Henry VI (Holy Roman Empire)

Henry VI (Holy Roman Empire) (1165-1197), Holy Roman emperor (1191-1197) and king of Sicily (1194-1197), born in Nijmegen (in present-day Netherlands). When his father, Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa departed in 1189 on the Third Crusade, Henry became regent for him. In 1190 Henry put down a rebellion of nobles led by Henry the Lion, the former duke of Saxony. In the following year, after his father's death, Henry was crowned Holy Roman emperor at Rome. Claiming the crown of Sicily through his wife, Henry then advanced against Tancred, king of Sicily (died 1194). He failed to take Naples, however, and was forced to return to Germany, where the German nobles, led by Henry the Lion, were in revolt. In 1192 the emperor captured and held for ransom King Richard I, the Lion-Hearted, of England, brother-in-law of Henry the Lion. In return for Richard's release in 1194, the emperor was able to bring Henry the Lion to terms and thus restore peace in Germany. In the same year Tancred died, and Henry gathered a large army and invaded Italy. He conquered Sicily with little difficulty and was crowned king. Henry tried unsuccessfully in 1196 to make the imperial crown hereditary in the Hohenstaufen family. He did, however, succeed in securing the eventual succession of his son Frederick as Emperor Frederick II. Henry was succeeded by Otto IV (of Brunswick).