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Henry of Flanders

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Henry of Flanders
Emperor and Autocrat of the Romans
Seal of Henry of Flanders
Latin Emperor of Constantinople
Reign1205–1216
Coronation20 August 1206
PredecessorBaldwin I
SuccessorPeter
Bornc. 1176
Valenciennes
Died11 June 1216
Thessaloniki
SpousesAgnes of Montferrat
Maria of Bulgaria
HouseHouse of Flanders
FatherBaldwin V, Count of Hainaut
MotherMargaret I, Countess of Flanders

Henry(c. 1178 – 11 June 1216) wasLatin emperor of Constantinoplefrom 1205 until his death in 1216. He was one of the leaders of theFourth Crusadein which theByzantine Empirewas conquered andLatin Empireformed.

Life[edit]

Henry was born inValenciennes,Francearound 1178.[1]He was the son of CountBaldwin V of Hainautand CountessMargaret I of Flanders.[2]Henry first married (in 1204)Agnes of Montferrat,daughter ofBoniface of Montferrat.[3]Henry's only child by his first wife Agnes died in childbirth with his mother.[3]

Some contemporary historians say that Henry made a peace with Bulgarians after the death of Kaloyan, and a marriage was arranged in 1213 between Henry andMaria,daughter of Kaloyan and stepdaughter of Tsar Boril of Bulgaria.[4]

Henry had a daughter with an unnamed mistress. This daughter, whose name is not recorded, probably (Margaret-Isabel) later marriedAlexius Slav,who established his own state in theRhodope mountains.[5]He was later given the title of despot.[6]

Leadership in the Fourth Crusade[edit]

Having joined theFourth Crusadein about 1201, he distinguished himself at thesiege of Constantinople of 1203and elsewhere.[7]During the July 1203 siege, Henry was one of eight division generals, the others includingBoniface of Montferrat(the crusade leader), DogeEnrico Dandolo(leader of theVenetians),Louis of Blois(one of the first nobles to take the cross), and Henry's own brother,Baldwin IX of Flanders,who controlled the largest division. During the 1204 siege, Henry led achevauchéeexpedition to gain supplies and raided a castle inPhilia,near theBlack Seawith, according toRobert de Clari,about 30 knights and an unspecified number of mounted sergeants. An ambush was laid for him by EmperorAlexius V Ducas,but Henry and his force routed the Greeks soundly, captured a revered icon supposedly containing relics of Christ, and returned to the crusader camp. He soon became prominent among the princes of the newLatin Empire.

In the Latin Empire[edit]

When his elder brother, Emperor Baldwin, was captured at theBattle of Adrianoplein April 1205 by theBulgarians,Henry was chosen regent of the empire, succeeding to the throne when the news of Baldwin's death arrived. He was crowned 20 August 1206.[7]

Upon Henry's ascension as Latin emperor, the Lombard nobles of theKingdom of Thessalonicarefused to give him allegiance.[8]A two-year war ensued and after defeating theTemplar-supported Lombards, Henry confiscated the Templar castles ofRavennikaand Zetouni (Lamia).[9]

Henry was a wise ruler, whose reign was largely passed in successful struggles with TsarKaloyan of Bulgariaand with his rival EmperorTheodore I LascarisofNicaea.[7]He later fought againstBoril of Bulgaria(1207–1218) and managed to defeat him in theBattle of Philippopolis.[10]Henry campaigned against the Nicean Empire, expanding a small holding in Asia Minor (atPegai) with campaigns in 1207 (atNicomedia) and in 1211–1212 (with theBattle of the Rhyndacus), where he captured important Nicean possessions at Nymphaion.[11]ThoughTheodore I Laskariscould not oppose this later campaign, it appears that Henry decided it best to focus on his European problems, for he sought a truce with Theodore I in 1214, and amicably divided Latin from Nicean possessions to the favour of Nicea.[12]

