Biography of Henry "Lion" Welf XII Duke Saxony III Duke Bavaria 1129-1195

Paternal Family Tree: Obertenghi aka Welf

In 1127 [his father] Henry "Proud" Welf X Duke Bavaria [aged 19] and [his mother] Gertrude Süpplingenburg Duchess Bavaria were married. She by marriage Duchess Bavaria. He the son of [his grandfather] Henry "Black" Welf IX Duke Bavaria and [his grandmother] Wulfhilde of Saxony Duchess Bavaria.

In 1129 Henry "Lion" Welf XII Duke Saxony III Duke Bavaria was born to [his father] Henry "Proud" Welf X Duke Bavaria [aged 21] and [his mother] Gertrude Süpplingenburg Duchess Bavaria at Brunswick [Map].

On 20th October 1139 [his father] Henry "Proud" Welf X Duke Bavaria [aged 31] died.

In 1142 Henry "Lion" Welf XII Duke Saxony III Duke Bavaria [aged 13] was appointed XII Duke Saxony. [his future wife] Clementia Zähringen Duchess Saxony Duchess Bavaria by marriage Duchess Saxony.

In 1147 Henry "Lion" Welf XII Duke Saxony III Duke Bavaria [aged 18] and Clementia Zähringen Duchess Saxony Duchess Bavaria were married. They divorceddd in 1162. She the daughter of Conrad Zähringen 1st Duke Zähringen. He the son of Henry "Proud" Welf X Duke Bavaria and Gertrude Süpplingenburg Duchess Bavaria.

In 1155 [his daughter] Gertrude Welf was born to Henry "Lion" Welf XII Duke Saxony III Duke Bavaria [aged 26] and [his wife] Clementia Zähringen Duchess Saxony Duchess Bavaria.

In 1156 Henry "Lion" Welf XII Duke Saxony III Duke Bavaria [aged 27] was appointed III Duke Bavaria. [his wife] Clementia Zähringen Duchess Saxony Duchess Bavaria by marriage Duchess Bavaria.

Around 1157 [his daughter] Richenza Welf was born to Henry "Lion" Welf XII Duke Saxony III Duke Bavaria [aged 28] and [his wife] Clementia Zähringen Duchess Saxony Duchess Bavaria. She died aged ten in 1167.

In 1167 [his daughter] Richenza Welf [aged 10] died.

William of Worcester's Chronicle of England

William of Worcester, born around 1415, and died around 1482 was secretary to John Fastolf, the renowned soldier of the Hundred Years War, during which time he collected documents, letters, and wrote a record of events. Following their return to England in 1440 William was witness to major events. Twice in his chronicle he uses the first person: 1. when writing about the murder of Thomas, 7th Baron Scales, in 1460, he writes '… and I saw him lying naked in the cemetery near the porch of the church of St. Mary Overie in Southwark …' and 2. describing King Edward IV's entry into London in 1461 he writes '… proclaimed that all the people themselves were to recognize and acknowledge Edward as king. I was present and heard this, and immediately went down with them into the city'. William’s Chronicle is rich in detail. It is the source of much information about the Wars of the Roses, including the term 'Diabolical Marriage' to describe the marriage of Queen Elizabeth Woodville’s brother John’s marriage to Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, he aged twenty, she sixty-five or more, and the story about a paper crown being placed in mockery on the severed head of Richard, 3rd Duke of York.

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On 1st February 1168 Henry "Lion" Welf XII Duke Saxony III Duke Bavaria [aged 39] and Matilda Plantagenet Duchess Saxony [aged 12] were married. She by marriage Duchess Bavaria, Duchess Saxony. The difference in their ages was 27 years. She the daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England [aged 34] and Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England [aged 46]. He the son of Henry "Proud" Welf X Duke Bavaria and Gertrude Süpplingenburg Duchess Bavaria. They were half third cousin twice removed.

In 1172 [his daughter] Matilda Welf Countess Perche was born to Henry "Lion" Welf XII Duke Saxony III Duke Bavaria [aged 43] and [his wife] Matilda Plantagenet Duchess Saxony [aged 15]. She a granddaughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England. She married (1) 1189 her third cousin once removed Geoffrey Chateaudun III Count Perche, son of Routrou Chateaudun IV Count Perche and Matilda Blois Countess Perche, and had issue (2) 1204 her half fifth cousin Enguerrand Coucy III Lord Coucy.

In 1173 [his illegitimate brother-in-law] Archbishop Geoffrey Plantagenet [aged 21] was appointed Bishop of Lincoln.

Around 1173 [his son] Henry Welf V Count Palatine of the Rhine was born to Henry "Lion" Welf XII Duke Saxony III Duke Bavaria [aged 44] and [his wife] Matilda Plantagenet Duchess Saxony [aged 16]. He a grandson of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England. He married 1193 Agnes Palatine of the Rhine and had issue.

