Editing Henry the Proud (section)

==Family==
Henry was the second son of Duke [[Henry IX of Bavaria]] and [[Wulfhilde of Saxony|Wulfhilde]], daughter of Duke [[Magnus of Saxony]].{{sfn|Davis|2013|p=353}} He was thus not only a member of the Welf family, but, what was quite important, also senior heir of the Saxon House of [[Billung]]. Henry came of age in 1123, in 1126 his father retired to [[Weingarten Abbey]] where he and his wife died shortly afterwards. As his elder brother [[Conrad of Bavaria|Conrad]] entered the [[Cistercian Order]], Henry was enfeoffed with the [[Duchy of Bavaria]]. He shared the family possessions in [[Duchy of Saxony|Saxony]], Bavaria and [[Duchy of Swabia|Swabia]] with his younger brother [[Welf VI]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=293}}

In 1127, Henry married [[Gertrud of Süpplingenburg|Gertrude]], the only child of King [[Lothair III of Germany]].{{sfn|Previté-Orton|1979|p=554}} Henry's father had been promised her marriage and inheritance as reward for his changing to support Lothair in the royal election of 1125 against the [[House of Hohenstaufen|Hohenstaufen]] rival Duke [[Frederick II of Swabia]]. Gertrude was heir of the properties of three Saxon dynasties: the [[Supplinburger dynasty|House of Supplinburg]], the [[Brunonids]], and the counts of [[Northeim]]. The marriage marked the expansion of power of the Welf dynasty, Bavarian dukes since 1070, to the northern parts of [[Kingdom of Germany|Germany]]. The couple had a son, [[Henry the Lion]].{{sfn|Davis|2013|p=353}}