto II of the Palatinate, the son of Duke Louis of Bavaria. Frederick, fearing the discontent of the German princes, demanded the release of all hostages. In 1233/34, however, Henry made his father angry again, when he intervened against some
inquisition measures, especially the Archbishop of Bremen's
crusade against rebellious peasants of
Stedingen
Stedingen is an area north of Bremen in the delta of the Weser river in north-western Germany.
Founding
In 1106, five Dutchmen journeyed from the mouth of the Rhine to Bremen to negotiate an arrangement with Archbishop Frederick I of Bremen t ...
. Pope Gregory IX, who had authorised the crusade, excommunicated Henry. Emperor Frederick outlawed his son on 5 July 1234
and announced his return to Germany.
Henry revolted and in September formed an alliance with several German bishops and Swabian nobles. However, further negotiations with King
Louis IX of France and the Lombard League failed. The princes adopted a wait-and-see stance, while Henry's forces were stuck in fights with the Lords of
Hohenlohe
The House of Hohenlohe () is a German princely dynasty. It ruled an immediate territory within the Holy Roman Empire which was divided between several branches. The Hohenlohes became imperial counts in 1450. The county was divided numerous tim ...
, Margrave
Herman V of Baden, and the City of Worms. Emperor Frederick, once he had entered Germany, soon gained a large following. When both sides met in Swabia, Henry was forced to submit to his father on 2 July 1235 at
Wimpfen
Bad Wimpfen () is a historic spa town in the district of Heilbronn in the Baden-Württemberg region of southern Germany. It lies north of the city of Heilbronn, on the river Neckar.
Geography
Bad Wimpfen is located on the west bank of the Rive ...
Castle, forsaken by most of his followers. Frederick II and the princes tried Henry on 4 July 1235 in Worms and dethroned him. His sons were deprived of the succession jointly with him. Henry's younger brother Conrad was appointed Duke of Swabia instead and also elected King of the Romans.
Henry's allies were mostly pardoned. Frederick II reacted to the weakening of the royal power originated by his dispute with his son, among other things, with the diet in
Mainz
Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-west, with Ma ...
on 25 August 1235, which for first time passed a law on the public peace (German: ''Landfriedensgesetz'') and fundamentally reformed the
Regalia.
Imprisonment and death
Henry was kept prisoner in various places, first in
Heidelberg
Heidelberg (; Palatine German: ') is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914, of which roughly a quarter consisted of students ...
and
Alerheim Castle, later in
Apulia and at
Rocca San Felice
Rocca San Felice is a town and '' comune'' in the province of Avellino, Campania, southern Italy.
Geography
Located in the central area of Irpinia, the municipality borders with Frigento, Guardia Lombardi, Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi, Sturno and V ...
in
Campania
(man), it, Campana (woman)
, population_note =
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. 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, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria '' Mycobacterium leprae'' or '' Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve d ...
in his last years.
This was perhaps the real cause which prevented the emperor from forgiving him.
Possibly on 12 February (according to other sources 10 February) 1242 Henry died near
Martirano in
Calabria 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, the only surviving son of Henry (VII), was named in the testament of his grandfather Frederick II, where the Emperor entrusted him with the
Duchy of Austria, the
Marquisate of Styria and 10,000 uncias. His death in 1251 was recorded by
Matthew Paris, who claimed that both he and his older brother were poisoned (''veneno interfecit'').
[''Matthæi Parisiensis Monachi Sancti Albani Chronica Majora'', Vol. V, 1254, p. 448.]
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 who actually ruled the Empire from 1308 onwards. Long time in his father's shadow and disparaged as "Parentheses Henry", several historians in recent years have adopted a more positive view of his Hohenstaufen policies.
Ancestry
See also
*
Dukes of Swabia family tree
Notes
External links
Gino Fornaciari, ''The Leprosy of Henry VII (1211–1242), son of Frederick II and King of Germany''.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Henry 07 Of Germany
1211 births
1242 deaths
13th-century Kings of the Romans
13th-century Kings of Sicily
Hohenstaufen
Dukes of Swabia
Nobility from Palermo
Deaths from leprosy
Medieval child rulers
13th-century people of the Holy Roman Empire
Heirs apparent who never acceded
Children of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
Sons of emperors