Henry of Flanders

Henry of Flanders
Seal of Henry of Flanders
Latin Emperor of Constantinople
Reign	1205–1216
Coronation	20 August 1206
Predecessor	Baldwin I
Successor	Peter II of Courtenay
Born	c. 1176 Valenciennes
Died	11 June 1216 Thessaloniki
Spouse	Agnes of Montferrat Maria of Bulgaria
House	House of Flanders
Father	Baldwin V, Count of Hainaut
Mother	Margaret I, Countess of Flanders
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Henry (c. 1176–11 June 1216) was the second emperor of the Latin Empire of Constantinople. He was a younger son of Baldwin V, Count of Hainaut (later Baldwin VIII, count of Flanders), and Margaret I of Flanders, sister of Philip of Alsace, count of Flanders.

Having joined the Fourth Crusade in about 1201, he distinguished himself at the sieges of Constantinople and elsewhere. During the July 1203 siege, Henry was one of eight division generals, the others including Boniface of Montferrat (the crusade leader), Doge Enrico Dandolo (leader of the Venetians), Louis of Blois (one of the first nobles to take the cross), and Henry's own brother, Baldwin of Flanders, who controlled the largest division. During the 1204 siege, Henry led a chevauchée expedition to gain supplies and raided a castle in Philia, near the Black Sea with, according to Robert de Clari, about 30 knights and an unspecified number of mounted sergeants. An ambush was laid for him by Emperor Alexius V "Murzuphlus" Ducas, but Henry and his force routed the Greeks soundly, captured a revered icon supposedly containing relics of Christ, and returned to the crusader camp. He soon became prominent among the princes of the new Latin Empire.