Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor

Quick facts

Born

1 November 1165 wd

Place of birth

Nijmegen wd

Died

28 September 1197 wd

Place of death

Messina wd

Citizenship

Germany wd

Occupation

monarch, writer wd

Spouse

Costanza I of Sicily wd

Positions held wd

• Monarch of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (25 December 1194 – 28 September 1197)
• Holy Roman Emperor (1191–1197)
• Monarch of Italy (21 January 1186 – 28 September 1197)
• King of the Romans (15 August 1169 – 28 September 1197)

About

Henry was the second son of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa and Beatrice I, Countess of Burgundy. Well educated in the Latin language, as well as Roman and canon law, he was also a patron of poets and a skilled poet himself. In 1186, he married Constance of Sicily. Henry, stuck in the Hohenstaufen conflict with the House of Welf until 1194, had to enforce the inheritance claims by his wife against her nephew Count Tancred of Lecce. His attempt to conquer the Kingdom of Sicily failed at the siege of Naples in 1191 due to an epidemic, with Empress Constance captured. Based on an enormous ransom for the release and submission of King Richard I of England, he conquered Sicily in 1194; however, the intended unification with the Holy Roman Empire ultimately failed due to the opposition of the Papacy. In Sicily, Henry had a reputation for ruthless suppression of political opponents. To this day, he is sometimes given the epithet "the Cruel" (il crudele) by Italian historiographers.

Henry threatened to invade the Byzantine Empire after 1194 and succeeded in extracting a ransom, the Alamanikon, from Emperor Alexios III Angelos in return for cancelling the invasion. He made the Kingdom of Cyprus and the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia formal subjects of the empire and compelled Tunis and Tripolitania to pay tribute to him. Between 1195 and 1196, he attempted to turn the Holy Roman Empire from an elective to a hereditary monarchy, the so-called Erbreichsplan, but met strong resistance from the prince-electors. Henry pledged to go on crusade in 1195 and began preparations. A revolt in Sicily…

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Questions

When was Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor born?

Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor was born on 1 November 1165 in Nijmegen.

What positions has Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor held?

Positions held by Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor include: Monarch of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (1194–1197); Holy Roman Emperor (1191–1197); Monarch of Italy (1186–1197); King of the Romans (1169–1197).

Sources

1. Wikipedia (English): Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor · CC BY-SA 4.0
2. Wikidata item Q150953 · CC0 1.0
3. Image: Codex Manesse Heinrich VI. (HRR).jpg by Meister des Codex Manesse (Public domain)

Last updated 31 October 2026 · facts checked 9 November 2026

Cite this page

"Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor". DigiNepal. Last updated 31 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/henry-vi-holy-roman-emperor. Retrieved 9 November 2026.

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