Henry II, Count of Champagne (1166–1197)
Born 1166 CE, died 1197 CE.
Henry II (French: Henri; 29 July 1166 – 10 September 1197) was the count of Champagne from 1181 and the lord of the Kingdom of Jerusalem from his marriage to Isabella I of Jerusalem in 1192 until his death in 1197. He was an assertive ruler and was especially popular among his subjects in Palestine. Henry was the eldest child of Count Henry I of Champagne and Marie of France. His mother was the half-sister of Kings Philip II of France and Richard I of England. Henry was betrothed in 1171 to Isabella of Hainaut, but Philip married her himself in 1180, causing a family rift and revolt against Philip. When Henry's father died in 1181, his mother ruled Champagne in Henry's name. Shortly before assuming personal rule, Henry negotiated a betrothal to Ermesinde, the infant daughter of Count Henry the Blind of Luxembourg and Namur. The count declared that Henry should succeed him, disinheriting his nephew Count Baldwin V of Hainaut, Philip's father-in-law. Philip sided with Baldwin, and Henry did not gain control of Luxembourg and Namur. In 1190, Henry joined the Third Crusade, aimed at conquering Jerusalem back from Muslims.
Text from the Wikipedia article Henry_II_of_Champagne, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.