← Explore on the interactive map

Henry VI's Crusade Planning

Type Event Region Europe Time 1195–1197

Around 1195, Emperor Henry VI, having inherited Norman Sicily and controlling much of Italy, systematically planned a new large-scale crusade, interr…

Timeline

  1. 1195Holy Roman Empire · Holy Roman EmpireIn 1195 Henry VI imposed a special crusade tax (Kreuzzugsteuer) throughout the empire and convened princes and church representatives to raise funds and troops for a large-scale expedition.
  2. 1196Sicily · SicilyThe emperor used the Sicilian fleet as a base, negotiating passage and supplies with Pope Celestine III (r. 1191–1198) and the Byzantine side, and drafted plans to attack Ayyubid Egypt by sea or support Latin strongholds in the Levant. Innocent III did not ascend until January 1198, by which time Henry VI had already died.
  3. 1197Holy Roman Empire · Holy Roman EmpireAfter Henry VI's death in 1197, the imperial crusade plan lost its driving force, but the German nobles and knights already recruited still set out on the crusade as originally planned, forming the German Crusade of 1197.

Sources