1165–1197 · Holy Roman emperor (1191–1197)
Henry VI
Son of Frederick Barbarossa and Holy Roman emperor; he seized the Kingdom of Sicily and organised the German Crusade of 1197, but died at Messina while the crusade's main force was in the East.
BIOGRAPHICAL DOSSIER
Life and historical role
Life and political setting
Henry governed the empire while his father was on the Third Crusade and was crowned emperor in 1191. Through his marriage to Constance, heiress of Sicily, he seized the Kingdom of Sicily in 1194. By holding Richard the Lionheart captive he obtained a huge ransom.
Role in the Crusades
He took the cross in 1195 and organised a large German crusade. Aimery of Lusignan of Cyprus and Leo II of Armenian Cilicia received royal crowns from Henry. The crusade's main force reached Acre in 1197 and secured the capture of Beirut and Sidon. Henry, however, fell ill and died at Messina in September 1197; when the news reached the East most of the German princes returned home.
Historical significance and source problems
Henry VI's imperial policy reaching across the Mediterranean also included plans against Byzantium, which some historians see as a precursor of the Fourth Crusade. His death led to a long struggle for the throne in the empire. Arnold of Lübeck and Otto of St Blasien are the main sources.
Biographical information is linked to the sources shown on the page and to the connected event records. Disputed dates are given as approximate, gaps are not filled by conjecture, and later literary or visual depictions are not treated as contemporary portraits.