The War of the Three Henries was a brief rebellion of three

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

princes, all called Henry, against Emperor

Otto II Otto II (955 – 7 December 983), called the Red (), was Holy Roman Emperor from 973 until his death in 983. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto II was the youngest and sole surviving son of Otto the Great and Adelaide of Italy. Otto II was ...

in 976–977, with a final peace imposed in 978. The three Henries were: Henry I, Bishop of Augsburg,

Henry II, Duke of Bavaria Henry II (951 – 28 August 995), called the Wrangler or the Quarrelsome (), a member of the German royal Ottonian dynasty, was Duke of Bavaria from 955 to 976 and again from 985 to 995, as well as Duke of Carinthia from 989 to 995. Life He ...

, and Henry I, Duke of Carinthia.

Restlessness of the nobility

In 973 Otto II had succeeded his father Emperor

Otto I Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), known as Otto the Great ( ) or Otto of Saxony ( ), was East Francia, East Frankish (Kingdom of Germany, German) king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the eldest son o ...

without disturbance. However, like his father he had to cope with a restless

Saxon The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...

nobility, hostile towards his "foreign" consort,

Theophanu Theophanu Skleraina (; also ''Theophania'', ''Theophana'', ''Theophane'' or ''Theophano''; Medieval Greek ; AD 955 15 June 991) was empress of the Holy Roman Empire by marriage to Emperor Otto II, and regent of the Empire during the minority ...

, and the unstable conditions in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

culminating in the murder of

Pope Benedict VI Pope Benedict VI (; died June 974) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 19 January 973 to his death in 974. His brief pontificate occurred in the political context of the establishment of the Holy Roman Empire, during the tra ...

in 974.

Hostility between Otto II and Henry II

He attempted a conciliation with his

Ottonian The Ottonian dynasty () was a Saxon dynasty of German monarchs (919–1024), named after three of its kings and Holy Roman emperors, especially Otto the Great. It is also known as the Saxon dynasty after the family's origin in the German stem du ...

cousin

, but Henry—not for nothing called "the Wrangler"—challenged the Emperor by enthroning his

Luitpolding The Luitpoldings were an East Frankish dynasty that ruled the German stem duchy of Duchy of Bavaria, Bavaria in the ninth century. They are named after their descent from Luitpold, Margrave of Bavaria, Margrave Luitpold (or ''Liutpold'') of Bavar ...

relative

Henry I Henry I or Henri I may refer to: :''In chronological order'' * Henry I the Fowler, King of Germany (876–936) * Henry I, Duke of Bavaria (died 955) * Henry I of Austria, Margrave of Austria (died 1018) * Henry I of France (1008–1060) * Henry ...

Bishop of Augsburg Diocese of Augsburg () is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in Germany. The diocese is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Munich. History Early history The present city of Augsburg appears in Strabo as ''Damasia'', a stronghold of t ...

in 973 with the aid of

Burchard III, Duke of Swabia Burchard III (c. 91512 November 973), a member of the Hunfridings, Hunfriding dynasty, was the count of Turgowe, Thurgau and Zürichgau, perhaps of Rhaetia, and then Duke of Swabia from 954 to his death. Life Burchard was the son of Burchard II ...

. Otto had to approve the installation; when Duke Burchard III died in the same year, he denied the Burcharding heritage claims, by vesting his nephew

with the

Duchy of Swabia The Duchy of Swabia (; ) was one of the five stem duchy, stem duchies of the medieval Kingdom of Germany, German Kingdom. It arose in the 10th century in the southwestern area that had been settled by Alemanni tribes in Late Antiquity. While th ...

. This enfeoffment in turn was considered as an affront by Henry the Wrangler. He forged an alliance with

Boleslaus II, Duke of Bohemia Boleslaus II the Pious ( ; 932 – 7 February 999), a member of the Přemyslid dynasty, was Duke of Bohemia from 972 until his death in 999. Life and reign Boleslaus was an elder son of Duke Boleslaus I the Cruel and brother of the three ot ...

, and

Mieszko I of Poland Mieszko I (; – 25 May 992) was Duchy of Poland (966–1025), Duke of Poland from 960 until his death in 992 and the founder of the first unified History of Poland, Polish state, the Civitas Schinesghe. A member of the Piast dynasty, he was t ...

