Henry of Austria, known as Henry the Friendly (15 May 1299-3 February 1327) was the son of King
Albert I of Germany
Albert I of Habsburg (german: Albrecht I.) (July 12551 May 1308) was a Duke of Austria and Styria from 1282 and King of Germany from 1298 until his assassination. He was the eldest son of King Rudolf I of Germany and his first wife Gertrude o ...
and
Elisabeth of Gorizia-Tyrol
Elisabeth of Carinthia (also known as Elisabeth of Tyrol; – 28 October 1312), was a Duchess of Austria from 1282 and Queen of the Romans from 1298 until 1308, by marriage to King Albert I of Habsburg.
Life
Born in Munich, Bavaria, she was ...
.
In 1305, Henry was betrothed to his stepniece,
Elizabeth of Hungary
Elizabeth of Hungary (german: Heilige Elisabeth von Thüringen, hu, Árpád-házi Szent Erzsébet, sk, Svätá Alžbeta Uhorská; 7 July 1207 – 17 November 1231), also known as Saint Elizabeth of Thuringia, or Saint Elisabeth of Thuringia, ...
, the engagement probably being arranged by
Agnes, dowager queen of Hungary, who showed great affection for Henry. However, the marriage never took place. In 1314, Duke Henry married Countess Elizabeth of Virneburg. The marriage remained childless.
Henry helped his brother,
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 ...
, in his fight for the German throne. After the
Battle of Mühldorf
The Battle of Mühldorf (also known as the Battle of Ampfing) was fought near Mühldorf am Inn on September 28, 1322 between the Duchy of (Upper) Bavaria and Austria. The Bavarians were led by the German king Louis of Wittelsbach, while the ...
on 28 September 1322, Henry, King Frederick and 1,300 other Austrian nobles were taken prisoners. Henry spent several years in the Bohemian castle Biirglitz before being released for a ransom of 3,000 ducats and the cession of his rights to
Znojmo
Znojmo (; german: Znaim) is a town in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 33,000 inhabitants. Znojmo is the historical and cultural centre of southwestern Moravia and the second most populated town in the South Moravian ...
, Castell, Laa and
Weitra
Weitra (; cs, Vitoraz) is a small town in the district of Gmünd in the Austrian state of Lower Austria.
Geography
The municipality is situated amidst the extended forests of the rural Waldviertel region, close to the border with the Czech Rep ...
. Exhausted by the harsh prison conditions, Henry died at the age of 28. His widow had him buried at
Königsfelden Abbey, along with several members of his immediate family.
Ancestry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Henry the Friendly
1299 births
1327 deaths
14th-century House of Habsburg
Burials at Königsfelden Monastery
Sons of kings