Person

Henry the Lion

c. 1129–1195 · 12th century · Also known as Henry III, Duke of Saxony

Henry the Lion was a Welf prince, Duke of Saxony from 1142 and Duke of Bavaria from 1156, the most powerful German noble of his age. He conquered Slavic lands east of the Elbe, refounded Lübeck and Munich, and set up bishoprics in Ratzeburg and Schwerin. After he refused to aid Frederick Barbarossa, his duchies were stripped from him in 1180 and divided among rivals.

Henry the Lion
Image: AnonymousUnknown author · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 4 profiles

Duchy of BavariaSocioeconomy, GovernanceDuchy of SaxonySocioeconomy, Military, Governance, Impact, Decline, SummaryDuchy of PomeraniaFoundationHanseatic LeagueFoundation, Summary

Mentioned in 24 state histories

Obotrite ConfederationDuchy of SaxonyBillung MarchElectorate of CologneLutician FederationCounty of LippeVisbyLordship of MecklenburgCounty of SchwerinFree Imperial City of GelnhausenPrince-Archbishopric of BremenPrince-Bishopric of Münsterand 12 more

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Henry the Lion. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/henry-the-lion
MLA
“Henry the Lion.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/henry-the-lion. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Henry the Lion.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/henry-the-lion.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Henry the Lion’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/henry-the-lion (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