Henri II of Champagne

See also: Henri, Henri II

Henri de Champagne (° July 29th 1166 † September 10th 1197), count de Champagne ( Henri II 1181 - 1197) and king de Jérusalem j.u. (1192 - 1197), wire of Henri Ier, count de Champagne and of Marie de France

In 1181, it succeeds his/her father with the head of the county of Troyes and Meaux. In 1183, it is combined with the count de Flandre Philippe of Alsace against the king of France Philippe Auguste. This coalition, carried out by Philippe of Alsace and gathering Henri II and his great-aunt, the queen Adele of Champagne, Hugues III of Burgundy and Baudouin V of Hainaut (father-in-law of Philippe Auguste), engages of the hostilities to the king of France. This last reacts with much strength and obliges united to deposit the weapons.

Having taken part in the assembly of Vézelay in July 1190 in favor of the Third crusade, it takes part in the side of his/her two uncles Philippe Auguste and Richard Lion-hearted (his mother is indeed girl of Louis VII of France and Aliénor of Aquitaine, therefore sister of Philippe by its father and Richard by its mother) and remained in it out of Holy Land.

With died of Conrad de Montferrat (April 28th 1192), the barons of the kingdom chose it as king and made him marry on May 5th 1192 the widow of Conrad, Isabelle of Jerusalem of the house of Anjou. They had three girls:

Marie, born in 1193 and dead young person.
Alix of Champagne (1195 † 1246), which will marry successively Hugues Ier de Lusignan king de Chypre, Bohémond V, prince d' Antioche and Raoul de Soissons.
Filipino of Champagne (towards 1196 † December 20th 1250) which will marry in 1215 Erard de Brienne, lord of Ramerupt and Venizy.

He was a wise prince, who managed prudently and firmly the kingdom, skilful in negotiations when it was a question of concluding from the truces with the Moslems. He died in Acre the September 10th 1197 while falling from a window.

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