On This Day
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Palermo, Sicily, is conquered by Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI

Henry VI (German: Heinrich VI.; November 1165 – 28 September 1197), a member of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, was King of Germany (King of the Romans) from 1169 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1191 until his...

Henry VI (German: Heinrich VI.; November 1165 – 28 September 1197), a member of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, was King of Germany (King of the Romans) from 1169 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1191 until his death. From 1194 he was also King of Sicily as the husband and co-ruler of Queen Constance I.

Henry was the second son of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa and Beatrice I, Countess of Burgundy. Well educated in the Latin language, as well as Roman and canon law, Henry was also a patron of poets and a skilled poet himself. In 1186 he married Constance of Sicily. Henry, stuck in the Hohenstaufen conflict with the House of Welf until 1194, had to enforce the inheritance claims by his wife against her nephew Count Tancred of Lecce.

Historical Significance

Henry VI (German: Heinrich VI.

Events Before

  1. Minamoto Yoritomo becomes Seii Taishōgun, the first ruling shogun in the history of Japan and de facto ruler

    Minamoto Yoritomo becomes Seii Taishōgun, the first ruling shogun in the history of Japan and de facto ruler

  2. Sultan Saladin and King Richard the Lionheart of England sign the Treaty of Jaffa ending the Third Crusade in a compromi

    Sultan Saladin and King Richard the Lionheart of England sign the Treaty of Jaffa ending the Third Crusade in a compromise neither is happy with. Treaty leaves Jerusalem under Islamic control with Christian pilgrimage rights and restores the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

  3. Assassination of Conrad of Montferrat (Conrad I), King of Jerusalem, in Tyre, two days after his title to the throne con

    Assassination of Conrad of Montferrat (Conrad I), King of Jerusalem, in Tyre, two days after his title to the throne confirmed by election. Killing carried out by Hashshashin.

  4. Ladislaus I, Árpád dynasty King (1077-95) venerated as Roman Catholic saint

    The Árpád dynasty consisted of the members of the royal House of Árpád, also known as Árpáds.

  5. Philip II of France marries Ingeborg, daughter of King Valdemar I of Denmark, in Amiens and requests an annulment immedi

    Philip II of France marries Ingeborg, daughter of King Valdemar I of Denmark, in Amiens and requests an annulment immediately after on the grounds of non-consummation; the bride disputes

Events After

  1. Alexios III Angelos drives out his brother Isaac II as Byzantine emperor

    Alexios III Angelos drives out his brother Isaac II as Byzantine emperor

  2. Earliest report of ball lightning in London by Benedictine monk Gervase of Christ Church Cathedral Priory, Canterbury [1

    Earliest report of ball lightning in London by Benedictine monk Gervase of Christ Church Cathedral Priory, Canterbury [1]

  3. Battle at Alarcos: Almohads led by Abu Yusuf Yaqub al-Mansur defeats army of Alfonso VIII of Castile

    Alfonso VIII (11 November 1155 – 5 October 1214), called the Noble (El Noble) or the one of Las Navas (el de las Navas), was King of Castile from 1158 to his death and King of Toledo.

  4. Northern Dutch coast flooded, the "Saint-Nicolas Flood"

    Northern Dutch coast flooded, the "Saint-Nicolas Flood"

  5. Crusaders wound Rabbi Elezar ben Judah

    Crusaders wound Rabbi Elezar ben Judah

More from the 1190s

Richard I of England marries Berengaria of Navarre in Cyprus

Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199), known as Richard the Lionheart or Richard Cœur de Lion (Old Norman French: Quor de Lion) because of his reputation as a great military leader and warrior,…

King Richard I of England arrives at Acre in modern-day Israel to join the Siege of Acre during the Third Crusade

Acre ( AH-kər, AY-kər), known in Hebrew as Akko and in Arabic as Akka, is a city in the coastal plain region of the Northern District of Israel. The city occupies a strategic location, sitting in a…

Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa drowns while crossing the Saleph River in modern-day Turkey, leading an army t

Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa drowns while crossing the Saleph River in modern-day Turkey, leading an army to Jerusalem during the Third Crusade

Minamoto Yoritomo becomes Seii Taishōgun, the first ruling shogun in the history of Japan and de facto ruler

Minamoto Yoritomo becomes Seii Taishōgun, the first ruling shogun in the history of Japan and de facto ruler

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on November 20, 1194?
Henry VI (German: Heinrich VI.; November 1165 – 28 September 1197), a member of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, was King of Germany (King of the Romans) from 1169 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1191 until his death. From 1194 he was also King of Sicily as the husband and co-ruler of Queen Constance I. Henry was the second son of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa and Beatrice I, Countess of Burgundy.
Why is Palermo, Sicily, is conquered by Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI significant?
Henry VI (German: Heinrich VI.

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November 20 in HistoryYear 1194