The least known of the great Hohenstaufen emperors may also have been its most successful. During his reign he takes possession of the immensely rich kingdom of Sicily thanks to the proceeds of the ransom paid by Richard the Lionheart. He maintains some sort of order North of the Alps and even gets the princes to agree to make the empire an inheritable monarchy. But all this is too much for the popes who feel encircled and threatened to the core.
Hnery VIThe podcast that does what it says on the tin: a narrative history of the German people that starts in the year 919 AD and hopes to get all the way to 1991. Episodes are 25-35 min long and drop on Thursday mornings. As Gregory of Tours (539-594) said: “A great many things keep happening, some good, some bad” .
The show is now entering its 8th season. So far we have covered:
The Ottonian Emperors (Ep. 1- 21)
– Henry the Fowler (Ep. 1)
– Otto I (Ep. 2-8)
– Otto II (Ep.9-11)
– Otto II (Ep. 11-14)
– Henry II (ep. 15-17)
– Germany in the Year 1000 (ep. 18-21)
The Salian Emperors and the Investiture Controversy (Ep. 22-42)
– Konrad II (Ep. 22- 25)
– Henry III (Ep. 26-29)
– Henry IV & Canossa (Ep. 30-39)
– Henry V and the Concordat of Worms (Ep. 40-42)
Barbarossa and the early Hohenstaufen (Ep. 43-69)
– Lothar III (Ep. 43-46)
– Konrad III (Ep. 47-49)
– Frederick Barbarossa (Ep. 50-69)
Frederick II and the later Hohenstaufen (Ep. 70-94)
-Henry VI (Ep. 70-72)
– Philipp of Swabia (Ep. 73-74)
– Otto IV (Ep. 74-75)
– Frederick II (Ep. 75-90)
– Epilogue (ep. 91-94)
Eastern Expansion (Ep. 95-108)
The Hanseatic League (Ep. 109-127)
The Teutonic Knights (Ep. 128-137)
The Interregnum and the early Habsburgs (Ep. 138 ff
When Barbarossa drowns in the river Saleph in 1190 the crown transfers to his eldest surviving son, Henry, known to History as Henry VI.
This is the first time since the accession to personal rule of Emperor Henry III in 1039 that the imperial crown moves from father to grown up son without a glitch. In the previous 150 years, the passing of an emperor had been a dramatic event where all the cards were dealt anew. Just remember, Henry IV came to the throne as a child, Henry V by rebellion against his father, Lother III wasn’t in any meaningful way related to the imperial family, Konrad III came in by a coup against the named heir, as did Barbarossa. The French meanwhile had five transitions from father to son, with only one 6-year regency. This consistency in reproduction is one of the key reasons the Capetion dynasty was so much more successful than their German counterparts, though the greatest of the Capetions has only just appeared, Phillipp II Augustus (1180 to 1223). More, and a lot more about him later.
Talking about famous protagonists, the other contemporary of Henry VI is of course Richard the Lionheart (1189 to 1199). Of him we will hear even more.
But today’s episode is mainly about the lay of the land and the first attempt to achieve the main aim of his reign, control of the kingdom of Sicily.
As always, this episode has a dedicated website with the transcript and maps, pictures and additional comments to read along. It is to be found at Episode 70 – From Father to Son • History of the Germans Podcast
The music for the show is Flute Sonata in E-flat major, H.545 by Carl Phillip Emmanuel Bach (or some claim it as BWV 1031 Johann Sebastian Bach) performed and arranged by Michel Rondeau under Common Creative Licence 3.0.
As always:
Homepage with maps, photos, transcripts and blog: www.historyofthegermans.com
Facebook: @HOTGPod
Twitter: @germanshistory
Instagram: history_of_the_germans
Reddit: u/historyofthegermans
1190-1192
For the first time in 150 years does the empire see a smooth transition of the crown from father to son. His wife’s inheritance of the kingdom of Siciliy did not remain uncontested. A first campaign ends unsuccessfully before the walls of Naples
1193-1194
Henry VI. wins the lottery – twice. King Richard of England is captured and the usurper Tancred of lecce died – Sicily is his – and his 40-year-old wife gives him an heir
1195-1197
The wonderous gains of 1194 need to be conserved. And that means an agreement with the papacy – not that easy