Henry VIII (1465–1513) was a count of Waldeck and the founder of the older line of Waldeck-Wildungen. He was also temporarily governor of the

County of Vianden Vianden ( or (locally) ) is a commune with town status in the Éislek region, north-eastern Luxembourg, with a population of 2,203 as of 2023. It is part of the canton of the same name. Vianden lies on the Our river, near the border between L ...

, a possession of the

House of Nassau The House of Nassau is the name of a European aristocratic dynasty. The name originated with a lordship associated with Nassau Castle, which is located in what is now Nassau, Rhineland-Palatinate, Nassau in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. With t ...

Life

He was the son of

Philip I Philip(p) I may refer to: * Philip I of Macedon (7th century BC) * Philip I Philadelphus (between 124 and 109 BC–83 or 75 BC) * Philip the Arab (c. 204–249), Roman Emperor * Philip I of France (1052–1108) * Philip I (archbishop of Cologne) ( ...

of Waldeck and his wife Joanne of Nassau-Siegen, a daughter of John IV of Nassau-Siegen. After the early death of his parents, his uncle Philip II acted as his guardian. In 1486, Henry VIII came of age. He and his former guardian Philip II decided to divide the family possessions. They would continue to share the City of Waldeck and Waldeck Castle. Henry VIII received the southern part, known as Waldeck-Wildungen and Philip II received the northern part, Waldeck-Eisenberg. In 1487, they jointly founded a

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

monastery at

Korbach Korbach (), officially the Hanseatic City of Korbach (German language, German: Hansestadt Korbach), is the district seat of Waldeck-Frankenberg in northern Hesse, Germany. It is over a thousand years old and is located on the German Timber-Frame Ro ...

. In 1492, Henry married Anastasia, the heiress of William of Runkel (d. 1489). Via this marriage, the

County of Wied The County of Wied () was a territory of the Holy Roman Empire located on the river Wied (river), Wied where it meets the Rhine. Wied emerged as a County earlier than many other German states. From 1243–1462, Wied was united with an County of I ...

and part of Isenburg came into his possession. He began calling himself ''Count of Waldeck and Lord of Isenburg''. After his wife died in 1503, he sold the possessions to Count John III of Wied, a cousin of his wife. He had two sons with Anastasia, Philip IV and William. In 1493, Count Engelbert II of Nassau-Dillenburg, an uncle from his mother's side, appointed him as governor of the

, an area that is now part of

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

. When

Otto IV Otto IV (1175 – 19 May 1218) was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1209 until his death in 1218. Otto spent most of his early life in England and France. He was a follower of his uncle Richard the Lionheart, who made him Count of Poitou in 1196 ...

died in 1495, the Waldeck-Landau line died out and its land reverted to Waldeck. Henry VIII and Philip II disputed the Waldeck-Landau inheritance from 1496. Despite the Eternal Landfrieden, which Emperor Maximilian I had declared in 1495, this dispute was initially fought at gunpoint. It was not until 1498 that the two counts agreed to stop fighting and present their case to the newly created

Reichskammergericht The ; ; ) was one of the two highest judicial institutions in the Holy Roman Empire, the other one being the Aulic Council in Vienna. It was founded in 1495 by the Imperial Diet in Worms. All legal proceedings in the Holy Roman Empire could be ...

. In 1507, they settled out of court. The towns of Korbach, Niederwildungen, Sachsenhausen, Sachsenberg and Freienhagen remained shared property, as did the castle, city and districts of Waldeck and Rhoden and the Lordship of Itter. Henry received the city, castle and district of Altwildungen. In all, Henry owned about a third of the family possessions. in 1504, Henry VIII and Philip II with their armies joined Landgrave William II of Hesse in a campaign to implement the

imperial ban The imperial ban () was a form of outlawry in the Holy Roman Empire. At different times, it could be declared by the Holy Roman Emperor, by the Imperial Diet, or by courts like the League of the Holy Court (''Vehmgericht'') or the '' Reichskammerg ...

against the

Electorate of the Palatinate The Electoral Palatinate was a Imperial State, constituent state of the Holy Roman Empire until it was annexed by the Electorate of Baden in 1803. From the end of the 13th century, its ruler was one of the Prince-electors who elected the Holy ...

. In 1505, they were present at the Diet of Cologne, as part of the Landgrave's entourage. In 1509 some noblemen attacked Henry and his asked the Landgrave in vain for support. In 1512, the Counts of Waldeck joined a newly founded association of counts. Henry died in 1513 and was buried in the Marienthal monastery in Netze (today part of Waldeck).

References

* Adolph Theodor Ludwig Varnhagen: ''Grundlage der Waldeckischen Landes- und Regentengeschichte'', vol. 2, Arolsen, 1853, p. 42-48 {{DEFAULTSORT:Henry 08 of Waldeck Counts of Waldeck People from Bad Wildungen 1465 births 1513 deaths 15th-century German nobility 16th-century German nobility