'Henry' (born
1173, died
28 April 1227) was
count palatine of the Rhine from
6 August 1195 to
1213.
Henry was the eldest son of Duke
Henry the Lion, from his marriage to
Matilda of England. He grew up in England and became count palatine of the Rhine through his
1193 marriage to Agnes, heir to the
Staufen count. When his younger brother
Otto became one of two rival kings of the Holy Roman Empire in
1198, Henry at first supported him, but switched sides to
Philip of Staufen in
1203. After he inherited significant properties in northern Germany from his brother
William in
1213, he ceded the Palatinate to his son
Henry, and moved north. He left his northern German properties to William's son,
Otto. Henry died in 1227 and is entombed in
Brunswick Cathedral.
Family
In
1193, Henry married Agnes (died 1204), daughter of
Conrad, Count Palatine of the Rhine. Around
1209, he married Agnes (died 1248), daughter of
Conrad II, Margrave of Lower Lusatia. He had the following children, all from the first marriage:
★
Henry (1197–1214)
★ Irmgard (died 1260), married
Herman V, Margrave of Baden
★ Agnes (died 1267), married
Otto II Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria