Conrad III, Holy Roman Emperor

Henry VII (German: Heinrich; 13 May 1265 – 24 August 1319), was known as Henry Plantagenet or Henry of Luxemburg, the Knight Prince, mostly the Great Kaiser , was the Holy Roman Emperor and King of Italy from 6 May 1299, King of the Romans from 1295 and first Prince of Luxembourg and Arlon from 1288 to his death. He was the second and last emperor of the House of Plantagenet. Born to Conrad III, Holy Roman Emperor and Elisabeth of Bavaria. Henry VII was one of the most popular Holy Roman Emperors of the two, besides his grandfather, Charles IV.

In his military career at fifteen, Henry was most popular field marshal prince within the Holy Roman Empire, he was seriously wounded at the battles of Friesach in 1279 and Mainz in 1280. His popularity in the Holy Roman Empire. As heir to the Imperial throne, he commanded at the very young age of 14, making him the youngest Commander or field marshal of the Imperial army which during the reign of his father, Conrad III. Prince Henry was captured and imprisoned by Frederick III, Duke of Lorraine until 1283, when his father Conrad rescued Henry. He take the Crusader cross on July 1284; which Henry land on the County of Tripoli, which Tripoli are at war with the Mamluk Sultanate in Cairo until 1289. He was becoming the King of the Romans in 1295, while his uncle, Otto V was the declining popularity.

During his reign, he was elected and succeeded in 1299 when his uncle died in 1298; he came into the possession of the kingdom of Bohemia, which laid the foundations for the later important [house power] of the Luxemburgers in the empire. Heinrich pursued a consensorious and successful policy in the German Reich. In the autumn of 1310 he undertook an Italian train to secure the imperial crown. Henry VII was the first Roman-German king after the his grandfather, Charles IV, who was also crowned Emperor in 1235. His energetic work, already begun as a king, for the renewal of imperial rule, soon led to a conflict with Guelphs and Ghibellines forces in Italy and with the king of Naples (Sicily) Robert of Anjou. In this dispute, Pope Clement V, who had initially co-operated with Henry, finally took a party for the Guelphs. Henry's balance between the hostile groups in Reichsitalien policy failed mainly because of the resistance of the parties who had hoped for a policy in their favor. Heinrich had maintained good relations with the royal court of Paris until his election to the King, but Henry was thus in conflict with the powerful French king Philip IV.

The empire had continually lost influence in the decades before. Henry's policy was aimed at the restoration of imperial rights, especially in the realm of the empire and in the western border area of ​​the empire. He stressed the special role of the empire in the sense of the traditional medieval Reichslands. The Renovatio Imperii, operated by Henry, ensured that the empire was again perceived as a European power factor. Henry VII met the 62-year-old cousin, Edward I of England on 24 February 1301 in London, which their extended their relationship. A year later, the Metzinist Uprising (1302–1308) broke out when Theobald II, Duke of Lorraine asked for the final war that will ended all of the Metzinist Uprisings or Civil Wars which they tried to overthrow the Plantagenet Holy Roman Emperors. When the Uprising was over, both Henry VII and Theobald II made peace with the Treaty of Frankfurt.

Henry VII was fall ill and died on 24 August 1329, aged 65 in Italy. After Heinrich's death, however, the universal emperoride lost its importance in the following period. While the Emperor was often regarded as a dreamer or a phantom in older research, recent research emphasizes his attachment to common imperial-universal ideas as well as his actions, which are guided by realpolitical motives. He was buried in the Nuremberg Cathedral. In the 1318 Imperial election, with his eldest son, John of Bohemia refused to be on the Imperial throne, and so he was succeeded by Louis IV, who was elected-King of the Romans in 1314.

Early Life and family
Prince Henry was born on Nuremberg Castle in 13 May 1265, in Nuremberg, Holy Roman Empire, he was a youngest son of Emperor Conrad III and Beatrice of Provence. Raised at the French court, he was the lord of comparatively small properties in a peripheral and predominantly French-speaking part of the Holy Roman Empire. It was symptomatic of the empire’s weakness that during his rule as the Count of Luxembourg, he agreed to become a French vassal, seeking the protection of King Philip the Fair of France. During his rule of Luxembourg, he ruled effectively, especially in keeping the peace in local feudal disputes.

