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Henry the Lion's rise in Bavaria-Saxony (1140s)

Type Event Region Europe Time 1142–1150

In the 1140s Henry of the Welf family, later known as Henry the Lion, rose rapidly in German politics, inheriting Saxony in 1142 and laying the basis…

Timeline

  1. 1142–1143Saxony · SaxonyThe Peace of Frankfurt confirmed that Henry, son of Henry the Proud, would inherit the Duchy of Saxony; the young Welf heir, assisted by his uncle Welf VI and his mother Gertrude, took charge of one of northern Germany's richest duchies, and the Welf family's power notably revived.
  2. 1144–1147Along the Elbe · SaxonyHenry the Lion gradually assumed personal rule, reorganized Saxony's defenses, strengthened control over Lübeck and other precursor Hanseatic ports, and participated in conversion campaigns in the north under the framework of the Wendish Crusade, accumulating military experience and church connections as his northern German power steadily expanded.
  3. 1148–1150Bavaria · BavariaThe Duchy of Bavaria was controlled by Henry the Lion's uncle Henry Jasomirgott, giving the Welf family a north-south alignment between Saxony and Bavaria. The young Henry's prestige among the German princes grew, and he was seen as a future Welf leader who could rival the Hohenstaufen dynasty.

Sources