Domestically, Henry appears to have a different character than many of the other Crusader nobles as seen in his even-handed and pragmatic treatment of the Greeks.George Akropolites,the contemporary 13th century Greek historian, notes that Henry "though aFrankby birth, behaved graciously to theRomanswho were natives of the city of Constantine, and ranked many of them among his magnates, others among his soldiers, while the common populace he treated as his own people. "[13]Indeed, when a Papal legate (Pelagio Galvani,Cardinal-Bishop of Albano) arrived in Constantinople in 1213 and began to imprison Orthodox clergy and to close churches on the orders ofPope Innocent III,Henry countermanded the orders on the request of the city's Greek clergy.[14]

Henry appears to have been brave but not cruel, and tolerant but not weak, possessing "the superior courage to oppose, in a superstitious age, the pride and avarice of the clergy."[7]The emperor died, poisoned, it is said, byOberto II of Biandrate,ex-regent of Thessaloniki, on 11 June 1216.[15]Gardner suggests this happened at the instigation of his wife,Maria of Bulgaria.[16]On his death his brother-in-law Peter Courtenay was crowned emperor in Rome, but never arrived in Constantinople. In the years 1217 to 1219, therefore, the Latin Empire was effectively ruled byYolanda,Henry's sister and Peter's widow, in regency. The last two Latin emperors were Peter and Yolanda's sons, Robert and Baldwin.

References[edit]

  1. ^Noble 2006,p. 571.
  2. ^Noble 2019,p. 518.
  3. ^abJoinville and Villehardouin 1963,pp. 146, 148.
  4. ^Fine 1994,pp. 81–82.
  5. ^Fine 1994,pp. 93–94.
  6. ^Fine 1994,p. 94.
  7. ^abcdChisholm 1911.
  8. ^Nicol 2002,p. 12.
  9. ^Coureas 2015,p. 175.
  10. ^Van Tricht 2011,p. 390.
  11. ^Ostrogorsky 1969,p. 430.
  12. ^Akropolites 2007,pp. 148–151.
  13. ^Akropolites 2007,p. 153.
  14. ^Akropolites 2007,pp. 155–156.
  15. ^Sturdza 1999,p. 477.
  16. ^Gardner 1912,pp. 85–86.

Sources[edit]

  • Akropolites, George (2007).The History.Translated by Macrides, Ruth. Oxford University Press.
  • This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain:Chisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911). "Henry of Romania".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 13 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 280.
  • Coureas, Nicholas (2015). "The Latin and Greek Churches in former Byzantine Lands under Latin Rule". In Tsougarakis, Nickiphoros I.; Lock, Peter (eds.).A Companion to Latin Greece.Brill.
  • Fine, J. V. A. (1994).The Late Medieval Balkans, A Critical Survey from the Late Twelfth Century to the Ottoman Conquest.University of Michigan Press.
  • Gardner, A. (1912).The Lascarids of Nicæa, The Story of an Empire in Exile.Methuen.
  • Harris, Jonathan (2014).Byzantium and the Crusades(2nd ed.). Bloomsbury.
  • Joinville and Villehardouin (1963).Chronicles of the Crusades.Translated by Shaw, M. R. B. Penguin.
  • Nicol, Donald M. (2002).The Last Centuries of Byzantium, 1261–1453.Cambridge University Press.
  • Noble, Peter S. (2006). "Henry of Constantinople (d. 1216)". In Murray, Alan V. (ed.).The Crusades: An Encyclopedia.Vol. 2. ABC-CLIO.
  • Noble, Peter S. (2019). "Henry of Constantinople". In Tucker, Spencer C. (ed.).Middle East Conflicts from Ancient Egypt to the 21st Century: An Encyclopedia and Document Collection.Vol. II. ABC-CLIO.
  • Ostrogorsky, George (1969).History of the Byzantine State.Rutgers University Press.
  • Sturdza, M. D. (1999).Dictionnaire Historique et Généalogique des Grandes Familles de Grèce, d'Albanie et de Constantinople(2e ed.). Chez l'auteur.
  • Van Tricht, Filip (2011).The Latin "Renovatio" of Byzantium: The Empire of Constantinople (1204–1228).Translated by Longbottom, Peter. Brill.
Henry of Flanders
House of Hainaut
Born:c. 1176Died:11 June 1216
Regnal titles
Preceded by Latin Emperor of Constantinople
1206–1216 		Succeeded by
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