As he was part of the Plantagenets, when he was growing up during the reign of his grandfather, Charles IV (r. 1235–1272) and his father, Conrad III (r. 1272–1303). The German Plantagenets were the relationships with the English Plantagenets, which Kings Edward I, Edward II and Edward III

Education
Prince Henry who was healthy, brave and shy Prince who had a fan of tight Mail armor like Henry's grandfather, Charles IV (r. 1236–1272).

Henry who was inherited the disabilities and disorders that his grandfather, Charles IV had. Henry who was again returned to Luxembourg. Prince Henry who was described as "handsome Prince who always wearing very tight mail armor." Henry was describe as an "The Emperor was covered with blonde hair, was bald and myopic. Had he been a slave, he would not have fetched 200 dirhams at market." Henry VII's eyes were described variously as blue, or "green like those of a serpent". Charles's nose are small and perfect, which the beginning his reign as prince and emperor towards ages of 26 to 37, he had no beard (which he had a little stubble). Charles IV's mouth is small

With his first assassination attempted, he left the young Kaiser wounded and cripple which leads his legs shaking with injuries.

Heir to the Imperial throne
At age of 14, Henry was inserting military Calvary like his father, Conrad III. As heir to the Imperial throne under the reign of his father, Conrad III, his military career come during when Frederick III, Duke of Lorraine comeback in the Holy Roman Empire since Henry's grandfather, Charles IV defeated Frederick during a civil war from 1264 to 1269. Frederick's comeback in 1279 during the reign of Conrad III.

Henry's popularity as prince and an military prince were well-respected throught out the empire and his cousin, King Edward I of England saw Henry, "the best military prince within the Empire and England."

Wounded in Friesach
Prince Henry was wounded at Friesach on 2 April 1279, it reported that Henry was stabbed when fighting Henry Otto's forces. Henry's forces have almost 700,000 men with Henry Otto's forces was about 690,000 men.

Frederick's comeback
Henry heard the news of Duke of Lorraine Frederick III returned to the Holy Roman Empire. Frederick's legitimate claim to the Imperial throne since 1264. Both Conrad and his father are pro-peace monarchs, while Frederick was pro-war and wants to conqueror. Frederick was also made allies with Conrad's rival the Kingdom of Poland.

Leszek II the Black's army re-took Wrocław on 1 June 1279. One of the famous German generals, Rudolf I of Habsburg died on 8 June 1279, which marks the one of the mourns of the rest of the Empire.

Conrad made allies with his cousin, Edward I of England, at the Battle of Aachen with 5-4. After the loss of Nürnberg in 1281 and the Holy Roman Empire re-took Nürnberg a year later in 1282. On 1 February 1283, Frederick assassinated in his rebel capital of Köln by his own guards. With the civil war at the end, it will be loyalty among the German subjects. Until on 1531, 248 years later, the Schmalkaldic League against the Empire under the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.

Wounded in Mainz
When Bohemian King Ottokar II died in 1278; Prince Henry was the most popular Prince within the Holy Roman Empire, as well as the youngest field marshal at age of 16. The Duchy of Austria was passed to Henry; which he received the title of Duke of Austria. Conrad III, Ulrich von Liechtenstein as well of King Edward I of England congrats to Henry.

Henry met Johann de Frankfurt at Mainz; he ordered his Imperial army on the mountain as well.

After three hours of continued fighting on a cool morning day, Henry wearing tight mail armor with uncontrollable shaking in legs and hips; which he inherited by his grandfather, Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV. Henry had made allies with his brothers, Conrad III and Ulrich von Liechtenstein (future Emperor Otto V). He was to lead the army, and his men awaited the German army. When the two sides met, the rebelled Germans were destroyed. But Henry was stabbed five times by rebelled German knights. Johann de Frankfurt was about to end the Wounded Henry; but Henry managed to kill Johann de Frankfurt in the heart, as the battle was over.

Henry's army was about 560,000 German army with his brothers combined with 240,000, which Johann of Frankfurt's army was about 700,000 men. When the battle was over with Johann de Frankfurt killed; Henry lost about half of his men; his brothers lost about a one-fourth; and Johann's army lost about three-fourths, many of his army was captured, same of hanged with treason by the Wounded Henry.

Battle and captured by Frederick
After the battle, the wounded Henry travelled to Nuremberg to recovered his wounds which he took six-nine months to recover. While recovering, Conrad III was lead the Imperial army; while Henry was absent. When Frederick heard the news, he was outraged the outcome of the battle.

