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Henry the Lion

Type Figure Region Saxony Time c. 1129–1195 Also known as Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony、Henry the Lion, Duke of Brunswick

Henry the Lion (c. 1129/1130–1195), of the Welf dynasty, Duke of Saxony from 1142 and Duke of Bavaria from 1156, was one of 12th-century Germany's mo…

Timeline

  1. c. 1129–1176Saxony and Bavaria · GermanyHe inherited the Duchy of Saxony in 1142 and added Bavaria in 1156, controlling vast territories from northern to southeastern Germany; he founded Munich in 1168, went on pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 1168–1170, and was long allied with Frederick I, making him the most powerful German prince of the 12th century.
  2. 1176–1185Brunswick · Lower SaxonyHe refused to join the campaign in Italy in 1176; in 1180 Frederick I stripped him of the duchies of Saxony and Bavaria on charges of treason, formally confirmed at the Erfurt Imperial Diet in 1181; after submitting to the emperor in 1185 he was permitted to recover part of his lands in Brunswick and its surroundings.
  3. 1189–1195Brunswick · Lower SaxonyHe took part in the Third Crusade in 1189 and returned to Brunswick in 1190; in his later years he devoted himself to urban construction and religious donations, dying at Brunswick on 6 August 1195 and being buried in Brunswick Cathedral.

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