Henry the Lion's Return from Exile (1185)

Timeline

1. 1180Germany · GermanyIn 1180 Henry the Lion was declared to have forfeited his imperial fiefs at the Reichstag in Würzburg for refusing to join Frederick I's Italian expedition, lost the duchies of Saxony and Bavaria, and went into exile in England; his lands were divided among other princes.
2. 1185Germany · GermanyDriven by imperial political needs and family ties, Frederick and Henry reached a compromise: Henry was allowed to return to Germany, but without regaining his former full Saxony and Bavaria holdings, keeping only some hereditary family property (such as around Brunswick) and renouncing sovereignty claims over his former duchies.
3. 1185Brunswick · Lower SaxonyHenry ended his exile in England and returned to his home region of Brunswick, rebuilding local power as head of the Welf family. His return eased tensions in the north of the empire, allowing Frederick to campaign in Italy again in 1186 with fewer worries at home.