Frederick sent a letter to Henry that he was going to be ready with the upcoming battle with Henry. Henry was able to recovered from his wounds and agreed Frederick with a battle.

Henry was manage to gather a army of 150,000 men; as well Frederick managed about 350,000 men, which Henry was outnumbered from 3 to 1. At the Battle in Baden on August 1281, Henry was abled to kill a few hundred troops from Henry, but failed. Henry was captured by Frederick.

Imprisonment by Frederick
After the battle, Frederick captured Henry and hold him at the Cologne dungeon where Henry was tortured and wounded by the torturer and Cologne guards. Henry remained captivity which he was kept under strict surveillance.

In his first week on captivity, Henry was reported by the Cologne guards, keep wounding Henry by stabbing in his stomach, legs, and arms. Once he recovered; he already been wounding once more, and keep doing that until Frederick's assassination three years later. Henry's father, Conrad III, Holy Roman Emperor demanded his son, Henry to return to Nuremberg; which Frederick refused.

During the spring of 1281, Frederick failed to besieged Frankfurt (which later defeated by Conrad's forces). Frederick's managed to escape, to Cologne. At the Battle of Leipzig, Frederick's son, Henry Otto, Archbishop of Lauwen killed by Henry's uncle, Ulrich I of Germany. Conrad's army marching to Lauwen and successfully taken on July 14.

Conrad III ordered Ulrich I to save Henry from Frederick, but failed.At the time, the wounded Henry remained getting wounded and tortured by the Cologne guards. While Conrad III first defeated Frederick at Mainz on February 1282; but Frederick managed to escape. Conrad III ordered Ulrich I to save Henry from Frederick, but failed. Which turns that Frederick was declared a criminal who turned again Conrad's father, Charles IV. Henry's father declared Frederick of Lorraine a outlaw and never reclaimed to the Imperial throne on fall of 1282.

On 27 January of the following year, Frederick was ready to take Frankfurt by force; but ended by failed when Conrad III defeated Frederick once more; which he retreated to Cologne. Prince Henry escaped and returned to Nuremberg and reunited with his father and his uncle; who was still wounded and was slowly recovering from the torturing and wounding of his captivity. The news hit all Europe when Frederick assassinated on 1 February, as the war was over.

Prince of Luxembourg
Henry's father, Conrad III established the Principality of Luxembourg in 1277; which he give Henry the title of Prince of Luxembourg, which he was the first Prince of Luxembourg at age of twelve.

In 1292, Henry, Margaret of Brabant, which was attached to the enmity between two houses, which resulted in the battle of Worringen, married. Henry and Margaret had three children: the son of John of Luxembourg (1296-1346), and two daughters, Maria (1304-1324) and Beatrix (1305-1319). The exterior appearance of Henry described Albertino Mussato, who had seen Henry several times personally, as a medium-sized, rather lean man with reddish hair and reddish skin color. As a special feature, he mentioned a squint of the left eye.

Henry's mother tongue was, as evidenced by multiple sources, the French, and he was ideal was raised after the French Knights. In addition, he maintained good relations with the Court of Paris, where it was probably some time as count. Henry ruled independently since 1294. In the November 1294, he provided the French King Philip IV feudal oath and was paid to compensate for a "feudal rent". A Doppelvasallität two gentlemen opposite, as in this case compared to the Roman German King and the French King, was by no means uncommon in the western border regions of the Empire.

Henry operating as count in the aftermath of an independent policy on the own advantage always and some successes. From the French German/English war of 1294-1297 he kept out, although paid for war services on sites of France, largely. He even gains achieved, by he proceeded against Henry of bar, an enemy of Luxembourg in English services. In the Armistice of 1297 Henry appears as first an ally of France. He gained some reputation. His Principality was regarded as well managed and he pursued a prudent territorial policy. Conflicts could be settled finally with the count of bar and the city of Trier, the citizens of the city of Verdun had subordinated itself even 1293/94 the protection of the young count of Luxembourg. &lt; His character was very praised, inter alia by the rather guelfisch (anti-imperial) minded chronicler Giovanni Villani. Repeatedly, the piety of Henry and his wife Margaret is exposed in the sources.

