Henry V of Luxembourg

Henry V
Count of Arlon as Henry V
Reign	2 July 1226 – 24 December 1281
Predecessor	Waleran III
Successor	Henry VI
Lord of Ligny as Henry I
Reign	1240 - 24 December 1281
Predecessor	Henry II of Bar
Successor	Waleran I
Count of Luxembourg and Laroche as Henry V
Reign	12 February 1247 – 24 December 1281
Predecessor	Ermesinda
Successor	Henry VI (Luxembourg) Waleran I (Laroche)
Count of Namur as Henry III
Reign	1256 - 1264
Predecessor	Baldwin II
Successor	Guy
Born	1216
Died	24 December 1281 Mainz
Spouse	Margaret of Bar
Issue	Henry VI, Count of Luxembourg Waleran I, Lord of Ligny Isabelle of Luxembourg Philippa of Luxembourg Margaret of Luxembourg Felicitas of Luxembourg Joanna of Luxembourg
House	House of Luxembourg
Father	Waleran III of Limburg
Mother	Ermesinda of Luxembourg

Henry V the Blondell (1216 – 24 December 1281), called the Great, was the count of Arlon from 1226 to his death, lord of Ligny from 1240 to his death, count of Luxembourg and Laroche from 1247 to his death, and the count of Namur between 1256 and 1264 as Henry III. He was the son and successor of Waleran III of Limburg and Ermesinda of Luxembourg.

In 1226, following the death of his father Waleran III, Henry inherited the county of Arlon.

In 1240 Henry married Margaret of Bar,^[1] daughter of Henry II of Bar and Philippa of Dreux who was the great-granddaughter of King Louis VI of France. Henry's marriage to Margaret brought him Ligny-en-Barrois as her dowry, though, by a clause in the marriage contract, it remained under the feudal suzerainty of the county of Bar. In contempt of this, Henry paid homage in 1256 to Theobald II of Navarre, in his capacity as Count of Champagne. Henry's brother-in-law, Theobald II of Bar, took advantage of the conflict then raging between Frederick III of Lorraine and the bishops of Metz. Henry V was a partisan of the duke and so Theobald took the side of the bishop. Henry was captured in battle at Prény on 14 September 1266. On 8 September 1268, King Louis IX arbitrated between the two counts and Henry was freed and repossessed of Ligny, but under the suzerainty of the Barrois.

Henry inherited Luxembourg and Laroche following the death of his mother, Ermesinde, in 1247.

In 1256, Henry seized Namur while the reigning margrave, Baldwin II, was also reigning emperor in Constantinople. Baldwin relinquished his rights to Namur to Guy of Dampierre, Count of Flanders, who retook the margraviate from Henry. The two parties made peace and Guy married Henry's daughter.

From Margaret he had the following issue:

• Henry VI (died 1288), Count of Luxembourg
• Waleran I (died 1288), Count of Ligny & Roussy
• Isabelle (1247–1298), married Guy of Dampierre^[2]
• Philippa (1252–1311), married John II, Count of Holland
• Marguerite (lady of Macheren), living 1302
• Felicitas
• Jeanne (died 1310), Abbess at Clairefontaine Abbey of Clairefontaine

He also had at least three illegitimate sons, including:

• Henry, bastard of Luxembourg (died 1288), married Isabelle of Houffalize, heiress of Houffalize

References

1. John A. Gade, Luxemburg in the Middle Ages, (E.J. Brill, 1951), 96.
2. J. F. Verbruggen, The Battle of the Golden Spurs (Courtrai, 11 July 1302), ed. Kelly DeVries, transl. David Richard Ferguson, (Boydell Press, 2002), 8.