Henry of Mödling (1158 - 1223) known as the Elder was the "Duke" of Mödling from 1177 to 1223. He was the second son of

Henry II, Duke of Austria Henry II (german: Heinrich; 1107 – 13 January 1177), called Jasomirgott, a member of the House of Babenberg,Lingelbach 1913, pp. 91–92. was Count Palatine of the Rhine from 1140 to 1141, Duke of Bavaria (as ''Henry XI'') and Margrave of Austria ...

. His lands spanned from

Liesing Liesing () is the 23rd district of Vienna. It is on the southwest edge of Vienna, Austria. It was formed after Austria's ''Anschluss'' with Germany, when Vienna expanded from 21 districts to 26. Fifteen Lower Austrian districts, especially the ...

Piesting The Piesting is a river in southern Lower Austria. A left tributary of the Fischa, its drainage basin is . The sources of the Piesting are the Kalte Gang, the , and the Längapiesting, which begin south of the Schneeberg. These rivers meet in G ...

and

Bruck an der Leitha Bruck an der Leitha ( bar, label=Central Bavarian, Bruck aun da Leitha; "Bridge on the Leitha") is a town in the state of Lower Austria of Austria on the border of Burgenland, marked by the Leitha river. In 2018 it had a population of around 8,00 ...

. His first known use of the title 'Duke of Mödling' was from 1205.

Life

Henry was knighted with his brother Leopold V in 1174. On the death of their father,

, he received the lands of Mödling from his brother,

Leopold V, Duke of Austria Leopold V (1157 – 31 December 1194), known as the Virtuous (german: der Tugendhafte) was a member of the House of Babenberg who reigned as Duke of Austria from 1177 and Duke of Styria from 1192 until his death. The Georgenberg Pact resulted in ...

around 1177. The castle of the same name became his Seat of Power. He went to Vienna on the 25 August 1190 to see his brother off to join the

Third Crusade The Third Crusade (1189–1192) was an attempt by three European monarchs of Western Christianity (Philip II of France, Richard I of England and Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor) to reconquer the Holy Land following the capture of Jerusalem by ...

, while he traveled to Italy to act as a representative of the Babenbergs and to attend the coronation of Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor in Spring 1191. He is known to have taken part in the German

Crusade of 1197 The Crusade of 1197, also known as the Crusade of Henry VI (german: Kreuzzug Heinrichs VI.) or the German Crusade (''Deutscher Kreuzzug''), was a crusade launched by the Hohenstaufen emperor Henry VI in response to the aborted attempt of his fa ...

with his nephew, Frederick I of Austria and Wolfger, Bishop of Passau. By 6 June 1197, he was at the Imperial court encampment at Castro St. Giovanni and a few days later, at the same time with Duke Frederick in Linaria. When they left Apulia to reach Sicily, they were encouraged further, after two ships sunk at sea, with the Abbots of Werd and Beuern. The Emperor now took full command and instructed Conrad, Archbishop of Mainz & Chancellor of Germany to lead the fleet over the Mediterranean. They sailed in early September 1197 and arrived in Acre a few weeks later.Juritsch 1894, pp. 354 His branch of the Babenberg line did not focus on matters of war, but became mostly interested in arts. His surname is somewhat confusing, as Mödling was not a separate duchy, but a subordinate-duchy ruled by the Babenbergs in Vienna. His territory, under his reign, experienced a marginal prosperity. During his government, he built

Mödling Mödling () is the capital of the Austrian district of the same name located approximately 14 km south of Vienna. Mödling lies in Lower Austria's industrial zone (Industrieviertel). The Mödlingbach, a brook which rises in the Vienna Woods, ...

castle in the 12th century. The most prominent guest was the minstrel

Walther von der Vogelweide Walther von der Vogelweide (c. 1170c. 1230) was a Minnesänger who composed and performed love-songs and political songs (" Sprüche") in Middle High German. Walther has been described as the greatest German lyrical poet before Goethe; his hundr ...

in 1219. He married Richeza of Bohemia († 19 April 1182 ), daughter of

Vladislaus II, Duke of Bohemia Vladislaus II or Vladislav II (c. 1110 – 18 January 1174) was the Duke of Bohemia from 1140 and then King of Bohemia from 1158 until his abdication in 1173. He was the second Bohemian king after Vratislaus II, but in neither case was the roya ...

and had one son, Henry III, Duke of Mödling called the Younger. He was buried with his brother, Leopold V of Austria and his nephew, Frederick I of Austria, at Heiligenkreuz Abbey.

References

Sources

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External links

Herzog Heinrich der Ältere von Mödling
auf aeiou {{DEFAULTSORT:Henry I, Duke of Modling Mödling, Henry I of Mödling, Henry I of Henry 1 Christians of the Crusades Burials at Heiligenkreuz Abbey Christians of the Crusade of 1197 Royal reburials