Around 1174 [his son] Lothar Welf was born to Henry "Lion" Welf XII Duke Saxony III Duke Bavaria [aged 45] and [his wife] Matilda Plantagenet Duchess Saxony [aged 17]. He a grandson of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England.

Around 1175 [his son] Otto Welf IV Holy Roman Emperor was born to Henry "Lion" Welf XII Duke Saxony III Duke Bavaria [aged 46] and [his wife] Matilda Plantagenet Duchess Saxony [aged 18]. He a grandson of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England.

In February 1177 William "Good" II King Sicily [aged 22] and [his sister-in-law] Joan Plantagenet Queen Consort Sicily [aged 11] were married. She by marriage Queen Sicily. She the daughter of [his father-in-law] King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England [aged 43] and [his mother-in-law] Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England [aged 55]. They were half sixth cousins.

Before 17th September 1177 Alfonso VIII King Castile [aged 21] and [his sister-in-law] Eleanor Plantagenet Queen Consort Castile [aged 15] were married. She by marriage Queen Consort Castile. She the daughter of [his father-in-law] King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England [aged 44] and [his mother-in-law] Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England [aged 55]. He the son of Sancho III King Castile and Blanche Ramirez Queen Consort Castile. They were half fourth cousins.

In July 1181 [his brother-in-law] Geoffrey Plantagenet 2nd Duke Brittany [aged 22] and Constance Penthièvre Duchess Brittany [aged 20] were married. She by marriage Duchess Brittany. He by marriage Duke Brittany. She the daughter of Conan "The Young" Penthièvre IV Duke Brittany and Margaret Dunkeld Duchess Brittany [aged 36]. He the son of [his father-in-law] King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England [aged 48] and [his mother-in-law] Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England [aged 59]. They were half second cousin once removed. She a great x 2 granddaughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England.

On 11th April 1184 [his son] William of Winchester Welf was born to Henry "Lion" Welf XII Duke Saxony III Duke Bavaria [aged 55] and [his wife] Matilda Plantagenet Duchess Saxony [aged 28] in Winchester, Hampshire [Map] during his father's exile. He a grandson of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England. He married April 1202 Helena of Denmark Duchess of Lüneburg and had issue.

Abbot John Whethamstede’s Chronicle of the Abbey of St Albans

Abbot John Whethamstede's Register aka Chronicle of his second term at the Abbey of St Albans, 1451-1461, is a remarkable text that describes his first-hand experience of the beginning of the Wars of the Roses including the First and Second Battles of St Albans, 1455 and 1461, respectively, their cause, and their consequences, not least on the Abbey itself. His text also includes Loveday, Blore Heath, Northampton, the Act of Accord, Wakefield, and Towton, and ends with the Coronation of King Edward IV. In addition to the events of the Wars of the Roses, Abbot John, or his scribes who wrote the Chronicle, include details in the life of the Abbey such as charters, letters, land exchanges, visits by legates, and disputes, which provide a rich insight into the day-to-day life of the Abbey, and the challenges faced by its Abbot.

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On 19th August 1186 [his brother-in-law] Geoffrey Plantagenet 2nd Duke Brittany [aged 27] died at Paris [Map].

In 1189 [his son-in-law] Geoffrey Chateaudun III Count Perche and Matilda Welf Countess Perche [aged 17] were married at Rouen, France [Map]. She by marriage Countess Perche. She the daughter of Henry "Lion" Welf XII Duke Saxony III Duke Bavaria [aged 60] and Matilda Plantagenet Duchess Saxony [aged 32]. He the son of Routrou Chateaudun IV Count Perche [aged 54] and Matilda Blois Countess Perche. They were third cousin once removed. He a great x 2 grandson of King William "Conqueror" I of England. She a granddaughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England.

On 28th June 1189 [his wife] Matilda Plantagenet Duchess Saxony [aged 33] died. She was buried at Brunswick Cathedral [Map].

In 1190 [his son] Lothar Welf [aged 16] died.

In 1193 Henry Welf V Count Palatine of the Rhine [aged 20] and Agnes Palatine of the Rhine were married. She by marriage Countess Palatine of the Rhine. He the son of Henry "Lion" Welf XII Duke Saxony III Duke Bavaria [aged 64] and Matilda Plantagenet Duchess Saxony.

On 6th August 1195 Henry "Lion" Welf XII Duke Saxony III Duke Bavaria [aged 66] died at Ravensburg. Otto Wittelsbach I Duke Bavaria succeeded I Duke Bavaria.

[his son] Henry Welf was born to Henry "Lion" Welf XII Duke Saxony III Duke Bavaria and Clementia Zähringen Duchess Saxony Duchess Bavaria.