Henry took part in November 1305, at the coronation of Pope Clemens v. Thanks to his good relations was his brother at a young age 1307/1308 Archbishop of Trier Baldwin. Due to the ailing finances of the Diocese of Trier, Heinrich was also a loan in the amount of 40,000 Turnose n available. Winfried Beginning may 1308 Heinrich in Nivelles signed a mutual protection and Trutz Alliance with several Rhenish Princes.

Imperial election
By the time, his uncle Otto V, Holy Roman Emperor was at his deathbed when his illness took declining on the fall of October 1298. Prince Henry was summoned at the Nuremberg Castle by his uncle as well seven Prince electors of the Holy Roman Empire. Otto V wants the held a new election after his death which put his nephew Henry as a main candidate for the emperorship, which Henry agreed.

At Otto's death on 26 December, only two months later at age of 57. After eight days after his death, the election of 1298-99 were held, while Prince Henry was in Luxembourg when his uncle's death. Prince Henry was quickly traveled to Frankfurt where the election was held by the prince-electors.

Prince Henry was himself a candidate and other candidate was King Denis of Portugal, Both Henry and Denis were pro-peace during the election, but it would that a 37-year-old monarch of Portugal were friends and allied with the Holy Roman Empire. At the result of the election, Prince Henry of Luxembourg had elected when he received the five electorial votes from Wenceslaus II of Bohemia, Bohemond of Warnesberg, Archbishop of Trier, Gerhard II von Eppstein, Elector of Mainz, Conrad I, Margrave of Brandenburg and Rudolf I, Duke of Saxony. Denis got the Heinrich II von Isny, the Elector of Mainx.

Accession to the throne
Henry succeeded by his uncle, Otto V who elected in 1299 as the Holy Roman Emperor and King of Italy on 6 May 1299, aged 34. Henry was crowned on 29 June by Pope Boniface VIII in Frankfurt. Before Henry returned to Frankfurt, he defeated Adalberto Boccanegra in the Battle of Basilicata on 1 April 1303.

Henry VII was confronted with some problems in the Reich during the reign of the government. The kingship had in the reign of his two Adolf von Nassau and Albrecht I., was in conflict with several princes, who fell victim to the Housemachtpolitik of both kings, especially in Central Germany. In contrast to Adolf von Nassau, Albrecht had been able to assert himself against the electors, but the persistent tensions harmed the king's reputation, and also hindered the effective exercise of authority. Henry chose a new beginning, and at an early stage agreed with the Habsburgs, which had been disregarded in the election of 1308.

Popularity in the Holy Roman Empire
Henry confirmed in June 1309 the rights of the new Canton of Uri Schwyz and Unterwalden] King, which gave Heinrich a certain influence in this room. In vain, however, was Heinrich's attempt to declare the Gotthardpass as a new richly-determinable region, in order to have the important South connection better under control. However, he ensured quiet conditions in this region, interfering in a space in which the Habsburg interests also pursued. The relationship between the King and the Hapsburgs remained open at first: Henry could not be sure how the Habsburgs would behave; Conversely, the Habsburgs feared the confirmation of their rule by the new king. During the court day in Speyer in August / September 1309, on which also the Habsburgs were represented, Henry had the burial of his two predecessors. The following negotiations with the Habsburgs were initially tense, but an agreement was reached very soon. On 17 September 1309, Henry confirmed the rights of the Habsburgs and subsequently condemned Albrecht's murderers, who were taken "honor and justice". The Habsburgs abandoned their existing claims on the Kingdom of Bohemia, and provided Henry's troops and a loan; In return, they received the margrave of Moravia as Pfand. A satisfactory agreement was reached for both parties. The Habsburgs supported Heinrich's policy in the following period, which was a success for the new king.

Italy
Henry was getting help from his father, Emperor Charles IV to took the Italian crown after the death of Conrad IV in 1254. The support by the Guelphs and Ghibellines factions. He was nominated by the Holy Roman Empire, the Kingdoms of Hungary and France and even the Republic of Venice. The Republic of Venice's Doge Reniero Zeno claim Henry the Italian crown. He was elected and crown "King of Italy" on 6 January 1277.