, but chose to submit before armed conflicts broke out.

Armed conflict

Temporarily imprisoned in

Ingelheim Ingelheim (), officially Ingelheim am Rhein (), is a town in the Mainz-Bingen Districts of Germany, district in the Rhineland-Palatinate state of Germany. The town sprawls along the Rhine's left bank. It has been Mainz-Bingen's district seat sin ...

, Duke Henry returned to

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

in 976 and continued to plot against Otto, even scheming with Saxon nobles like

Gunther, Margrave of Merseburg Gunther (; died 13 July 982) was the Margrave of Merseburg from 965 until his death, upon which the march of Merseburg was united to that of Meissen. Gunther was a scion of the Ekkeharding noble family first recorded around Naumburg, which may b ...

Egbert the One-Eyed Egbert the One-Eyed () (died 4 April 994) was the second son of Wichmann the Elder and the younger brother of Wichmann the Younger. He was thus of the elder line of the Billung family. His nickname derives from the fact that he lost an eye in b ...

Dedo I of Wettin Dedo I, Count of Wettin (c. 963 – 13 November 1009), also known as Dedo I of Wettin, was a son of Theodoric I of Wettin and Jutta of Merseburg. As a young man, Dedo spent his childhood with his relative Rikdag, Margrave of Meissen, Zeitz and Me ...

. Otto marched against Bavaria and occupied Henry's residence in

Regensburg Regensburg (historically known in English as Ratisbon) is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the rivers Danube, Naab and Regen (river), Regen, Danube's northernmost point. It is the capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the ...

; the duke had to flee to the court of his ally Boleslaus II of Bohemia. In Regenburg, Otto declared Henry deposed and decreed the separation of the Carinthian lands from Bavaria, about a third of the duchy's territory. He enfeoffed his nephew Otto I, Duke of Swabia since 973, with remaining Bavaria and vested the Luitpolding scion Henry the Younger with the newly established Duchy of Carinthia. In 977, the conflict escalated. While the emperor's troops invaded the

Duchy of Bohemia The Duchy of Bohemia, also later referred to in English as the Czech Duchy, (Old Czech: ) was a monarchy and a Princes of the Holy Roman Empire, principality of the Holy Roman Empire in Central Europe during the Early Middle Ages, Early and High M ...

and enforced the submission of Duke Boleslaus II, a new conspiracy arose in Bavaria. The conspirators — Bishop Henry I of Augsburg, the recently deposed Henry the Wrangler, and the Carinthian Duke Henry I the Younger — even had the support of the Church. Emperor Otto could rely on the support of his nephew Otto I, then Duke of Swabia and Bavaria, and attacked

Passau Passau (; ) is a city in Lower Bavaria, Germany. It is also known as the ("City of Three Rivers"), as the river Danube is joined by the Inn (river), Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north. Passau's population is about 50,000, of whom ...

, where the rebels had assembled. Finally in September 977, the town surrendered due to his siege tactics, which included a bridge of boats. At the

Easter Easter, also called Pascha ( Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in t ...

court of 978, at

Magdeburg Magdeburg (; ) is the Capital city, capital of the Germany, German States of Germany, state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is on the Elbe river. Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archbishopric of Mag ...

, the three insurrectionists were punished. Both dukes were banished: Henry the Wrangeler was imprisoned in the custody of Bishop Folcmar of Utrecht; Henry of Carinthia lost his duchy to the

Salian The Salian dynasty or Salic dynasty () was a dynasty in the High Middle Ages. The dynasty provided four kings of Germany (1024–1125), all of whom went on to be crowned Holy Roman emperors (1027–1125). After the death of the last Ottonian ...

Count

Otto of Worms Otto I (c. 950 – 4 November 1004), called Otto of Worms, a member of the Salian dynasty, was Duke of Carinthia from 978 to 985 and again from 1002 until his death. Biography Otto was the only son of Liutgarde, daughter of Emperor Otto I, and ...

, son of

Conrad the Red Conrad ( – 10 August 955), called the Red (), was Duke of Lorraine from 944 until 953. He became the progenitor of the Imperial Salian dynasty. Life He was the son of Werner V (died about 935), a Franconian count in the Nahegau, Speyergau, an ...

