Henry II, Margrave of Istria
Henry II | |
---|---|
Margrave of Istria | |
House of Andechs | |
Spouse(s) | Sophie of Weichselburg |
Father | Berthold, Duke of Merania |
Mother | Agnes of Rochlitz |
Henry II, Margrave of Istria (sometimes called Henry IV), born c.1175 and died 18 July 1228 in
Life
He was the second son of
After the death of his father in 1204, Henry took over the dignity of Margrave of Istria-Krain and the possessions situated south of the Danube. In Istria itself, the Republic of Venice made life so hard, they virtually dominated the peninsula. The policies of their Doge, Enrico Dandolo, had left a powerful mark on the region. And as trade and influence spread towards Venice, Istria grew weaker.
Earlier in 1207, Henry II married Sophie, daughter and heir of Count Albert of Weichselburg (died 1209) in modern Slovenia, in which the Andechs spent huge wealth in the Windic March. The marriage would remain childless.
Then, in 1208, he had the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time: he became complicit in the murder of King Philip of Swabia, after the wedding of his oldest brother, Otto I, Duke of Merania and his bride Beatrice II, Countess of Burgundy at Bamberg, the seat of his second eldest brother, Ekbert, Bishop of Bamberg and the one who presided over the wedding. Today this incident is regarded a disgrace on the part of the House of Wittelsbach, but the rapid decline in support of the house of Andechs saw Henry II and Bishop Ekbert lose all rights, properties, dignities and revenues and had to flee to their sister, Gertrude, Queen of Hungary, in Hungary in 1209 for safety.
In 1211, Ekbert could return to his possessions, but Henry II could only regain the Windic March; while his Tyrolean and Bavarian possessions remained lost to him. Although he had a connection with Aquileia – his younger brother Berthold was Patriarch there from 1218 to 1251 – and Leopold VI, Duke of Austria, he was mainly limited as a privateer on his and Sophie's possessions in later Lower Styria and Krain. In 1220, he was "allowed" participation as a witness in the confirmation of the grant of his former Mark to Berthold. Henry was referred to as ispán of Moson County in Hungary in 1225.
In May 1228, an agreement between Henry II and
References
- Citations
- Bibliography
- translated from the German Wikipedia
- Lyon, Jonathan R. (2013). Princely Brothers and Sisters: The Sibling Bond in German Politics, 1100–1250. Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press. ISBN 978-0801451300.