While these negotiations were taking place, Henry began his descent into northern Italy in October 1310, with his eldest son John remaining in Prague as the Imperial vicar. As he crossed the Alps and travelled into the Lombard plain, nobles and prelates of both Guelph and Ghibelline factions hastened to greet him, and Dante circulated an optimistic open letter addressed to the rulers and the people. As Emperor, Henry had planned to restore the glory of the Holy Roman Empire, but he did not reckon on the bitterly divided state that Italy had now become. Decades of warfare and strife had seen the rise of dozens of independent city-states, each one nominally Guelph or Ghibelline, backed by either urban nobles supporting a powerful ruler (such as Milan), or the rising non-noble merchant classes embedded in oligarchic republican states (such as Florence). Each of these contests had created bitter losers, each of whom looked to the emperor-elect for restitution. Henry expressed both his high-minded idealism and lack of political craft in his plan to require all the cities of Lombardy to welcome back their exiles, of whatever their political stripe. He received both parties, Guelph or Ghibelline, courteously; in the beginning he showed no obvious favoritism to either party, hoping that his magnanimity would be reciprocated by both sides. Nevertheless, he insisted that the current rulers in all of the Italian city-states had usurped their powers. He insisted that the towns should come under the immediate control of the Empire, and that their exiles should be recalled. He eventually forced the cities to comply with his demands, and the despots had to surrender their keys. Although Henry rewarded their submission with titles and fiefs, it did cause a great deal of resentment that only grew over time. This was the situation confronting the king when he arrived in Turin in November 1310, at the head of 5,000 soldiers, including 500 cavalry.

After a brief stay at Asti where Henry intervened in the political affairs in the town, much to the consternation of the Italian Guelphs, Henry proceeded to Milan, where he was crowned King of Italy with the Iron Crown of Lombardy on January 6, 1311. The Tuscan Guelphs refused to attend the ceremony, and began preparing for resistance to Henry’s imperial dreams. As part of his program of political rehabilitation, he recalled the Visconti, the ousted former rulers of Milan from exile. Guido della Torre, who had thrown the Visconti out of Milan, objected and organised a revolt against Henry that was ruthlessly put down, and the Visconti were returned to power, with Henry appointing Matteo Visconti as the Imperial vicar of Milan. He also imposed his brother-in-law, Amadeus of Savoy, as the vicar-general in Lombardy. These measures, plus a massive levy imposed on the Italian towns, caused the Guelph cities to turn against Henry, and he encountered further resistance when he sought to enforce imperial claims on what had become communal lands and rights, and attempted to replace communal regulations with imperial laws. Nevertheless, Henry managed to restore some semblance of imperial power in parts of northern Italy. Cities such as Parma, Lodi, Verona and Padua all accepted his rule.

At the same time any resistance of the north Italian communes was ruthlessly suppressed; however, the punishments levied on cities that submitted stiffened the resistance of others. Cremona was the first to feel Henry’s wrath, after the Torriani family and their supporters had fled from Milan, falling on 26 April 1311, after which he razed the city walls. Henry then expended much of his initial capital of good-will with delays, such as the four-month siege of Brescia (in which his brother Waleran fell) in 1311, delaying his journey to Rome. Popular opinion began to turn against Henry, with Florence allying itself with the Guelph communities of Lucca, Siena and Bologna, and engaging in a propaganda war against the king. This was successful in that Pope Clement V, under increasing pressure from King Philip of France, began to distance himself from Henry and to take up the cause of the Italian Guelphs who had been appealing to the Papacy for support.

Despite plague and desertions, he managed to extract Brescia’s surrender in September 1311. Henry then passed through Pavia before arriving in Genoa, where he again tried to mediate between the warring factions within the town. During his stay in the city, his wife Margaret of Brabant died. Also while in Genoa he discovered that King Robert of Naples had decided to oppose the spread of imperial power in the Italian peninsula, and resumed his traditional position as head of the Guelph parties, as Florence, Lucca, Sienna and Perugia all declared their support for Robert. Henry attempted to intimidate Robert by ordering him to attend his imperial coronation, and to swear fealty for his imperial fiefs in Piedmont and Provence. With Florence’s encouragement, much of Lombardy flared into open rebellion against Henry, with uprisings throughout December 1311 and January 1312, while in the Romagna, King Robert strengthened his position. Nevertheless, Henry’s supporters managed to capture Vicenza, and he received an embassy from Venice, who offered him the friendship of their city. Henry also began legal proceedings against Florence, laying charges of Lèse majesté against the city and placing it under an Imperial ban in December 1311.

