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Henry the Lion

Type Figure Region Saxony Time 1129–1195 Also known as Henry, Duke of Saxony、Henry, Duke of Bavaria

Henry the Lion (c. 1129–1195), the most important duke of the Welf dynasty, long held both Saxony and Bavaria and was one of the Holy Roman Empire's …

Timeline

  1. 1129–1156Brunswick · SaxonyHenry was heir of the Welf dynasty, became Duke of Saxony in 1142, and was granted Bavaria in 1156, becoming the most powerful prince in the eastern empire, and earning the name 'Henry the Lion' from his lion rampant coat of arms.
  2. 1156–1170Lüneburg · SaxonyHenry vigorously built cities and monasteries and promoted northern German trade and colonization. He allied with Valdemar the Great of Denmark to expand eastward together, while maintaining cooperation with Emperor Frederick I yet subtly competing with him.
  3. 1171–1195Brunswick · Holy Roman EmpireIn the 1170s Henry refused to take part in the emperor's military operations in Italy, and relations sharply deteriorated. At the Worms Imperial Diet in 1180 he was stripped of the fiefs of Saxony and Bavaria and went into exile in England and elsewhere. He partially returned in 1194 and died at Brunswick in August 1195.

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