Henry VI
Part of The Encyclopedia of Southern Italy.
Henry VI: (b.1165; d: near Messina, 1197). Holy Roman Emperor (r1190-1197). King of Sicily (r 1194-1197). He was the son of Emperor Frederick I “Barbarossa” and Beatrice (Beatrix) of Burgundy. Elected as King of the Romans at the age of 4, he succeeded his father as Emperor in 1190. Through his wife Constance, daughter of the late Roger II, he laid claim to the throne of Sicily when William II died. In 1191, upon being crowned at Rome, Henry made an unsuccessful attempt to invade the Sicilian kingdom. In 1193, he bribed Duke Leopold of Austria to turn his famous hostage, King Richard I of England, over to him. About a year later, Richard was freed after the payment of a huge ransom. Henry used this windfall to finance the creation of a new army and launched another expedition against Sicily. This time, Henry was successful and crowned king of Sicily at Palermo in 1194. He was the father of the famous Emperor Frederick II “the Great.”