Margrave Henry I (nicknamed ''Henry Lackland''; 21 March 1256 – 14 February 1318) was a member of the
House of Ascania
The House of Ascania (german: Askanier) was a dynasty of German rulers. It is also known as the House of Anhalt, which refers to its longest-held possession, Anhalt.
The Ascanians are named after Ascania (or Ascaria) Castle, known as ''Schloss ...
and
Margrave
Margrave was originally the medieval title for the military commander assigned to maintain the defence of one of the border provinces of the Holy Roman Empire or of a kingdom. That position became hereditary in certain feudal families in the Emp ...
of
Brandenburg
Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a states of Germany, state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an ar ...
-Stendal and
Landsberg.
Life
Henry was a son of Margrave
John I John I may refer to:
People
* John I (bishop of Jerusalem)
* John Chrysostom (349 – c. 407), Patriarch of Constantinople
* John of Antioch (died 441)
* Pope John I, Pope from 523 to 526
* John I (exarch) (died 615), Exarch of Ravenna
* John I o ...
of Brandenburg and his second wife, Jutta, the daughter of Duke
Albert I of Saxony. The origin of his nickname "Lackland" is not known. Henry was more than fifteen years younger than his brothers
John II John II may refer to:
People
* John Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg (1455–1499)
* John II Casimir Vasa of Poland (1609–1672)
* John II Comyn, Lord of Badenoch (died 1302)
* John II Doukas of Thessaly (1303–1318)
* John II Komnenos (1087–1 ...
,
Otto IV "with the arrow" and
Conrad I and was therefore likely to be excluded from governing when his brothers inherited the Margraviate.
It was not until 1294 he began to participate in the government of the country. When he did, he received — according to an excerpt from the
Bohemia
Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...
n
chronicle
A chronicle ( la, chronica, from Greek ''chroniká'', from , ''chrónos'' – "time") is a historical account of events arranged in chronological order, as in a timeline. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and lo ...
r
Přibík Pulkava —
Delitzsch
Delitzsch (; Slavic: ''delč'' or ''delcz'' for hill) is a town in Saxony in Germany, 20 km north of Leipzig and 30 km east of Halle (Saale). With 24,850 inhabitants at the end of 2015, it is the largest town in the district of Nordsach ...
as his seat. Delitzsch was located in the
Margraviate of Landsberg
The Margraviate of Landsberg (german: Mark Landsberg) was a march of the Holy Roman Empire that existed from the 13th to the 14th century under the rule of the Wettin dynasty. It was named after Landsberg Castle in present-day Saxony-Anhalt.
G ...
, which Margrave
Albert II of Meissen had sold to the Margraves of Brandenburg. From then on, Henry used the title of ''Margrave of Landsberg'' in addition to ''Margrave of Brandenburg'' in almost all documents. As Margrave of Landsberg, he fought several
feud
A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one part ...
s with neighbouring princes. He was
excommunicated
Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to end or at least regulate the communion of a member of a congregation with other members of the religious institution who are in normal communion with each other. The purpose ...
by
archbishop
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
Burchard II of
Magdeburg
Magdeburg (; nds, label=Low Saxon, Meideborg ) is the capital and second-largest city of the German state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is situated at the Elbe river.
Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archdiocese of Magdebur ...
.
In 1311, Henry lost a feud to Duke
Rudolf I
Rudolf I (1 May 1218 – 15 July 1291) was the first King of Germany from the House of Habsburg. The first of the count-kings of Germany, he reigned from 1273 until his death.
Rudolf's election marked the end of the Great Interregnum which h ...
of Saxony and had to hand over the
County Palatine of Saxony
An imperial vicar (german: Reichsvikar) was a prince charged with administering all or part of the Holy Roman Empire on behalf of the emperor. Later, an imperial vicar was invariably one of two princes charged by the Golden Bull of 1356, Golden Bu ...
with the castles Grillenberg Castle in
Sangerhausen
Sangerhausen () is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, central Germany, capital of the district of Mansfeld-Südharz. It is situated southeast of the Harz, approx. east of Nordhausen, and west of Halle (Saale). About 26,000 people live in Sangerhausen ( ...
and
Raspenburg Castle in
Rastenberg :''The Polish town of Kętrzyn was formerly known as Rastenburg.''
Rastenberg is a town in the district of Sömmerda, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated 22 km east of Sömmerda, and 23 km northeast of Weimar.
History
Within the Germ ...
to Rudolf I. He also lost a feud to Margrave
Dietrich IV of
Lusatia
Lusatia (german: Lausitz, pl, Łużyce, hsb, Łužica, dsb, Łužyca, cs, Lužice, la, Lusatia, rarely also referred to as Sorbia) is a historical region in Central Europe, split between Germany and Poland. Lusatia stretches from the Bóbr ...
.
After Emperor
Henry VII, Henry's nephew Margrave
Waldemar
Waldemar, Valdemar or Woldemar is an Old High German given name. It consists of the elements ''wald-'' "power", "brightness" and ''-mar'' "fame".
The name is considered the equivalent of the Slavic name Vladimir, Volodymyr, Uladzimir or Wło ...
proposed to elect Henry I as
King of the Romans
King of the Romans ( la, Rex Romanorum; german: König der Römer) was the title used by the king of Germany following his election by the princes from the reign of Henry II (1002–1024) onward.
The title originally referred to any German k ...
. Henry I appears to have declined the proposal, and his promised by deed to vote for Duke
Frederick the Fair
Frederick the Fair (german: Friedrich der Schöne) or the Handsome (c. 1289 – 13 January 1330), from the House of Habsburg, was the duke of Austria and Styria from 1308 as well as the anti-king of Germany from 1314 until 1325 and then co-king ...
or his brother
Leopold I. However, in the end, Henry voted for Duke
Louis IV of Bavaria
Louis IV (german: Ludwig; 1 April 1282 – 11 October 1347), called the Bavarian, of the house of Wittelsbach, was King of the Romans from 1314, King of Italy from 1327, and Holy Roman Emperor from 1328.
Louis' election as king of Germany in ...
.
Henry died on 14 February 1318 at the age of 61 years.
Marriage and issue
Henry was married to
Agnes, the daughter of
Duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...
Louis II "the Strict" of Bavaria and widow of Landgrave
Henry the Younger of
Hesse
Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major histor ...
. Henry and Agnes had three children:
*
Henry II, Margrave of Brandenburg
*
Sophia (1300-1356), married Duke
Magnus I of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
* Judith, married in 1318 to Duke
Henry II of Brunswick-Grubenhagen
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Henry 01 Brandenburg
Margraves of Brandenburg-Stendal
House of Ascania
1256 births
1318 deaths
13th-century German nobility
14th-century German nobility
Sons of monarchs