Henry of Eppenstein

Henry of Eppenstein
Duke of Carinthia
Duke	1090–1122
Predecessor	Liutold of Eppenstein
Successor	Henry of Sponheim
Noble family	House of Eppenstein
Father	Markwart of Eppenstein
Mother	Liutbirg of Plain
Born	c. 1050
Died	4 December 1122

Henry of Eppenstein (usually numbered Henry III; c. 1050 – 4 December 1122) was Duke of Carinthia and Margrave of Verona from 1090 to 1122. He was the last duke from the House of Eppenstein.

Life

He was the son of Count Markwart of Eppenstein (d. 1076) and his wife Liutbirg of Plain, the younger brother of Liutold of Eppenstein, who was enfeoffed with the Carinthian duchy after the deposition of the Zähringen duke Berthold by King Henry IV of Germany in 1077. Both brothers had been loyal allies of the king during the fierce Investiture Controversy and the Walk to Canossa. When the princes elected Rudolf of Rheinfelden anti-king, the Eppensteins ensured King Henry's safe passage back to Germany.

When Duke Liutold died childless in 1190, King Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor since 1084, vested him with Carinthia and the Veronese march. Duke Henry also served as Vogt (bailiff) of the Patriarchate of Aquileia under his brother Patriarch Ulrich I. With Ulrich he backed King Henry V of Germany when he enforced the abdication of his father Emperor Henry IV in 1105. In the course of the ongoing Investiture Controversy he entered into an armed conflict with Prince-Archbishop Conrad I of Salzburg in 1121.

With Henry's death in 1122, the Eppenstein line became extinct. The Carinthian duchy was taken over by his godson Henry from the rising House of Sponheim.

References

• John Eldevik. Episcopal Power and Ecclesiastical Reform in the German Empire: Tithes, Lordship, and Community, 950-1150 Cambridge University Press, Jul 31, 2012 pg. 261
• I. S. Robinson. Henry IV of Germany 1056-1106. Cambridge University Press, Dec 4, 2003 pg. 289