, the former Duke of

Lotharingia Lotharingia was a historical region and an early medieval polity that existed during the late Carolingian and early Ottonian era, from the middle of the 9th to the middle of the 10th century. It was established in 855 by the Treaty of Prüm, a ...

. Bishop Henry was arrested in

Werden Abbey Werden Abbey () was a Benedictine monastery in Essen-Werden (Germany), situated on the Ruhr. The foundation of the abbey Near Essen Saint Ludger founded a monastery in 799 and became its first abbot. The little church which Saint Ludger b ...

, but released in July.

Legacy

The War of the Three Henries was quickly followed by a war with France. In August 978, King

Lothair of France Lothair (; ; 941 – 2 March 986), sometimes called Lothair II,After the emperor Lothair I. IIICounting Lothair II of Lotharingia, who ruled over modern Lorraine and Belgium. or IV,Counting Lothair II of Italy. was the penultimate Carol ...

surprised Otto by taking his army of nearly 20,000 against

Aachen Aachen is the List of cities in North Rhine-Westphalia by population, 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, 27th-largest city of Germany, with around 261,000 inhabitants. Aachen is locat ...

. Otto fled to

Dortmund Dortmund (; ; ) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the List of cities in Germany by population, ninth-largest city in Germany. With a population of 614,495 inhabitants, it is the largest city ...

to prepare a response. In September Otto counter-invaded the

West Frankish kingdom In medieval historiography, West Francia (Medieval Latin: ) or the Kingdom of the West Franks () constitutes the initial stage of the Kingdom of France and extends from the year 843, from the Treaty of Verdun, to 987, the beginning of the Capeti ...

, capturing

Reims Reims ( ; ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French Departments of France, department of Marne (department), Marne, and the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 12th most populous city in Fran ...

Soissons Soissons () is a commune in the northern French department of Aisne, in the region of Hauts-de-France. Located on the river Aisne, about northeast of Paris, it is one of the most ancient towns of France, and is probably the ancient capital ...

Laon Laon () is a city in the Aisne Departments of France, department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. History Early history The Ancient Diocese of Laon, which rises a hundred metres above the otherwise flat Picardy plain, has always held s ...

and laying siege to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. But plague and the onset of winter forced Otto to lift the siege and withdraw back to

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. Lothair gave chase and destroyed the German

rearguard A rearguard or rear security is a part of a military force that protects it from attack from the rear, either during an advance or Withdrawal (military), withdrawal. The term can also be used to describe forces protecting lines, such as Line of c ...

.Reuter, Timothy (1999). ''The New Cambridge Medieval History, Volume III'', p. 388. . The chief result of the conflict was the complete subjection of Bavaria: henceforth it was no longer the indisputably greatest of the

stem duchies A stem duchy (, from '' Stamm'', meaning "tribe", in reference to the Franks, Saxons, Bavarians and Swabians) was a constituent duchy of the Kingdom of Germany at the time of the extinction of the Carolingian dynasty (death of Louis the Child in ...

. Unlike his father, Otto II made no attempt to reconcile with the Bavarian branch of his dynasty: Duke Henry's minor son and heir

Henry II Henry II may refer to: Kings * Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (972–1024), crowned King of Germany in 1002, of Italy in 1004 and Emperor in 1014 *Henry II of England (1133–89), reigned from 1154 *Henry II of Jerusalem and Cyprus (1271–1 ...

was sent to the

Bishop of Hildesheim This list records the incumbents of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hildesheim (). Between 1235 and 1803 the bishops simultaneously officiating as rulers of princely rank (prince-bishop) in the Bishopric of Hildesheim, Prince-Bishopric of Hildeshei ...

in order to prepare for an ecclesiastical career. His father Henry the Wrangler was not released until the emperor's death in 983.

References

Sources

* Gwatkin, H. M., Whitney, J. P. (ed) et al. ''The Cambridge Medieval History: Volume III''.

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press was the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted a letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it was the oldest university press in the world. Cambridge University Press merged with Cambridge Assessme ...

, 1926. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Three Henries, War of 970s conflicts 10th-century rebellions Wars involving the Holy Roman Empire Wars involving Bavaria Duchy of Bavaria Wars of the Middle Ages 977 978 970s in the Holy Roman Empire Medieval rebellions in Europe Civil wars of the Middle Ages Three Henries 10th century in Germany Theophanu Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor