Henry of Flanders
Henry of Flanders | |
---|---|
Emperor and Autocrat of the Romans | |
Baldwin I | |
Successor | Peter |
Born | c. 1176 Valenciennes |
Died | 11 June 1216 Thessaloniki |
Spouses | Agnes of Montferrat Maria of Bulgaria |
House | House of Flanders |
Father | Baldwin V, Count of Hainaut |
Mother | Margaret I, Countess of Flanders |
Henry (c. 1178 – 11 June 1216) was
Life
Henry was born in
Some contemporary historians say that Henry made a peace with Bulgarians after the death of Kaloyan, and a marriage was arranged in 1213 between Henry and Maria, daughter of Kaloyan and stepdaughter of Tsar Boril of Bulgaria.[4]
Henry had a daughter with an unnamed mistress. This daughter, whose name is not recorded, probably (Margaret-Isabel) later married
Leadership in the Fourth Crusade
Having joined the
In the Latin Empire
When his elder brother, Emperor Baldwin, was captured at the Battle of Adrianople in April 1205 by the Bulgarians, Henry was chosen regent of the empire, succeeding to the throne when the news of Baldwin's death arrived. He was crowned 20 August 1206.[7]
Upon Henry's ascension as Latin emperor, the Lombard nobles of the Kingdom of Thessalonica refused to give him allegiance.[8] A two-year war ensued and after defeating the Templar-supported Lombards, Henry confiscated the Templar castles of Ravennika and Zetouni (Lamia).[9]
Henry was a wise ruler, whose reign was largely passed in successful struggles with Tsar
Domestically, Henry appears to have a different character than many of the other Crusader nobles as seen in his even-handed and pragmatic treatment of the Greeks. George Akropolites, the contemporary 13th century Greek historian, notes that Henry "though a Frank by birth, behaved graciously to the Romans who were natives of the city of Constantine, and ranked many of them among his magnates, others among his soldiers, while the common populace he treated as his own people."[13] Indeed, when a Papal legate (Pelagio Galvani, Cardinal-Bishop of Albano) arrived in Constantinople in 1213 and began to imprison Orthodox clergy and to close churches on the orders of Pope Innocent III, Henry countermanded the orders on the request of the city's Greek clergy.[14]
Henry appears to have been brave but not cruel, and tolerant but not weak, possessing "the superior courage to oppose, in a superstitious age, the pride and avarice of the clergy."
References
- ^ Noble 2006, p. 571.
- ^ Noble 2019, p. 518.
- ^ a b Joinville and Villehardouin 1963, pp. 146, 148.
- ^ Fine 1994, pp. 81–82.
- ^ Fine 1994, pp. 93–94.
- ^ Fine 1994, p. 94.
- ^ a b c d Chisholm 1911.
- ^ Nicol 2002, p. 12.
- ^ Coureas 2015, p. 175.
- ^ Van Tricht 2011, p. 390.
- ^ Ostrogorsky 1969, p. 430.
- ^ Akropolites 2007, pp. 148–151.
- ^ Akropolites 2007, p. 153.
- ^ Akropolites 2007, pp. 155–156.
- ^ Sturdza 1999, p. 477.
- ^ Gardner 1912, pp. 85–86.
Sources
- Akropolites, George (2007). The History. Translated by Macrides, Ruth. Oxford University Press.
- public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Henry of Romania". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 13 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 280. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
- Coureas, Nicholas (2015). "The Latin and Greek Churches in former Byzantine Lands under Latin Rule". In Tsougarakis, Nickiphoros I.; Lock, Peter (eds.). A Companion to Latin Greece. Brill.
- Fine, J. V. A. (1994). The Late Medieval Balkans, A Critical Survey from the Late Twelfth Century to the Ottoman Conquest. University of Michigan Press.
- Gardner, A. (1912). The Lascarids of Nicæa, The Story of an Empire in Exile. Methuen.
- Harris, Jonathan (2014). Byzantium and the Crusades (2nd ed.). Bloomsbury.
- Joinville and Villehardouin (1963). Chronicles of the Crusades. Translated by Shaw, M. R. B. Penguin.
- Nicol, Donald M. (2002). The Last Centuries of Byzantium, 1261–1453. Cambridge University Press.
- Noble, Peter S. (2006). "Henry of Constantinople (d. 1216)". In Murray, Alan V. (ed.). The Crusades: An Encyclopedia. Vol. 2. ABC-CLIO.
- Noble, Peter S. (2019). "Henry of Constantinople". In Tucker, Spencer C. (ed.). Middle East Conflicts from Ancient Egypt to the 21st Century: An Encyclopedia and Document Collection. Vol. II. ABC-CLIO.
- Ostrogorsky, George (1969). History of the Byzantine State. Rutgers University Press.
- Sturdza, M. D. (1999). Dictionnaire Historique et Généalogique des Grandes Familles de Grèce, d'Albanie et de Constantinople (2e ed.). Chez l'auteur.
- Van Tricht, Filip (2011). The Latin "Renovatio" of Byzantium: The Empire of Constantinople (1204–1228). Translated by Longbottom, Peter. Brill.