Henry Berengar (1136/7–1150), sometimes numbered Henry (VI), was the eldest legitimate son of

Conrad III of Germany Conrad III (german: Konrad; it, Corrado; 1093 or 1094 – 15 February 1152) of the Hohenstaufen dynasty was from 1116 to 1120 Duke of Franconia, from 1127 to 1135 anti-king of his predecessor Lothair III and from 1138 until his death in 1152 ...

and his second wife,

Gertrude von Sulzbach Gertrude of Sulzbach (german: Gertrud; – 14 April 1146) was German queen from 1138 until her death as the second wife of the House of Hohenstaufen, Hohenstaufen king Conrad III of Germany, Conrad III. Life She was the daughter of the Duchy of ...

. He was named after his father's maternal grandfather, the

Emperor Henry IV Henry IV (german: Heinrich IV; 11 November 1050 – 7 August 1106) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1084 to 1105, King of Germany from 1054 to 1105, King of Italy and Burgundy from 1056 to 1105, and Duke of Bavaria from 1052 to 1054. He was the son ...

, and his mother's father, Count

Berengar II of Sulzbach Count Berengar II of Sulzbach (c. 1080–83 – 3 December 1125), sometimes known as Berengar I of Sulzbach, was Count of Sulzbach in Bavaria. Berengar was a leader of the reform party. He sided with Pope Gregory VII during the Investiture Controv ...

. He was groomed for the succession, but predeceased his father. In 1139, Henry was betrothed to Sophia, daughter of King Béla II of Hungary. She moved to Germany to learn German language and court culture, but relations between Germany and Hungary cooled after the death of her father in 1141. The marriage was cancelled while Sophia was still residing in Germany. After several letters to her brother, King

Géza II Géza is a Hungarian given name and may refer to any of the following: * Benjamin Géza Affleck * Géza, Grand Prince of the Hungarians * Géza I of Hungary, King of Hungary * Géza II of Hungary, King of Hungary * Géza, son of Géza II of Hunga ...

, she received permission to remain in the German monastery where she had been living. Conrad and Henry likewise approved. Conrad had the princes elect Henry, then ten years old, as co-

King of Germany This is a list of monarchs who ruled over East Francia, and the Kingdom of Germany (''Regnum Teutonicum''), from the division of the Frankish Empire in 843 and the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806 until the collapse of the German Emp ...

at a diet in

Regensburg Regensburg or is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state in the south of Germany. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the ...

on 13 March 1147, before Conrad left on the

Second Crusade The Second Crusade (1145–1149) was the second major crusade launched from Europe. The Second Crusade was started in response to the fall of the County of Edessa in 1144 to the forces of Zengi. The county had been founded during the First Cru ...

. Henry was anointed and crowned on

Laetare Sunday Laetare Sunday (Church Latin: ; Classical Latin: ; English: , , , , ) is the fourth Sunday in the season of Lent, in the Western Christian liturgical calendar. Traditionally, this Sunday has been a day of celebration, within the austere period ...

(30 March) 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 ...

. During his father's absence on crusade (June 1147–May 1149), he was placed under the tutorship of the powerful abbot

Wibald Wibald ( la, Wibaldus) (early 1098 – 19 July 1158) was a 12th-century Abbot of Stavelot (Stablo) and Malmedy, both in present-day Belgium, and of Corvey in Germany. Biography Wibald was born near Stavelot in 1098. Soon after he studied at the m ...

and the notary Heinrich von Wiesenbach. For his services, Heinrich was raised to the rank of master (''magister'') or protonotary (''protonotarius''). Nine letters (eight in full) written by or for Henry survive from this period of his reign. The young Henry was the winning general at the Battle of Flochberg (1150) against Welf VI and Welf VII. The military prowess of the young ruler was emphasised in letters (dated the week of 16–20 April 1150 at

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is a city in the region of Franconia in the north of the German state of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the ''Regierungsbezirk'' Lower Franconia. It spans the banks of the Main River. Würzburg ...

) to the

Byzantine emperor This is a list of the Byzantine emperors from the foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD, which marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, to its fall to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as ...

Manuel I Manuel I may refer to: *Manuel I Komnenos, Byzantine emperor (1143–1180) *Manuel I of Trebizond, Emperor of Trebizond (1228–1263) *Manuel I of Portugal Manuel I (; 31 May 146913 December 1521), known as the Fortunate ( pt, O Venturoso), was ...

and the empress

Irene Irene is a name derived from εἰρήνη (eirēnē), the Greek for "peace". Irene, and related names, may refer to: * Irene (given name) Places * Irene, Gauteng, South Africa * Irene, South Dakota, United States * Irene, Texas, United State ...

, Gertrude's sister, informing them of the victory. Henry died later that year and was buried at the monastery of Lorch.

Notes

Sources

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Berengar, Henry 1130s births 1150 deaths 12th-century Kings of the Romans Henry Year of birth unknown 12th-century people of the Holy Roman Empire Heirs apparent who never acceded Royalty and nobility who died as children