Henry V, the Elder of Brunswick (German: Heinrich der Ältere von Braunschweig; c. 1173 – 28 April 1227), a member of the House of Welf, was Count Palatine of the Rhine from 1195 until 1212.
Contents
Life
Henry was the eldest son of Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony and Bavaria and Matilda, the eldest daughter of King Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine.
After his father's deposition by his first-cousin the Hohenstaufen emperor Frederick Barbarossa, he grew up in England. When the family returned to Germany in 1189, young Henry distinguished himself by defending the Welf residence of Braunschweig against the forces of the emperor's son King Henry VI. Peace was established the next year, provided that Henry and his younger brother Lothar (d. 1190) were held in hostage by the king. He had to join the German forces led by Henry VI, by then emperor, on the 1191 campaign to the Kingdom of Sicily and participated in the siege of Naples. Taking advantage of the Emperor falling ill, Henry finally deserted, fled to Marseille, and returned to Germany, where he falsely proclaimed Henry VI's death and tried to underline his own abilities as a possible successor. This partly led to the withdrawal of Henry VI and the captivity of Empress Constance.
Though he was banned, he became heir to the County Palatine of the Rhine through his 1193 marriage to Agnes of Hohenstaufen, a cousin of Emperor Henry VI and daughter of Conrad of Hohenstaufen, Count Palatine of the Rhine, the younger half-brother of the late Emperor Frederick Barbarossa. He and Emperor Henry VI reconciled shortly afterwards, and upon Conrad's death in 1195, Henry was enfeoffed with his County Palatine. A close ally of the emperor, he accompanied him on the conquest of Sicily in 1194/95 and on the Crusade of 1197.