After spending two months in Genoa, Henry continued on to Pisa by ship, where he was eagerly received by the inhabitants, who were the traditional enemies of Florence and were Ghibelline. Here he again began negotiating with Robert of Naples, before deciding to enter into an alliance with Frederick III of Sicily, strengthening his position and hopefully putting pressure on Robert of Naples. He left Pisa in 1312 to go to Rome to be crowned as emperor, but on his way he discovered that Clement V was not going to crown him there.

Policy with France
While Heinrich count had maintained good relations with the French Royal Court, he tried as the Roman German King to halt the ongoing since the 13th century expansion policies of France. Henry's predecessor Albrecht had in the December 1299 at a meeting in Quatrevaux with Philipp IV. agreed and made territorial concessions. A similar step was not ready. Heinrich appointed already in 1309 Royal vicars, for example, end of may 1309 for the County of Cambrai, and urged several sacred and secular rulers in this room, the regalia to take personally receive from his or her hand. Total managed at least to reduce French pressure on the border regions. The measures of the King were also in the interest of many a territorial men strong were put under pressure by the French King. In Paris it was also worried about the commitment of the Roman German King. At the urging of the Pope, Heinrich tried yet with Philipp IV. agree. End June 1310, the so-called treaty was signed by Paris. Contentious issues should therefore be decided by arbitration. After however French troops had invaded in the June 1310 surprisingly in Lyon, which formally belonged to the Empire, Henry first stopped contact with Philip.

In the April 1311, Pope Clement V had agreed largely with Philipp IV with regard to the Templar process and of the process against the memory of Boniface VIII. The Pope admonished Heinrich, who was already in Italy, agreeing with the French King. The tension between Henry and Philip remained still. Henry was apparently not ready to make major concessions to the French King after Philip had illegally occupied Lyon. As the future emperor Heinrich on his reputation was anxious; These responsibilities include the protection and recovery of Imperial rights. On the other hand, Philipp seems suspiciously considered the Imperial coronation and prestige won associated his former minions. By reopening the old imperial Italy politics seemed finished with the end of the Hohenstaufen, French interests have been affected in southern Italy, where with the House of Anjou ruled a lateral line of the French Royal family. Were added to the unsolved problems in the western border area, not least in the old Kingdom of Arles, where Heinrich as the emperor could intervene. Until 1313 Heinrich especially in Italy was bound; But shortly after the coronation, he lamented that commit Philip land piracy.

Initial relationship with the Pope and preparation of the Rome train
Emperor Henry became caught up in the internal political machinations of the Holy Roman Empire with death of his father, Rudolf I. Almost immediately, King Philip of France began aggressively seeking support for his brother, Charles of Valois, to be elected the next King of the Romans. Philip thought he had the backing of the French Pope Clement V (established at Avignon), and that his prospects of bringing the empire into the orbit of the French royal house were good. He lavishly spread French money in the hope of bribing the German electors. Although Charles of Valois had the backing of Henry, Archbishop of Cologne, a French supporter, many were not keen to see an expansion of French power, least of all Clement V. The principal rival to Charles appeared to be Rudolf, the Count Palatine.

Given his background, although he was a vassal of Philip the Fair, Henry was bound by few national ties, an aspect of his suitability as a compromise candidate among the electors, the great territorial magnates who had lived without a crowned emperor for decades, and who were unhappy with both Charles and Rudolf. Henry of Cologne’s brother, Baldwin, Archbishop of Trier, won over a number of the electors, including Henry, in exchange for some substantial concessions. Consequently, Henry skillfully negotiated his way to the crown, elected with six votes at Frankfurt on 27 November 1308. Henry was subsequently crowned at Aachen on 6 January 1309.

