Heinrich II.

One of the finest pictures on the Babenberg Family Tree is dedicated to Henry II. In the foreground we see the sea voyage of the crusaders.

The technical details of the ship and the uneasiness of her passengers are clearly visible. In the back right we see the Schottenkirche Henry founded in Vienna, with authentic west wing, transept and side chapels. This is the oldest view of the church, which was torn down and rebuilt in the 17th century. Henry II and a Scottish abbot are standing in front of it.

Henry is born in 1107, the oldest son of Margrave Leopold III and Agnes, Margravine consort. Nevertheless it’s his younger brother Leopold IV who succeeds his father in 1107. Meanwhile Henry becomes Count Palatine of the Rhine, but takes over from his brother when he dies in 1141.

Contemporary sources describe Henry as strong, bold but also impatient. The power over Bavaria he acquires through the death of his brother proves to be a political problem – one he would rather avoid. He marries Theodora, the niece of Byzantine Emperor Manuel and after lengthy negotiations at the Regensburg Reichstag hands back the Bavarian dukedom. In the bargain, the status of his own land is elevated.

The Austrian march becomes a duchy, independent of Bavaria. The negotiated Privilegium Minus also provides another building block in the expansion of Babenberg power. Henry moves his residence from Klosterneuburg to Vienna, where he founds the Scottish Abbey. His famous byname “Jasomirgott” is supposed to derive from his favourite phrase “Ja, so mir Gott helfe” (“Yes, so help me God”). Admittedly there are no sources that prove this.