Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony
| Henry the Lion | |
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Statue in Brunswick Cathedral, ca. 1225-1250, said to represent Henry the Lion
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| Duke of Saxony | |
| Reign | 1142–1180 |
| Predecessor | Albert the Bear |
| Successor | Bernard III |
| Duke of Bavaria | |
| Reign | 1156–1180 |
| Predecessor | Henry XI |
| Successor | Otto I |
| Born | c. 1129 Ravensburg |
| Died |
6 August 1195 (aged 65/66) Brunswick |
| Burial | Brunswick Cathedral |
| Spouse |
Clementia of Zähringen Matilda of England |
| Issue |
Gertrude, Queen of Denmark Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor William of Winchester |
| House | Welf |
| Father | Henry II, Duke of Saxony |
| Mother | Gertrude of Süpplingenburg |
Henry the Lion (German: Heinrich der Löwe; 1129/1131 – 6 August 1195) was a member of the Welf dynasty and Duke of Saxony, as Henry III, from 1142, and Duke of Bavaria, as Henry XII, from 1156, the duchies of which he held until 1180.
He was one of the most powerful German princes of his time, until the rival Hohenstaufen dynasty succeeded in isolating him and eventually deprived him of his duchies of Bavaria and Saxony during the reign of his cousin Frederick I Barbarossa and of Frederick's son and successor Henry VI.
At the height of his reign, Henry ruled over a vast territory stretching from the coast of the North and Baltic Seas to the Alps, and from Westphalia to Pomerania. Henry achieved this great power in part by his political and military acumen and in part through the legacies of his four grandparents.
Born in Ravensburg, in 1129 or 1131, he was the son of Henry the Proud, Duke of Bavaria and Saxony, who was the son of Duke Henry the Black and an heir of the Billungs, former dukes of Saxony. Henry's mother was Gertrude, only daughter of Emperor Lothair III and his wife Richenza of Northeim, heiress of the Saxon territories of Northeim and the properties of the Brunones, counts of Brunswick.
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