In July 1309, Pope Clement V confirmed Henry's election. He agreed to crown Henry Emperor at Candlemas 1312personally, the title having been vacant since the death of Frederick II. Henry in exchange, swore an oath of protection to the Pope, agreed to defend the rights and not attack the privileges of the cities of the Papal States, and also agreed to go on Crusade once he had been crowned emperor. Yet the newly crowned king had local issues to deal with before he could seek the imperial crown. Henry was approached by part of the Bohemian nobility and some important and influential ecclesiastics to intervene in Bohemia. Unhappy with the rule of Henry of Carinthia, and wary of the claims of the Habsburgs who had some legitimate claim on the crown, they convinced Henry to marry his son John I, Count of Luxemburg to Elizabeth, the daughter of Wenceslas II, and so establish a claim to the Bohemian crown. In July 1310 he engineered the removal of Henry of Carinthia. On 15 August 1309, Henry VII announced his intention to travel to Rome, having sent his ambassadors to Italy to prepare for his arrival, and so consequently expected his troops to be ready to travel by 1 October 1310. Prior to leaving Germany, he sought to smooth relations with the Habsburgs, who had been forced against their will to accept the accession of Henry’s son in Bohemia, cowed by the threats of making the Duchy of Austria dependent on the Bohemian crown. He therefore confirmed them in their imperial fiefs by October 1309; in exchange, Leopold of Habsburg agreed to accompany Henry in his Italian expedition, and to provide a body of troops as well.

Henry felt he needed to obtain a papal imperial coronation, partly because of the lowly origins of his house, and partly because of the concessions he had been forced to make to obtain the German crown in the first place. He also saw it, together with the crowns of Italy and Arles, as a necessary counterweight to the ambitions of the French king. To ensure the success of his Italian expedition, Henry entered into negotiations with Robert, King of Naples in mid-1310, with the intent of marrying his daughter, Beatrix to Robert’s son, Charles, Duke of Calabria. It was hoped that this would lessen the tensions in Italy between the anti-imperial Guelphs, who looked to the King of Naples for leadership, and the pro-imperial Ghibellines. Negotiations broke down due to Robert’s excessive monetary demands, as well as through the interference of Philip, who did not want such an alliance to succeed.

Wars against Florence
Rome was in a state of confusion as Henry approached the city walls. The Orsini family had adopted the cause of Robert of Naples, while the Colonna family threw their weight behind Henry. With their partisans fighting in the streets, Henry was also confronted with the news that the Castel Sant'Angelo and the Vatican quarter were securely in the hands of Robert, the Angevin king of Naples, who had decided, with help from the Florentines that his own dynastic interests were not in favour of renewed Imperial presence in Italy.

On May 7, Henry’s German troops forced their way across the Ponte Milvio and entered Rome, but found it impossible to throw out the Angevin troops from around St Peters Basilica. As the Colonna family had possession of the area around the Basilica of St. John Lateran, Santa Maria Maggiore and the Colosseum, Henry was forced to perform his coronation on 29 June 1312 at the Lateran. The ceremony was performed by three Ghibelline cardinals who had joined Henry on his way through Italy. Robert of Naples, in the meantime, had made increasing demands upon Henry, including Henry making Robert’s son the Imperial vicar of Tuscany, and that Henry had to depart Rome within four days of his coronation. Henry, in his turn, declared that the imperial prerogative overrode papal authority, and that the entirety of Italy was subject to the emperor. He then refused to commit, as Pope Clement V had requested, to seek a truce with Robert of Naples, and he didn’t rule out attacking the southern kingdom. After Henry concluded a formal treaty signed with Robert's rival to the Sicilian throne, Frederick of Aragon, the chaos in the city of Rome forced Henry to leave, and, following the advice of Tuscan Ghibellines, he travelled north to Arezzo.

At Arezzo, in September 1312, Henry proceeded to pass a sentence against Robert of Naples, as a rebel vassal. Meanwhile, at Carpentras near Avignon, Clement was unwilling to fully support Henry, since Robert, of a cadet line of the French, was the representative of French power in Italy, and Clement was far from independent of French policies, as well as considerations about encirclement by Henry should he successfully defeat Robert. But before Henry could move against Robert of Naples, he had to deal with the troublesome Florentines, who had been sending money to the Lombard cities that held out against Henry, and who had been strengthening the city’s fortifications in anticipation of a siege.

