Henry Raspe (; – 16 February 1247) was the
Landgrave of Thuringia
This is a list of the rulers of Thuringia, a historical and political region of Central Germany.
Kings of Thuringia
*450–500 Bisinus
*500–530 Baderich
*500–530 Berthachar
*500–531 Herminafried
:''Conquered by the Franks ...
from 1231 until 1239 and again from 1241 until his death. In 1246, with the support of the
Papacy
The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
, he was elected
King of Germany
This is a list of monarchs who ruled over East Francia, and the Kingdom of Germany (''Regnum Teutonicum''), from the division of the Frankish Empire in 843 and the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806 until the collapse of the German Empir ...
in
opposition
Opposition may refer to:
Arts and media
* ''Opposition'' (Altars EP), 2011 EP by Christian metalcore band Altars
* The Opposition (band), a London post-punk band
* ''The Opposition with Jordan Klepper'', a late-night television series on Comed ...
to
Conrad IV
Conrad (25 April 1228 – 21 May 1254), a member of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, was the only son of Emperor Frederick II from his second marriage with Queen Isabella II of Jerusalem. He inherited the title of King of Jerusalem (as Conrad II) up ...
, but his contested reign lasted a mere nine months.
Biography
In 1226, Henry's brother
Louis IV, Landgrave of Thuringia
Louis IV the Saint (german: Ludwig IV. der Heilige; 28 October 1200 – 11 September 1227), a member of the Ludovingian dynasty, was Landgrave of Thuringia and Saxon Count palatine from 1217 until his death. He was the husband of Elizabeth of ...
, died en route to the
Sixth Crusade
The Sixth Crusade (1228–1229), also known as the Crusade of Frederick II, was a military expedition to recapture Jerusalem and the rest of the Holy Land. It began seven years after the failure of the Fifth Crusade and involved very little actua ...
, and Henry became regent for his under-age nephew
Hermann II, Landgrave of Thuringia
Hermann II (28 March 1222 in Creuzburg – 3 January 1241) was the Landgrave of Thuringia and the son of Louis IV, Landgrave of Thuringia, and Saint Elizabeth of Hungary.
Life
With Louis's death in 1227, his brother Henry Raspe assumed the ...
. He managed to expel his nephew and the boy's young mother, St.
Elisabeth 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, ...
, from the line of succession and ca. 1231 formally succeeded his brother as landgrave.
In 1242 Henry, together with King
Wenceslaus I of Bohemia
Wenceslaus I ( cs, Václav I.; c. 1205 – 23 September 1253), called One-Eyed, was King of Bohemia from 1230 to 1253.
Wenceslaus was a son of Ottokar I of Bohemia and his second wife Constance of Hungary.
Marriage and children
In 1224, Wencesl ...
, was selected by Emperor
Frederick II to be administrator of Germany for Frederick's under-age son Conrad.
After the papal ban on Frederick imposed by
Pope Innocent IV
Pope Innocent IV ( la, Innocentius IV; – 7 December 1254), born Sinibaldo Fieschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 25 June 1243 to his death in 1254.
Fieschi was born in Genoa and studied at the universitie ...
in 1245, Raspe changed sides, and on 22 May 1246 he was elected
anti-king
An anti-king, anti king or antiking (german: Gegenkönig; french: antiroi; cs, protikrál) is a would-be king who, due to succession disputes or simple political opposition, declares himself king in opposition to a reigning monarch.OED "Anti-, 2 ...
in opposition to Conrad. The strong papal prodding that led to his election earned Raspe the derogatory moniker of "''Pfaffenkönig''" (priests' king). The papal legate in Germany was
Filippo da Pistoia Filippo da Pistoia, also called Filippo Fontana or anglicized Philip (died 18 September 1270), was an Italian prelate, military leader and diplomat. He was the bishop-elect of Ferrara from 1239 until 1252, bishop-elect of Florence from 1250 until ...
. Henry defeated Conrad in the Battle of
Nidda in southern
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 ...
in August 1246, and laid siege to Ulm and Reutlingen. Having suffered a mortal wound, he died February 1247 in
Wartburg Castle
The Wartburg () is a castle originally built in the Middle Ages. It is situated on a precipice of to the southwest of and overlooking the town of Eisenach, in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It was the home of St. Elisabeth of Hungary, the p ...
near
Eisenach
Eisenach () is a town in Thuringia, Germany with 42,000 inhabitants, located west of Erfurt, southeast of Kassel and northeast of Frankfurt. It is the main urban centre of western Thuringia and bordering northeastern Hessian regions, situat ...
in Thuringia.
Marriages
![Gertrude of Austria, wife of Henry Raspe](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/Gertrude_of_Austria%2C_wife_of_Henry_Raspe.jpg)
In 1228, he married
Elisabeth (1206-1231), the daughter of
Albert II, Margrave of Brandenburg
Albert II ( – 25 February 1220) was a member of the House of Ascania who ruled as the margrave of Brandenburg from 1205 until his death in 1220.
Life
Albert II was the youngest son of Otto I and his second wife Ada of Holland. His father ...
. After her death, he married
Gertrude ( – 1241), the daughter of
Leopold VI, Duke of Austria
Leopold VI (15 October 1176 – 28 July 1230), known as Leopold the Glorious, was Duke of Styria from 1194 and Duke of Austria from 1198 to his death in 1230. He was a member of the House of Babenberg.
Biography
Leopold VI was the younger son of ...
. After her death, he married
Beatrix
Beatrix is a Latin feminine given name, most likely derived from ''Viatrix'', a feminine form of the Late Latin name ''Viator'' which meant "voyager, traveller" and later influenced in spelling by association with the Latin word ''beatus'' or "bles ...
(1225-1288), the daughter of
Henry II, Duke of Brabant
Henry II of Brabant ( nl, Hendrik, french: Henri; 1207 – February 1, 1248) was Duke of Brabant and Lothier after the death of his father Henry I in 1235. His mother was Matilda of Boulogne.
Henry II supported his sister Mathilde's son, Wi ...
.
All three of his marriages were childless. After his death, the Emperor enfeoffed Thuringia to
Henry III, the son of his sister
Jutta
The feminine name Jutta (pronounced "yutta") is the German form of Judith. There is also an alternative theory that it could be derived from the Germanic name ''Eutha'', meaning "mankind, child, descendant", or from a short form of ''Henrietta'' ...
.
References
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Raspe, Henry
1204 births
1247 deaths
13th-century Kings of the Romans
Rulers of Thuringia
Landgraves of Thuringia
Anti-kings
Ludovingians
13th-century German nobility
Monarchs killed in action