Henry the Proud

Timeline

1. c. 1108–1137Bavaria · BavariaHenry was the son of Welf Henry the Black and succeeded as Duke of Bavaria after his father's death in 1126. In 1127 he married Gertrude, daughter of Emperor Lothair III, thereby forging a close dynastic alliance with the imperial house, becoming an important political pillar of Lothair and actively taking part in military operations against the Hohenstaufen.
2. 1137–1138Saxony · SaxonyEmperor Lothair III died in December 1137, and through his wife Gertrude's inheritance Henry simultaneously acquired the Duchy of Saxony, becoming the most powerful prince, holding the two great duchies of north and south Germany. He immediately used this strength to bid for the imperial throne, but his arrogant refusal to compromise with the princes led to his defeat by Conrad III in the election of 1138.
3. 1138–1139Quedlinburg · SaxonyIn 1138 Conrad III stripped Henry of his Bavarian and Saxon fiefs on grounds of disobedience; Henry refused to accept and took up arms, launching military operations in Saxony. However, on 20 October 1139 Henry suddenly fell ill and died while resisting, at only about 31 years of age, leaving a young son Henry (the future Henry the Lion). The Welf cause was thus set back, though the dispute did not end there.