Henry of Germany

Born in 1211 into the Hohenstaufen dynasty, Henry became King of Sicily at one year old in 1212, a title he held until 1217. In 1222 his father Frederick II elevated him to King of Germany, making him co-ruler of the empire as King of the Romans. For thirteen years he governed alongside the emperor, the seventh Henry to rule Germany — though history numbers him Henry (VII) to distinguish him from a later Luxembourg emperor. In 1235 Frederick II stripped him of the German crown. Seven years later, on 12 February 1242, Henry died, his reign ended not by external enemies but by the will of the fa…