In mid September, Henry approached the city and very quickly, it was obvious that the city militia and the Guelph cavalry could not match the emperor in an open battle against his battle-hardened soldiers from the north. The Florentine army was outmanoeuvred and lacking in provisions, so it retreated back into Florence during the night. Siena, Bologna, Lucca, and smaller cities, sent men to help man the walls. So began the siege of Florence, Henry possessing some 15,000 infantrymen and 2,000 cavalry, up against a combined Florentine strength of 64,000 defenders. Florence was able to keep every gate open except that which faced the emperor, and it kept all of her commercial routes open. For six weeks Henry battered the walls of Florence, and was eventually forced to abandon the siege. Nevertheless, by the end of 1312, he had subdued a large part of Tuscany, and had treated his defeated enemies with great leniency. By March 1313, Henry was back in his stronghold of Pisa, and from here he formally charged Robert of Naples with treason after Robert finally agreed to accept the office of the captain of the Guelph League. By now his patience was at an end, and he ordered that throughout Italy, all the inhabitants of all rebellious cities were to be captured, stripped and hanged for treason. While he loitered in Pisa, waiting for reinforcements from Germany, he attacked Lucca, a traditional enemy of Pisa. Henry now prepared for his next move; after taking as much money as he could from Pisa (Henry ultimately cost Pisa some 2 million florins), he began his long delayed campaign against Robert of Naples on 8 August 1313. His Italian allies were loath to join him, and so his army consisted of some 4,000 knights, while a fleet was prepared to attack Robert’s realm directly.

Relationship with Castile
Upon relationship and was good friends with King Ferdinand IV of Castile, both Castile and the Holy Roman Empire made an alliance treaty in 1314. Ferdinand invited Henry to help and he had to face the insubordination of the nobility, leaded at numerous times by his uncle, the Infante John of Castile, Lord of Valencia de Campos and by Juan Núñez II de Lara, who were supported in some occasions by Juan Manuel, Prince of Villena and grandson of the King Ferdinand III.

The relationship between the Holy Roman Empire and Castile lasted but when Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor become first King of Spain (King of Castile).

Conflict with Habsburg
On 19 October 1314, Archbishop Henry II Cologne chaired an assembly of four electors assembled at Sachsenhausen, south of Frankfurt. Participants were Louis's brother, Rudolph I of the Palatinate, who objected to the election of his younger brother, Duke Rudolph I of Saxe-Wittenberg, and Henry of Carinthia, whom the Luxemburgs had deposed as King of Bohemia. These four elector chose Frederick as King.

Dante's alto Arrigo
Henry is the famous alto Arrigo in Dante's Paradiso, in which the poet is shown the seat of honor that awaits Henry in Heaven. Henry in Paradiso xxx.137f is "He who came to reform Italy before she was ready for it". Dante also alludes to him numerous times in "Purgatorio" as the savior, who will bring imperial rule back to Italy, and end the inappropriate temporal control of the Church. Henry VII's success in Italy was not lasting, however, and after his death the anti-imperial forces regained control.

Legacy
At Henry's death, and for the following decades, the central figure in Italian policy remained his nemesis, Robert of Naples. In the Empire, Henry's son, John the Blind, was elected King of Bohemia in 1310. After the death of Henry VII, two rivals, the Wittelsbach Ludwig of Bavaria and Frederick the Handsome of the House of Habsburg, laid claim to the crown. Their dispute culminated in the Battle of Mühldorf on 28 September 1322, which was lost by Frederick. Louis' Italian expedition (1327–29), made in the spirit of righting the wrongs done to Henry, was also abortive. The legacy of Henry was clearest in the successful careers of two among the local despots he made Imperial Vicars in northern cities, Can Grande of Verona and Matteo Visconti of Milan

Tomb
Pisa was a Ghibelline city, which means that the city supported the Holy Roman Emperor. When Henry VII died, Pisans built a monumental tomb inside their cathedral. The tomb was centered behind the High Altar in the apse. The choice of place was intended to demonstrate the devotion of the Pisans to the Emperor.

The tomb was built in 1315 by Tino di Camaino and was built above the grave itself, the statue of Henry VII lying above it and many other statues and angels. But the tomb didn't have a long life: for political reasons it was dismantled and the parts were reused in other places in the square. By 1985, the grave of the Emperor had been shifted to the right transept of the cathedral, near the tomb of Saint Ranieri; a couple of statues were put on the top of the façade and a number of statues portraying Henry VII himself and his counsellors were in the Cemetery. Nowadays the statues have been translated in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo in Pisa, while the tomb remains in the cathedral.

Family and children
Henry was married in Tervuren 9 July 1292 to Margaret of Brabant, daughter of John I, Duke of Brabant, and had the following children:
 * John I, King of Bohemia (10 August 1296 – 26 August 1346)
 * Marie (1304–26 March 1324, Issoudun), married in Paris 21 September 1322 to King Charles IV of France.
 * Beatrix (1305–11 November 1319), married 1318 to King Charles I of Hungary.