Henry II, Count of Champagne

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 took up rule over Champagne in the name of the minor Henry. 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 of Luxembourg declared that Henry should succeed him in his counties, disinheriting his nephew Count Baldwin V of Hainaut. However, Philip sided with Baldwin and thus Henry did not take control of the counties.

In 1190, Henry joined the Third Crusade, aimed at conquering Jerusalem back from Muslims. He had his barons recognize his young brother, Theobald, as his heir and left his lands under their mother's rule. He arrived with his men, supplies, and arms to Acre in July 1190, heartening the Christian army besieging the city. Acre fell in 1191, after the arrival of Henry's half-uncles Philip and Richard. In April 1192, the barons of the Kingdom of Jerusalem chose Conrad of Montferrat to be their king. Conrad was married to Isabella, heir to the kingdom. Henry conveyed the news to Conrad, who was killed by Assassins within days. The nobles then elected Henry and he married Isabella.

The Third Crusade ended with the reestablishment of the Kingdom of Jerusalem on a narrow strip of land along the Palestinian coast. Henry ruled the kingdom, but was never crowned its king. He had a difficult relationship with the Church but enjoyed the support of the barons. He responded resolutely when Pisan merchants plotted on behalf of the former king, Isabella's brother-in-law Guy of Lusignan, and had Guy's brother Aimery imprisoned. Aimery succeeded Guy as the lord of Cyprus in 1194. The same year, Henry allied with the Assassins and intervened in the conflict between Leo II of Armenia and Bohemond III of Antioch. In 1197, Henry reconciled with Aimery and arranged for his three daughters by Isabella to marry Aimery's sons. Soon after he fell from his window and died. Aimery married Isabella and succeeded him, while Champagne passed to Theobald.